Podcast Conversation/Video with Andrew Bartolotta at CityCURRENT
A deep dive into sensory-rich nature play, children’s seven sensory systems, backyard playscapes, and the power of outdoor environments in child development.
What makes nature play so powerful for developing children?
Jena sat down with Andrew Bartolotta of CityCURRENT to talk about the power of sensory-rich nature play and the many ways outdoor environments support children’s development.
The conversation takes a closer look at how children experience nature through not just five senses, but seven interconnected sensory systems. Movement, balance, body awareness, texture, sound, sight, and other forms of sensory input all work together as children explore the world around them.
Seven Sensory Systems at Work
Nature gives children opportunities to use their whole bodies. Climbing, balancing, digging, carrying, swinging, touching, listening, and observing all create layers of sensory information that help children understand themselves and their surroundings.
These experiences support far more than physical movement. They can influence confidence, regulation, coordination, curiosity, problem-solving, and the way children engage with other people and the environment.
Sensory-rich nature play gives children more ways to move, explore, notice, experiment, and understand the world through their own bodies.
Turning a Backyard Into a Playscape
The conversation also explores how families can begin thinking differently about their own outdoor spaces.
A backyard does not need to become a traditional playground to support meaningful play. Natural materials, varied textures, opportunities for movement, planting, loose parts, water, digging, and places to pause can all help turn an ordinary outdoor space into a richer sensory environment.
Nature & Holistic Development
The larger idea behind the interview is simple: children develop as whole people, and the environments around them can support that development in equally interconnected ways.
Sensory-rich nature play creates space for physical development, emotional regulation, imagination, social connection, independence, and discovery to happen together rather than as separate activities.
Sensory-Rich Nature Play with CityCURRENT
Watch Jena’s full conversation with Andrew Bartolotta about the seven sensory systems, backyard playscapes, and the power of nature in child development.
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