Health News
Local
EcoHearth – January 17, 2010
EcoHearth: How to Enjoy Nature with Your Kids
By Kim Ridley
Journalist Kim Ridley has compiled a list of tips to help families connect with nature. Her article also includes pointers to online resources such as the National Audubon Society's guide to creating a healthy yard for attracting wildlife.
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Research & Studies | International
Reuters Life – January 07, 2010
“Nature Starvation” Worries British Royal Society
By Paul Casciato
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, says it has uncovered a worrying trend of "nature starvation" among young Britons. The society surveyed 1,000 people, and found that only a third of those under 35 feel connected to the natural world, compared with more than half of those over 35.
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Allies | Event
KaBOOM! Encourages Communities to “Get Outside and Play!”
By Bethe Almeras - The Grass Stain Guru
From September 19 - 27, over 1,000 communities across the U.S. will host free, fun-for-the-whole-family events that focus on the importance of play in children’s lives. Whether you are a naturalist who does children’s programming, a parent that heads-up a Family Nature Club, a recreation leader at a teen center, or a park ranger, KaBOOM! encourages you to host a Play Day in your community.
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Commentary | Education | Media & Culture
CBS News – August 06, 2009
CBS Puts Spotlight on Nature-Deficit Disorder
Watch CBS Videos Online
Jonathan Dorn, editor-in-chief of Backpacker magazine, made a recent appearance on The Early Show to discusses the best places in the country for raising an outdoor kid. In doing so, Dorn provided a succinct definition of nature-deficit disorder and offered advice on how city dwellers can help their children connect with nature.
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National | Resource
ScienceDaily – August 29, 2009
Study: Active Preschoolers Healthier Later in Life
Being active at age five helps kids stay lean as they age even if they don't remain as active later in childhood, a new University of Iowa study shows. The implication, according to the study’s lead author, is that “even five-year-olds should be encouraged to be as active as possible because it pays off as they grow older.” [+]
National | Education | Resource
Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design – July 28, 2009
Fact Sheet Summarizes Benefits of Gardening for Children
Third- to fifth-grade students who participated in a one-year gardening program showed a significant increase in self-understanding and the ability to work in groups compared to nonparticipating students. That’s one of the many findings summarized in a new fact sheet on the benefits of gardening for children published by the Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design at the University of Colorado at Denver. [+]
Commentary
New York Times – April 15, 2009
New York Times: The Case for Natural Happiness
By Paul Bloom
Psychologist Paul Bloom, writing in the New York Times Magazine, offers a unique perspective on why maintaining a connection with nature is crucial for people. “Real natural habitats provide significant sources of pleasure for modern humans,” he writes. “We intuitively grasp this, and this knowledge underlies the anxiety that we feel about nature’s loss.”
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Research & Studies
– February 19, 2009
Nature Essential to Health, Researcher Says
By ScienceDaily
Access to nature is critical for people of all ages, according to Frances Kuo, a professor of natural resources and environmental science and psychology at the University of Illinois. “In our studies, people with less access to nature show relatively poor attention or cognitive function, poor management of major life issues, poor impulse control,” Kuo says. The beneficial effects of nature even extend to children: those with ADHD have better concentration after a walk in a park compared to a walk in an urban setting.
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Allies | Leadership
Grist – December 18, 2007
REI Chief Bemoans Overscheduled Kids
By Sarah Van Schagen
Sally Jewell, the head of outdoor-equipment retailer REI, says in a recent interview that children spend far too much of their time in front of computer or television screens. She credits Richard Louv with putting into words her concerns about young people today. The challenge, she says, is getting technology and nature to work together for their benefit.
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Research & Studies
the Land Trust Alliance – July 01, 2007
The Powerful Link Between Conserving Land and Preserving Health
By Howard Frumkin and Richard Louv for the Land Trust Alliance Special Anniversary Report, 2007
Co-written by Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Richard Louv for the Land Trust Alliance Special Anniversary Report, 2007.
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Allies
Nurse.com – July 26, 2010
Children and Nature Initiative Aims to Reduce Youth Obesity, Disease
Natl. Environmental Ed. Foundation launches initiative to improve children’s health: Drs. to “prescribe” outdoor activity. [+]
International
The Globe and Mail – July 23, 2010
Attack of the giant hogweed? Hogwash.
By Tralee Pearce
Dramatic stories about run-ins with this plant’s toxic sap have parents running scared, but all that’s needed is a little common sense.
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Allies | Feature
Arts and Healing Network
Nature Sculptor Zach Pine on Connecting People to Nature, Community and Themselves
By Mary Daniel Hobson
C&NN Associate Zach Pine, a longtime creator of abstract sculptures in nature, discusses his work and its capacity for healing.
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Allies | National | Campaign/Initiative
Outdoors Alliance for Kids – July 01, 2010
Outdoors Alliance for Kids Makes Recommendations, Seeks Public Input
Listening Sessions hosted by U.S. Depts. of Interior, Agriculture to be held around the country this summer.
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Research & Studies | Media & Culture
– June 01, 2010
C&NN Releases Two Major Benchmark Studies
June is the nation’s Great Outdoors month, proclaimed by the President of the United States and all 50 state governors. The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) is among those organizations celebrating and supporting Great Outdoors month. C&NN has chosen the occasion to announce the release of two major studies it commissioned with funding support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. [+]
Research & Studies
Huffington Post – June 14, 2010
Can Playing in the Dirt Make You Smarter?
By Linda Buzzell
New research reveals that bacteria in the soil not only lowers depression and anxiety but can also increase learning.
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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:
