BLOG: Helping children and families thrive through nature
By Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive
Ask most adults to close their eyes and remember a moment from their childhood when they were truly happy, and the majority will describe being somewhere outdoors, often in nature. Biologists have coined the term ‘biophilia’ to describe the innate longing we have as humans to feel a connection with the natural world. For some of us this drives a strong impulse to be out and about on a regular basis and can provoke feelings of stress and anxiety when we feel disconnected from nature for any length of time.
For too many people, however, satisfying this craving for connection is difficult. People from minority ethnic backgrounds or living in low-income areas have less access to green space than the rest of the population. This injustice is aggravated for children with national survey data finding that 61% of children in the most deprived areas spent time outside every week compared to 81% in the most affluent areas. This gap was brought into sharp relief during the pandemic when it was found that only 56% of children from minority ethnic backgrounds spent time outdoors once a week, compared to 70% of white children.
Given what we know about the benefits of being in nature to children’s physical development and mental wellbeing, these are statistics that should cause us all concern. The reasons for this lack of connection are many – some are structural given the unequal distribution of green spaces and their varying quality while some are more social with natural environments perceived as scary or unsafe or having less appeal to people from different cultures and backgrounds.
We believe that everyone should have equal access to good green space close to where they live, but for children this becomes doubly important. Spending time outdoors is an effective antidote to the stress young people feel in other parts of their lives. Moreover, if the next generation is going to reverse the decline in species and habitats that we have allowed to happen we need to build awareness, knowledge and a desire to take action.
The most effective way of doing this is to start young – ensuring that children grow up knowing and valuing nature, but often parents and early years professionals find this difficult. If you weren’t brought up with a love of nature yourself, or if you live in a place where green space is scarce, where do you start?
Wellies in the Woods is one of those starting points – friendly, accessible and facilitated sessions for parents and their toddlers aimed at overcoming barriers and instilling habits that can last a lifetime. Our specialist workers are able to help people discover the hidden green gems on their doorstep, leading stimulating activities that mix exploration and natural play with storytelling and literacy. The experience can be as transformative for parents as it for children, deepening family bonds and building social networks.
As all parents know, spending quality time with children is hugely important. Spending quality time with nature adds to the benefit. Please help us to help more families escape the four walls of their flat or the concrete on their estate to revel in everything nature has to offer.
Your donation helps us create a greener and fairer future. Every penny given to our Wellies in the Woods programme goes to help give children a better start in life.
Notes to editors
For more information please contact: media@groundwork.org.uk
About Groundwork
Groundwork is a federation of charities with a collective mission to take practical action to create a fair and green future in which people, places, and nature thrive. We support communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience in order to tackle hardship, achieve a just transition to net-zero and help nature recover in a way that reduces inequality and leads to healthier, happier lives for all: www.groundwork.org.uk