Benefits of Nature
143 Resources
Watch the recording of our Kids and Gardening event featuring Kashon DuBose, Founder and Executive Director of Cultivators and Sonya Harris, Master Gardener and Founder and CEO of The Bullock Garden Project. They share the work they are doing with their communities, hands-on gardening activities that parents, caregivers and educators can facilitate with children – even if they have a small space and poor soil conditions, and sage advice on how your family can get the most out of garden and farm projects.
This Digest explores pathways to environmental stewardship, particularly through connectedness to nature and other nature experiences
Nature-filled schoolyards – or green schoolyards – provide a wealth of well-documented benefits for children’s health, well-being and learning. A growing number of communities are also considering...
This report, authored by former Federal Reserve economist Rob Grunewald, investigates the economic returns that can accompany investments in greening school grounds. Grunewald based much of his report on data from a study of a large-scale green schoolyard project in Denver, Colorado, that converted 99 traditional elementary schoolyards to green schoolyards over a 12-year period.
This paper reviews research on the relationship between a young person’s nature experiences and subsequent pro-environmental behavior as an adult. A literature search of an academic database is supplemented by discussions with experts in the field.
Watch the recording of our Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers in Nature event featuring Alexis Burroughs, Jessica Carrillo Alatorre, and Gabriel Pickus. They discuss benefits of nature engagement for young children, tips on how to prepare for the elements, tangible tools for nature play, whole-child centered learning with nature as the teacher and more!
This Digest provides practice-relevant recommendations for integrating technology and nature to enhance health, well-being, academic succession, and connection to nature.
This Digest highlights how parents and teachers are important role models in connecting children with nature to promote their environmental stewardship and ease their eco-anxiety.
This Digest presents the numerous benefits of risk-taking in natural environments, while also calling attention to a marked reduction in risky outdoor play opportunities over the past decade.
Watch the recording of our November 29 Member Appreciation event moderated by Jesús Aguirre, Board Chair of the Children & Nature Network, and CEO of the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy with panelists Sarah Milligan-Toffler, C&NN President and CEO, Dylan McDowell, Executive Director for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators and Amanda O’Rourke, Executive Director of 8 80 Cities. They discuss trends and approaches to health and well-being that might influence, impact or present opportunities for children and nature leaders in the coming year.
At the end of 2023, the Children & Nature Network Founders’ Council – a cross-sector group of experts that includes the organization’s co-founders – finalized a report highlighting some of the most compelling challenges and opportunities facing the children and nature movement today.
This digest presents recommendations for addressing adolescent mental health through nature engagement
This Digest explores the community and environmental benefits of green schoolyards.
Watch the September 7 recording of our Back to School with Nature event featuring José G. González, Cathy Jordan, Ph.D. and Sheila Williams Ridge, Ed.D.
This Digest focuses on children with special needs and inclusion as a social justice issue.
Watch the recording of our August 10 event, “Designing Community Strategies and Building Cross-Sector Teams”. Through a conversation with leaders from the Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative participants will learn about practical ideas for building a community team that incorporates diverse perspectives, skills, and backgrounds as well as strategies for achieving real and lasting change.
This back-to-school issue addressed nature and social-emotional learning.
Watch the recording of our July 20 event, "Introduction to Nature Everywhere”, which offers participants an overview of the Nature Everywhere vision and application process.
Watch the recording of our July 10 event with author and Children & Nature Network co-founder Richard Louv.
In this Digest, we feature neurobiological assessments and biomarker studies that investigate how nature impacts the brain and nervous system.
Learn more about becoming a Nature Everywhere community. Request for Application FAQ
Create equitable access to nature everywhere children live, learn and play in your community. Apply to become a 2023 Nature Everywhere community today.
The studies in this Digest highlight the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in restoring culture, enhancing connection to nature, addressing colonialist consciousness and improving health.
Learn about the impact of key Children & Nature Network initiatives in 2022.
Inclusive nature play spaces and gardens offer opportunities for children with disabilities and their families to engage with the natural world and feel valued in their communities. This toolkit offers research, resources and recommended readings that address the benefits and design of outdoor play and gardening environments that meet the unique needs of children of all abilities.
This issue of the Digest focuses on youth involvement in the planning and implementation of nature-related initiatives.
This Digest offers evidence-based suggestions for using nature to promote the mental health and resilience of children impacted by adversity.
This issue of the Research Digest focuses on early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS), a relatively new area of interest internationally at the intersection of environmental education (EE), education for sustainable development (ESD) and early childhood education (ECE).
