Children are losing touch with nature to their detriment, claims a new study.
The think tank Demos warns that children are losing their connection with the natural environment, and points to a big gap between children from affluent rural backgrounds and those from disadvantaged urban backgrounds in terms of their access to the outdoors.
The worse a local environment looks, the less able children are to play freely and develop the understanding that will equip them to face the environmental challenges of the future.
Children’s well-being, and the quality of the environment are closely linked, and children are very strongly aware of their environment, especially in terms of assessing danger.
Demos is calling for new ways to allow children to experience green spaces, both in the countryside and through "green school design".
It recommends that the Department for Education and Skills creates an entitlement to out-of-classroom learning for all children. It suggests extended schools should be monitored on the basis of the number of trips they offer children.
- A Child’s Place: why environment matters to children. A Green Alliance/Demos report.
