Here’s a further update from Natural England by way of relevant evidence and reports, policy agenda developments, large scale delivery sector initiatives, resources and news items from the UK and abroad, with a focus on schools, education and learning. This supports the Strategic Research Network for People and Nature to develop better coherence and collaboration in research and to improve links between research, policy and practice in these areas.
Need for Greenspace in an Urban Setting for Child Development
TR Zolnikov, F Furio, T Clark – Chapter in the Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Urban and Regional Futures
Worldwide, the amount of people living in urban areas is approximately 55%. This number is projected to increase to include nearly 70% of the total world population by 2050. This large growth will result in expansion of urbanized areas, which focuses on an industrial transformation as the demography shifts from rural to urban settings. These modifications can have population effects; for example, affected health and well-being have been linked to living in urban settings. Research suggests that access to greenspace can help mitigate adverse health effects that can result from living in urban areas.
Forest school
F Harris – CABI Reviews
This review aims to summarise existing research on the forest-based pedagogical approach known as forest school, as developed in the UK. Modelled on the nature kindergartens of northern Europe, forest school is popular in the UK and is now being practiced or explored in other countries around the world. Drawing on papers specifically researching forest school, identified through the Scopus database, it identifies and reviews key themes emerging from the literature: research on its development, relationship to classroom teaching and the national curriculum, impact on children’s development, and their relationship to the environment and environmental behaviour. It identifies the challenges and tensions emerging in the practice of forest school, between the performative agenda of schools and the alternative learning approaches embedded in forest school praxis.
Swedish Early Childhood Educators’ Views on Teaching to Promote Connectedness to Nature
T Beery, M Fridberg – International Journal of Early Childhood
In this study, we aimed at investigating whether early childhood educators perceived C2N as a valuable idea for their professional efforts. Further, the possible relationship between early science learning and C2N was explored. Specifically, Swedish preschool teachers’ view on how natural science teaching as part of the Swedish National Curriculum for Preschool could promote children’s connectedness to nature. Teachers from two preschools participated in a connectedness to nature workshop and subsequently reflected on their teaching in a questionnaire and during two follow-up discussions. The data reveals a broad set of content regarding natural science teaching and connectedness to nature in the preschool setting. Results indicate that teachers focus on children’s interests, participation, and collaboration in their work with children. Further, results indicate educators perceive their role as someone exploring nature together with children.
Predicting Preschoolers’ Task Persistence Based On Their Involvement In Indoor And Outdoor Learning Activities
CNE Okoh et al – Webology
This study examined the predictive power of preschoolers’ involvement in indoor and outdoor learning activities on their task persistence in Niger state, Nigeria. Results showed that 35% of preschoolers’ task persistence is predicted by their involvement in indoor learning activities, which is statistically significant (p < 0.05). It also shows that 20% of preschoolers’ task persistence is predicted by their involvement in outdoor learning activities, which is statistically significant. Therefore, it was recommended among others, that government and school administrators should provide indoor and outdoor activities and materials for preschoolers in schools.
Year 1 Impact Report
Ministry of Eco Education Report
The Ministry of Eco Education was established in the Summer of 2021 with the aim of greening up the curriculum. Initial activities included mapping the environmental education landscape and compiling free resources that were weaved together into more than 50 series of lessons, framed around broad enquiry questions.
Choose Your Own Adventure: Promoting Social and Emotional Development Through Outdoor Learning
TM Molyneux, M Zeni, E Oberle – Early Childhood Education Journal
This study explored qualitative data generated through focus group interviews with 36 Canadian primary school educators who implemented OL to understand their perspectives on the benefits of OL for primary school students, including whether Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) promotion was perceived as a key benefit. Most of the themes generated through thematic analysis pertained to students’ social and emotional development and aligned with SEL competencies defined in a dominant SEL framework. One overarching theme suggested that educators perceived the emergent, unstructured nature of OL as driving the SEL-related benefits.
Perspectives from Caregivers on the Advantages of Nature-Based Education Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic
SC Scogin, SR D’Agostino, S Trent-Brown, A Gall – International Journal of Early Childhood
The purpose of this study was to gain perspectives from caregivers in the United States (US) about the effects of a nature-based program on their children and determine how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent loss of access to the preschool affected their children. Results indicated that although the lockdowns had some negative effects in terms of sleep quality and general well-being, most children were resilient as they remained active outdoors and maintained healthy sleep patterns. Furthermore, many caregivers specifically attributed the development of this resilience to the nature-based preschool and the habits it instilled in their children.
How do natural environments shape adaptive cognition across the lifespan?
CA Hartley – Trends in Cognitive Sciences
How does human cognition adapt to idiosyncratic features of our real-world experiences across our lifetimes? The dynamic interaction between individuals and their natural environments is rarely the focus of study within cognitive science, but I argue that a more ecological approach will be critical for advancing developmental science and revealing the adaptive nature of cognition.