Last year the RSPB showed the wide range of benefits to children of them having contact with nature. Our ‘Every Child Outdoors’ report brought together lots of research on the positive impacts on children’s learning, physical and mental health, and development of interpersonal skills – as well as the worrying decline in children’s contact with nature.
Now, the Co-operative has released a new survey showing that children want to learn more about the environment, but in many cases their parents struggle to know the answers to their questions.
So, what steps will you be taking to help children learn more about nature, and what would help you to do even more?
I am a student teacher planning to really encourage my prospective school to get involved in wildlife if they aren't already. I believe the enthusiasm will grow with awareness, once children realise what is around them they should want to find out more and work to protect it. It is a topic which can easily be endorsed due to such an emphasis on recycling and climate change in schools, showing children what we are protecting seems a natural progression.
I hope to be able to do this through lessons and extra curricular activities such as a wildlife club.