Nature connection articles

From contact to connection: cultivating a deeper relationship with nature

"Deepening one’s roots bears more fruits. Confusion over these terms and what they entail can put a cap on the benefits nature provides." Sam Gandy in Eco Hustler, 25 November 2024.

1 in 2 primary-aged kids have strong connections to nature, but this drops off in teenage years. Here’s how to reverse the trend

'We found most younger children, especially girls, reported strong connections to nature and commitment to pro-environmental behaviours. But by their teenage years, many children have fallen out of love with nature. Understanding and reversing this trend is vital to tackling climate change, species loss and other grave environmental problems.' The Conversation, 15 August 2021.

‘If in doubt, send them out!’ Rewilding your children post-pandemic

'Youngsters were spending less time outdoors even before the virus struck, now the problem is even worse ... Resurrecting active outdoor play means getting more children outdoors more often and this calls for the rewilding of childhood.' Cites various useful research. Independent, 16 March 2021.

From rewilding to forest schools, our attitude to nature is changing for the better

The statistics may be terrifying – but the UK’s approach to natural habitats is undergoing a quiet transformation. The Guardian, 21 November 2020.

‘Nature doesn’t judge you’: how young people in cities feel about the natural world

'Young people in cities tend to value nature more than others realise. It’s not yet clear how young city dwellers have spent time in green and blue spaces during the COVID 19 pandemic. But ... these experiences are less accessible for urban residents and people of colour in particular, who are already at greater risk of poorer mental health.' The Conversation, 30 October 2020.

Children should spend an hour a day in wild, says Wildlife Trusts

'Government urged to create spaces where young people can connect with natural world ... The conservation organisation said an hour a day outdoors for all British children aged four to 11 would help re-establish the connection between young people and nature in the UK.' The Guardian, 7 November 2019.

Children are our future, and the planet’s. Here’s how you can teach them to take care of it

'Contact with nature is a crucial part of sustainability education in early childhood ... helps children develop an appreciation for the Earth and all its inhabitants. Educators in childcare settings can provide a learning culture where children develop skills to take care of nature through play and creativity, without inflicting mass anxiety on them.' The Conversation, 9 May 2019.

Getting Kids to Connect With Nature

Interview with US palaeontologist, museum curator and children’s TV Host Dr. Scott Sampson, about his book How to Raise A Wild Child, looking at the importance & benefits of connecting children to nature, keeping them interested as they get older, and some of the barriers. The Mother Company (US), 15 April 2019.

How To Reconnect Kids With The Trees, Nature’s Best Teachers

Picking a ‘friend’ tree and the benefits trees give us – they ground us, teach us, set an example and support connection. Tinkergarten (US), 20 February 2018 (?).

Our Kids Can Save The Planet — If We Teach Them How

Research shows children who play in nature are more likely to grow up to be environmentalists." HuffPost, 2 August 2018.

The Nature Fix: overcoming barriers to the outdoors

The excuses we use to stay indoors, and strategies to overcome them – with some examples of organisations working to do this, particularly with women. REI Co-op (US), 6 February 2018.

Forest Bathing Connects Us to Nature and Better Health

What is forest bathing, how does it reduce stress, and how do you do it? Outdoor Families Magazine, 30 January 2018.

Building a Movement to Help Young Children Connect with Nature and Care for It

Looking at the early childhood environmental education movement and how to get more children to experience “the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” Natural Start Alliance, October 2017.

Badger or Bulbasaur – have children lost touch with nature?

Studies show that children are better at identifying Pokémon characters than real animals and plants. Author Robert Macfarlane writes about his quest to reconnect young readers with the natural world, and writing his Lost Words book. The Guardian, 30 September 2017.

Nature is the best way to nurture pupils with special educational needs

“Outdoor education doesn’t just engage students with complex needs in the curriculum, it teaches life skills too.” With examples of schools and organisations doing this work. The Guardian, 1 May 2016.

Concerns raised over number of children not engaging with nature

Two-year study finds more than 10% of children in England have not been to a natural environment in the past 12 months. This article considers why, especially for BAME households, what some organisations are doing to counteract it, and what parents can do themselves. The Guardian, 10 February 2016.

Twenty amazing things that trees do

“Trees have a key role to play in rewilding Britain – to help restore nutrients to the soils and encourage the return of diverse flora and fauna. But there’s even more to trees than that bit of simple miracle working.” Rewilding Britain, 2 December 2015.

Nature’s Wall of Grief

Article on how spending prolonged time in nature may help us tap into long-held feelings of grief, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nature's Apprentice (Au), 22 October 2015.

Are you suffering from nature deficiency disorder?

Not enough time outdoors leads kids to become disconnected, says naturalist. ‘Brian Keating, a naturalist who spent 30 years working with the Calgary Zoo, says children aren’t spending time in nature, and as a result, they are becoming disconnected from the world. Keating credits author Richard Louv for coining the phrase nature deficiency disorder…’ CBC News (Canada), 2 October 2015.

Ideas on Raising Environmentally-conscious Kids

“If You Are Wondering How You Can Teach Your Children To Be Earth-Conscious Individuals, Here Are Some Ideas That Can Be Helpful.” iheartintelligence.com, 4 March 2015.

Let Kids Run Wild in the Woods

What if everybody picked a flower? Maybe they’d care more about nature. Article looking at the concept of ‘leave no trace’ & how it can inhibit fun & bonding with nature, and the benefits of nature play areas – ‘set-aside areas where kids could go off trail, climb trees, collect specimens, and generally leave as much trace as they wanted with minimal adult supervision.’ Slate (US), 25 May 2014.

Benefits Of Exposing Your Children To Nature

Online article on why nature is the world’s best classroom – good for physical health, increased observation and communication skills, balanced mental and emotional development, and environmental sensitivity. The New Age Parents, c2014.

Just one in five children connected to nature, says study

Large numbers of children in Britain are missing out on the natural world, a study from the RSPB suggests. BBC, 16 October 2013.

If children lose contact with nature they won’t fight for it

George Monbiot considers our declining wildlife, Nature Deficit Disorder and what will happen it we don’t tackle it. The Guardian, 19 November 2012.

Why our children need to get outside and engage with nature

‘… a growing body of evidence is starting to show that it’s not so much what children know about nature that’s important, as what happens to them when they are in nature (and not just in it, but in it by themselves, without grownups)… when kids stop going out into the natural world to play, it can affect not just their development as individuals, but society as a whole.’ The Guardian, 16 August 2010.

Field Studies: a review of Last Child in the Woods

'Margaret Stead on why cosseted kids deserve an outside chance'. Review of the book in which Louv coins the term “nature deficit disorder”. The Guardian, 11 July 2009.

How the city hurts your brain

… and what you can do about it.
Article pulling together a variety of studies looking at the benefits of nature connection, and the risks of losing it. Jonah Lehrer, The Boston Globe (US), 2 January 2009.

Building for Life: Designing & Understanding the Human-Nature Connection

‘This chapter explores this importance of childhood contact with nature, particularly for children’s emotional, intellectual, and evaluative development. We consider how children’s physical and mental well-being depends on the quality of their experience of the natural world. ‘ Stephen R. Kellert, Nature & Childhood Development. Green Schoolyard Network, c2002.