Learn what today’s children are missing, why, what we can do about it, and where we could end up.
find what's been missing:
Today's children are missing out on their most precious resource.
a connection with nature.
A strong bond with nature as a child has a multitude of benefits.
Children need nature in their lives.
Interactions with nature can:
Relieve Stress
Increase Resilience
Boost Health
Advance Thinking
Promote Relationships
Restore Attention
Children want nature in their lives, too.
"For children, being in the garden is something magical"
(Capra, F., 2005)
But they aren't getting enough of it.
Why not?
- Children lack the time to spend in nature.
- Parental concerns impede children's time in nature.
- Access to nearby outdoor spaces restricts children's time in nature.
Let's get them into nature, then.
Q:
But how do we overcome the barriers between children and nature?
How do we give them the time?
And ensure their safety?
And create the access to nature?
A:
nature schools
Specifically, nature schools that:
1. Serve children between 2 years and 6 years of age,
2. Prioritize unstructured outdoor play.
3. Promote accessible natural areas.
4. Provide opportunities for environmental activism.
This childhood connection with nature
leads to adults that
help save the planet.
references
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The Nature of Americans – a 2019 study of families’ barriers and access to nature. https://natureofamericans.org/
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Sobel, D., Stires, A., Bailie, P. E., Fritz, R. W., Finch, K., & Kenny, E. K. (2016). Nature preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning. Redleaf Press.
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Sue Waite, Fatima Husain, Berenice Scandone, Emma Forsyth & Hannah Piggott (2021): ‘It’s not for people like (them)’: structural and cultural barriers to children and young people engaging with nature outside schooling, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, DOI:10.1080/14729679.2021.1935286
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© Caity Peterson 2022