Watch the February 8 recording of our first Families Together in Nature event — Self-Care in Nature, featuring Nicole Jackson, Kari Kleven MSW, LICSW, Sonny LaForm, LSWAIC, MSW and Renā Trujillo.
This infographic highlights 4 ways that children, caregivers and families can practice self-care in nature.
We’ve focused this Digest on lessons learned from green schoolyard projects around the world, including studies from 10 different countries. A dozen evidence-based recommendations for designing and using green schoolyards are offered.
Anthill Creations is a not-for-profit based in Bangalore, India, committed to making play accessible to all children by using industrial waste to build safe, sustainable playscapes. This case study from India is part of the Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
The Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability (IVN) is an organization in the Netherlands that supports greening school grounds that are community-centered, multifunctional and government-led. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Based in Perú, the Asociación para la Niñez y su Ambiente (ANIA) develops Tierra de Niños (TiNis), or Children’s Lands, as a way of greening school grounds that are replicable, child-led, sustainable and educational. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Through an ethnobotanical garden at Dar Taliba Ourika girls’ boarding house in Morocco, the Global Diversity Foundation supports greening school grounds with an emphasis on ancestral knowledge, sustainable practices, and diversity and inclusion. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Les Cours OASIS is a program of the city of Paris that supports greening school grounds with an emphasis on climate resilience, policy and community. This case study from France is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
The Climate Ready Schools program at Canadian nonprofit organization Evergreen supports greening school grounds that are climate adaptive, child-centered, scalable and partnership-focused. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Chilean nonprofit organization Fundación Patio Vivo supports greening school grounds that support different types of play and prioritizes equity and diversity by focusing their work where children are in most need of playing and learning opportunities in contact with nature. This case study is part of the Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Through their program Lessons in Grass, Czech-based organization TEREZA supports greening school grounds that are place-based, research-minded, engaging and simple. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Green Cameroon is a non-governmental organization that works with children and youth to develop deep connections to nature and aid in the protection of the environment and conservation of biodiversity. This case study from Cameroon is part of the Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
The Município de Jundiaí in Brazil is one of the first entities in the country to adopt a series of recommendations on greening school ground and getting children outside through the Desemparedamento da Infância (“unwalled childhoods'') project. This case study from Brazil is part of the Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Brazilian Movimento dos Quintais Brincantes, or “Playful Backyard Movement” supports connecting children with nature to improve health and environmental outcomes. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
The City of Antwerp supports greening school grounds practices that enhance playing and learning opportunities for children and engage the broader community in the design process. This case study from Belgium is part of the Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
The Greening School Ground & Outdoor Learning Global Action Agenda was written by Salzburg Global Fellows to support the work that ensures that all children and communities have access to green school grounds and outdoor learning.
UK-based nonprofit Learning through Landscapes (LtL) supports greening school grounds with an emphasis on education, policy, inclusion and diversity. This case study is part of the Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds and Outdoor Learning project, a joint initiative.
Watch the recording of of the December 7 Member Appreciation Event. A screening of “Wood Hood,” Best Short Film winner at the Banff Mountain Film Festival and conversation with creators Manny Almonte and Carlos Davila.
This Digest highlights research relating to inequities in opportunities for children’s engagement with nature. Included are studies that (1) raise awareness of inequities, (2) demonstrate the potential of increased nature engagement in narrowing disparities in health and well-being, and (3) provide examples of specific initiatives designed to address inequities in children’s access to nature.
The studies in this Digest highlight the importance of nature for the culture, identity, and health of Indigenous people as well as some of the challenges they experience navigating Western culture and the effects of climate change. This Digest also presents a number of studies that examine the critical role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in restoring culture, connection to nature, health, and resilience for both Native and non-Native individuals.
In this compilation, we gather studies from previous Research Digests that cover the benefits of green schoolyards and outdoor learning.
Studies in this Digest focus on the negative impact of climate change awareness on children’s mental health and possible interventions for addressing this concern. Related issues and specific intervention activities are also discussed.
Studies in this Digest focus on Hispanic/Latinx populations in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Latinx communities place a high value on nature, but they often face disparities in access to quality natural environments and nature-based activities. Research is needed to understand how best to serve these communities in the context of cultural assets related to connection to nature.
Need some inspiration for the Vitamin N Challenge? Watch this recorded conversation with author and Children & Nature Network co-founder Richard Louv. Richard will discuss what he learned about creating a nature-filled life while writing his book, “Vitamin N,” and offer tips for completing your Vitamin N Challenge.
