Resource News
National | Health
nytimes.com – October 17, 2008
Study: Nature Walks Help Kids Concentrate
By Tara Parker-Hope
In a small but tightly controlled recent study, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that a nature walk worked as well or better than a dose of medication on a child’s ability to concentrate. The participants—seventeen children with ADHD—were able to focus better after a walking in parks than they were after walking in residential neighborhoods or downtown areas.
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National | Health
ScienceDaily – May 05, 2008
Why Do Child-Care Centers Keep Kids Inside?
A new study of outdoor play at child-care centers has identified some surprising reasons for keeping children inside, among them teachers’ reluctance to bundle and unbundle children on cold days, and parents who don’t want their children getting injured or dirty. The researchers, citing the benefits of outdoor activity, hope their findings help reduce the barriers currently preventing more children from playing outside. [+]
State
Texas Parks & Wildlife – February 29, 2008
A Texas-Sized Effort to Promote Outdoor Play
By Dyanne Fry Cortez, Wendee Holtcamp, and Bernadette Noll
The March issue of Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine offers a helping hand to anyone interested in connecting children with nature. The cover story—“50 Ways to Get Kids Hooked on the Outdoors”—features suggestions for everything from building butterfly gardens to staging nature treasure hunts. The article also explains some of the benefits experiencing nature can have on childhood development.
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National | Media & Culture
Scientific American News – February 05, 2008
Scientific American: Are We Afraid of the Outdoors?
By David Biello
A new report on outdoor recreation trends is sending shock waves through the environmental community. The report, funded by the Nature Conservancy and just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, traces a steady decline over the past two decades in visits to national and state parks, in the number of people camping, and in the issuance of hunting and fishing licenses. Similar data on park visits in Japan and Spain suggest that this is an international problem.
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Allies
Drive – January 01, 2008
Subaru Promotes Children and Nature Movement
By Richard Louv
Car manufacturer Subaru has devoted the cover of its quarterly magazine Drive to promoting the children and nature movement. Inside the magazine there is an excerpt from Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods that provides a succinct introduction to the ideas behind the movement. The magazine also features information on the National Wildlife Federation’s Green Hour program and the efforts of the No Child Left Inside Coalition.
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State | Media & Culture
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle – December 19, 2007
New York Launches Outdoor Magazine for Kids
By Dan Osburn
Fourth-graders in New York State are the target of a new campaign to connect children with nature. As part of the state’s No Child Left Inside program, a magazine has been created that will eventually be distributed free to all of fourth-graders in public schools across the state. The premier issue, published this month, features an article on being a winter wildlife detective and a guide to animal tracks.
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National
Land&People Magazine – December 01, 2007
Trust for Public Land Spreads the Word
By William Poole
The Trust for Public Land is adding its voice to the children and nature movement. The fall/winter issue of Land&People, the Trust’s national magazine, features a lengthy interview with Richard Louv. In it Louv explains how the Trust can support children’s use of natural areas and how doing so can help groom a new generation of conservationists.
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Research & Studies | Health
Newsweek News – November 27, 2007
Got Nature? Researchers Find Strong Bones Require More than Milk Alone
By Lauran Neergaard
Researchers report that our sedentary lifestyle is largely to blame for another disturbing trend: the incidence of rickets in children appears to be on the rise. Possibly millions of seemingly healthy children are suffering from the condition. Researches blame an increase of time spent indoors, noting that exercise and sunlight are as important as calcium to building strong bones.
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National | Access
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – October 21, 2008
EPA Video Explores the Value of Urban Wetlands
The film focuses on urban and suburban wetlands as valuable resources to be restored, protected, and enjoyed. These places, often the only remnants of the natural world in developed areas, can play a key role in connecting people to nearby nature—thereby improving the health of our children and our communities. [+]
Daily Iowan – April 22, 2008
Iowa’s Taproot Program a Source of Inspiration
By Kelsey Beltramea
Iowa’s Taproot Nature Experience, a small nonprofit started last year by a former schoolteacher and his wife, is modest by almost any measure. Yet it still has the ability to inspire people interested in reconnecting children with nature. As Zac Wedemeyer, the former teacher, explains, “I think sinking your own metaphorical root into the Earth and into nature when young ... will give you the strength and sustenance to carry you through your whole life. My hope is that I’m helping these kids grow a strong anchor in nature.”
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Commentary
Chronicle of Philanthropy – April 17, 2008
Chronicle of Philanthropy on Children and Nature
By Debra E. Blum
The children and nature movement is the focus of an article in the latest issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, an important source of information for charity leaders, fund-raisers, and grant makers. The article, which spotlights a number of the local and national efforts to reconnect children with nature, also looks at the challenges faced by such groups to find financial support for their projects.
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Allies | Health
Miracle-Gro – April 09, 2008
Corporate Survey Looks at Benefits of Outdoor Time
The Miracle-Gro company is touting the results of a survey it conducted showing that while 84 percent of parents feel it’s important for young people to spend time outdoors, most admit that their children spend less time outdoors than they did as children. “By spending less time outdoors,” the company says, “people are endangering their connection with nature and depriving themselves of the health benefits of being outside and being active.” [+]
State
Chicago Sun-Times – March 30, 2008
Chicago Sun-Times: The Importance of Nature Relief
By Andrew Herrmann
The Midwest offers ample opportunities for combating nature-deficit disorder, writes Andrew Hermmann of the Chicago Sun-Times. Referencing Richard Louv and the recent Nature Conservancy study of outdoor recreation trends, Hermmann suggests camping as one of the best ways to connect with the outdoors.
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State
Arizona Republic – January 14, 2008
Newspaper Offers Arizona Parents Outdoor Ideas
By Karina Bland
The Arizona Republic offers parents ten suggestions for simple ways to help their children to spend more time outside. As the paper notes, “Getting kids outdoors doesn’t have to mean a week-long trek with backpacks into the wilderness.”
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C&NN has designated April "Children & Nature Awareness Month." As part of this effort, we invited network members (like you) to list their April programs and share their strategies for building public awareness. Find out what's happening in your community on the C&NN Movement Map.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build the movement, the Children & Nature Network has published two new resources for leaders, organizers, and participants at the local, national, and international levels:
An annotated bibliography of 20 premier studies focusing on the children and nature connection.
