January 30th

By Mutt Mulligan

5 reasons to enter The (Really) Great Outdoors Contest

As The TurfMutt Foundation has been touting, the green spaces in your own backyard and in our community parks and school yards have purpose beyond looking beautiful. These areas are also wildlife habitats, environmental superheroes, recreational spaces, and outdoor living spaces.

Beyond that, science proves that green space is something kids like and that helps them be better students. The TurfMutt Foundation recently announced The (Really) Great Outdoors Contest 2020 that will award $10,000 in prizes for students, teachers, and schools.

Submissions for students in grades 6 to 8 are due on March 16, 2020.
Enter now.

Here are the top 5 reasons to enter the contest that is focused on urging kids to use their imaginations around the many uses and benefits of green space and the outdoors.

Kids prefer green space at their schools. Children prefer school grounds with biodiverse vegetation over paved ones. Read a TurfMutt blog post that explains this research.

Green space helps kids concentrate & learn. Children in green urban spaces are likely to perform better academically. “Greening” under-privileged urban neighborhoods in Chicago with tree canopy and grass/shrub cover has the potential to mitigate academic underachievement. Researchers found that Barcelona school children who had more exposure to the outdoors performed better on cognitive testing. Children gain attention and working memory benefits when they are exposed to greenery. Additionally, kids who attend schools in greener areas are at lower risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

Greenness near schools reduces blood pressure. In China, greater greenness near schools had a beneficial effect on blood pressure, especially in overweight or obese children.

Green space helps kids be more active. Access to neighborhood parks and green space is linked to higher activity levels in children in Norway.

Green space improves behavior. Children with greater exposure to nature demonstrate higher levels of self-regulation.

To learn more about the many benefits of our living landscapes, go to TurfMutt.com. To enter The (Really) Great Outdoors Contest 2020, click here.