As areas of research mature, it becomes possible to look for trends in the accumulating data across multiple studies by conducting systematic reviews. This Digest presents a handful of such reviews published in the last four years, covering a range of children and nature-related topics.
Family-based nature engagement – when children and their parents or caregivers experience a nature-based activity together – can take place everywhere from the backyard to parks and wilderness and even in women’s shelters and prisons. As this Research Digest shows, spending time in nature as a family is good for the whole family.
The tools and resources compiled help cities and partners achieve these goals with a particular focus on equity so all children regardless of race or income have access to nature’s benefits.
Time in nature can be a powerful antidote to the negative impacts of trauma and stress in children’s lives. When family service providers incorporate nature into their therapeutic work, children and families experience a wide range of benefits, including improved mental and physical health, stronger relationships, better communication, reduced stress, and healing from trauma.
The evidence-based resources in this toolkit were developed in partnership with Casey Family Programs, a national leader in social work practice.
Research studies included in this annotated bibliography support the understanding that connecting children with nature promotes their mental health and well-being and that this can be especially helpful for children who need to cope with stressful adverse conditions and the emotional responses that their life situations evoke.
Parks play an important role in the physical and mental health of children and families and the resilience of communities. However, there are barriers to park access and use that often fall along income, racial and geographic lines. Improving access to high quality, welcoming and inclusive parks is one important way to enhance nature’s benefits and create more equitable outcomes.
Gardening can promote children’s physical, emotional, social, and academic development, as well as pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Children of all ages and abilities can benefit from garden-related experiences.
This infographic illustrates how nature-based interventions can help children and families recover from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). It includes evidence-based therapeutic strategies and outcomes that support children’s health and well-being.
This infographic presents 5 key outcomes of nature-based interventions for children and families encountering Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES).
Three of the 2022 C&NN conference track themes are highlighted in this Digest, each one focusing on increasing equitable access to nature. These themes are policy and public sector leadership, equity and inclusion, and cross-cutting topics.
The Children & Nature Network's Inside-Out International Conference brings practitioners together to advance strategies for turning the trend of an indoor childhood back out to the benefits of nature. Keynotes, breakout sessions, and hands-on workshops will explore current best practices within six tracks: family engagement, youth development, green schoolyards, policy and public sector leadership, equity and inclusion, and cross-cutting themes. To showcase our conference and promote an evidence-based look at these topics, our January and February Research Digests will introduce research aligned with these areas.
This infographic depicts the many benefits of nature during the foundational years of early childhood, ages 0 – 5.
This resource document supports cities in how to make the case to their city or district leaders to use funding to support green schoolyards. It is a communications and messaging focused toolkit with links to templates, press releases and case study examples.
Interest in children’s spirituality has increased in the past decade, yet definitions and descriptions remain somewhat nebulous. Related research also remains scarce. What is known, however, is that engagement with nature promotes aspects of child development generally considered to be elements of their spirituality. We’ve sampled those studies for this Research Digest. We hope this Digest offers a moment for you to reflect on your own connection to nature as a pathway to, or an expression of, your own spirituality.
Research studies included in this annotated bibliography support the understanding that connecting children with nature promotes their mental health and well-being and that this can be especially helpful for children who need to cope with stressful adverse conditions and the emotional responses that their life situations evoke.
This Digest focuses on the benefits children with special needs receive from engagement with nature, various types of nature-based interventions, as well as barriers to nature engagement for children with special needs.
I’m sometimes asked if our work with children should be about teaching them to savor, or save, the natural world. The question seems to suggest that we need to choose one or the other.
Studies highlighted in this Digest focus on the use of nature to achieve therapeutic goals. Different approaches and different populations served are addressed.
This Digest focuses on ways in which technology can be a helpful or limiting factor for engaging children with nature.
Integrating nature and art in culturally relevant ways can promote children’s nature connectedness and mental health.
This Digest focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people around the world. Social distancing restrictions and limited access to natural environments have contributed to the mental health concerns.
Three themes are addressed in this digest, which features 2020 studies not appearing in another Digest: Connectedness to nature, Implications for design, and Social-emotional and play considerations.
The #NatureForAll Forest Bathing Approach explains why it is so important to experience nature in cities for our own health.
This special issue focuses on the physical health benefits of both passive and active forms of nature engagement. Also discussed are several ideas about how health-care professionals are tapping into the health-promoting powers of nature engagement.
In this special issue of the Research Digest, we present articles addressing the benefits of nature-based learning for academic, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning and the development of environmental consciousness.
This month highlights ways children and families can connect to nature, including wildlife viewing, horticulture, surfing, art, technology-mediated nature, and more.
This Digest pulls research we call “second-hand nature” or indirect exposure to nature, which can be helpful during COVID-19.
This special issue of the Digest is focused on the healing power of nature and Indigenous cultures.
In this issue of the Digest we explore how accessing neighborhood nature is an important strategy for building resilience, buffering stress, and recovering from adversity.
In this Digest, created amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, we explore the positive benefits of nature in the neighborhood and in educational settings on child development, health and happiness.
Each year, we see an increasing number of studies from around the world. This month’s Digest features such studies, from North America to Europe to Asia.
In recognition of our milestone, this issue of the Digest is dedicated to the syntheses of our current knowledge in the field.
This issues explores connectedness to nature and educational, family-related and health & well-being benefits. Plus design issues and recommendations.
This issue of the Digest continues the connectedness to nature thread exploring it from early childhood through adulthood and across the globe, and taking a comparative look at its predictors across nations, cultures and even parenting styles.
This issue begins to explore connectedness to nature and how it is is related to positive human functioning, environmental attitudes and conservation behaviors.
This digest explores research on education; environmental attitudes, behaviors, and preferences; and, health and well-being.
This issue of the Digest highlights several studies that include or focus on children with special needs, learning differences or disabilities such as emotional, cognitive or behavioral disabilities (ECBD) and autism.
This tool explores how libraries as nature connectors provide materials, programming, and leadership opportunities for youth to connect with nature in their neighborhoods.
Studies featured in this month’s Digest look at answering questions about what kind of nature contact has an impact on what outcomes, how, for whom, and under what circumstances.
Evidence-based infographic highlights how meaningful outdoor experiences can benefit children and inspire then to care for the natural world.
This digest focuses on relationship between nature and outcomes or behaviours in academics, environmental attitudes, health/ well-being and social justice.
Engaging community residents—adult and child alike—through deep and genuine participatory approaches is key to creation of truly equitable access to nature.
This month’s Digest is dedicated to youth and resident engagement. How do we involve those closest to the issues as we design spaces and programs to connect children to nature?
This digest looks at Formal & Non-formal Education, Mental and Physical Health, Park Use and Social Justice.
This digest explores Educational Benefits of Nature Exposure, Later-in-Life Benefits of Childhood Nature, Restoration Benefits of Nature Exposure and Understanding Sustainability Issues.
This webinar presents evidence- and practice-based information to make the case for affirming the voices, experiences and cultural ways of knowing of our youngest participants in nature-based education.
This issue focuses on early childhood nature-based education and giving children agency and a voice through nature connection
A focus on Attention Restoration, Green Schoolyards & Surrounding Greenness, Link between Childhood Experiences and Adults’ Connectedness to Nature, Research Tools, Social-Emotional Benefits, and Special Needs.
A focus on Children’s Perspectives and Interactions with Nature, Educational and Therapeutic Benefits of Access to Nature, Motivations for and Barriers to Interacting with Nature, Nearby Greenness, and the Role of Childhood Experiences in Adults’ Connectedness to Nature.
This research digest outlines new research that provides a rationale for focusing on children’s equitable access to nature.
We have collected these studies, originating from eight different countries, in this month’s themed Digest “Making the Case for the Mental Health Benefits of Nature — Studies from Around the World.”
This webinar discusses the importance of making long-term investments leadership development and training for diverse young leaders.
A focus on Connectedness to Nature & Conservation, Developmental & Educational Outcomes, and Health-Related Outcomes.
This issue is focused on how young people become leaders in the environmental movement and the movement to reconnect people to nature.
In this issue: Connectedness to Nature & Ecological Identity, Education, Green Schoolyards, Physical & Mental Health, Play & Play Spaces.
This thorough guide helps make the case that green infrastructure supports human health.
This digest focuses on Connectedness to Nature, Education, Environmental Awareness and Knowledge, Mental Health and Well-Being and Social Justice.
This “special issue” of the Research Digest is focused on green schoolyards – a simple intervention with big potential.
In this issue: Addressing the Academic Achievement Gap, Forest Schools, Green Schoolyards, Horticultural Therapy, Urban Green Space Exposure and Youth Development
In this issue: Brain Development and Cognitive Functioning, Education, Greenspace Exposure, Mental Health and Well-Being, Physical Health, and Play and Play Environments
This webinar presents research and strategies for increasing equitable access to nature, including C&NN’s Cities Connecting Children to Nature, Natural Leaders and Green Schoolyards initiatives.
In this issue: Barriers to Nature Engagement, Education & Nature-Based Learning, Environmental Attitudes, Values & Behavior, Mental Health & Therapeutic Benefits of Nature, and Urban Planning
In this issue: Disparities in Access to Nature in Urban Environments, Physical and Social-Emotional Barriers to Equitable Nature Access, Outcomes Related to More, or Less, Equitable Access to Nature, Promising Strategies and Initiatives and Future Research Directions.
In this issue: Education, Environmental Knowledge, Fostering Connection to Nature, Physical Health & Health Equity, Restorative & Therapeutic Benefits of Nature, and Youth Involvement.
In this Issue: Conservation Values, Knowledge and Behaviors; Environmental Education and Education for Sustainability; Physical Activity, Health and Development; Play; and Social Justice
In this issue: Access to Nature; Benefits of Green Environments; Birth Outcomes; Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes & Behaviors; Play & Playgrounds; and Enhancing the Impact of Research
Evidence-based infographic highlighting how green schoolyards can improve academic outcomes.
This month’s Digest is devoted to syntheses. We have gathered all the summaries, systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses published in 2017 that we could locate.
In this Issue: Conservation / Pro-Environmental Attitudes & Behaviors; Design, Planning & Policy; Early Childhood; Nature Therapy; Pathways to Benefits Nature; and more
In this issue: Access to Nature in Urban Environments; Contact with Nature and Health; Outdoor and Environmental Education; Pathways to Caring for the Environment; Social Justice; and Urban Greening and Crime Prevention.
In this issue: Early Childhood Development; Education; Environmental Concern/Conservation; Gardens; Nature Connectedness; Nature Therapy / Equine-Assisted Therapy; Urban Planning and Initiatives; Social Justice; and more.
Eight actions for leaders to take to ensure that children in cities have access to play in nature.
Given the important role parks play in the health and well-being of our youngest to most senior community members, we’ve decided to highlight park-related studies in this issue.
Muddy Hands presents the evidence for outdoor learning and play. It draws on data from the Outdoor Classroom Day 2017 survey, as well as findings from a wide range of literature that highlights the benefits, barriers and solutions to getting children outdoors. Features a foreword from C&NN co-founder, Richard Louv.
In this issue: Education; Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors; Outdoor Classrooms/ Green Schoolyards; Plant Knowledge; Physical Activity; and more
In this issue: Children’s Voices; Early Childhood Education; Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors; Neighborhoods and Parks; and Social Justice
In this issue: Biophilia; Education; Environmental Attitudes & Actions; Parks and Park Prescriptions;
In this issue: Biophilia; Education; Environmental Action; Gardens and Gardening; Mental Health; Physical Health; Research Tools; Spirituality; and Urban Environments
In this issue: Creativity; Education; Environmental Concern; Families; Mental Health; Physical Health; Physical Activity; and more
In this issue: Nature Connectedness; Design & Planning; Conservation and Environmental Identity; Health Benefits; Physical Activity; and Social Justice
In this issue: Education; Families; Health; Mental Health; Cognition; and Play
Infographic illustrating the research on the wide range of health benefits of children’s nature connection.
Infographic illustrating the research on academic benefits of children’s nature connection.
In this issue: Education; Families; Health; Mental Health; Cognition; and Play
In this issue: Outdoor Play/Physical Activity; Nature-Based/Outdoor Learning; Families; Environmental Identity Formation; Community Engagement; Disparities; Nature Preschools; Place Attachment; Immune Functioning; Reduced Aggression; and Restoration
Evidence-based infographic highlighting how green schoolyards can increase children’s physical activity.
Evidence-based infographic highlighting how green schoolyards can enhance children’s mental health, social emotional learning, and well-being.
Evidence-based infographic highlighting how green schoolyards can encourage and offer a variety of options for beneficial play.
Thriving Through Nature explains why the development of executive function skills is important and how experiences in nature can play a critical and positive role in this process. It offers examples of ways to foster executive function throughout childhood developmental phases.
This report on the movement to reconnect children and nature has been developed
to serve as a tool for those who care deeply about the importance of reconnecting
children with nature.
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