Research & Studies News
Education
Buffalo News – June 27, 2008
Decline in School Recess Continues
By Mark Sommer
Despite research showing that unstructured play is important to healthy childhood development, the amount of time that schools allow for recess continues to decline. One reason for the decline is the increased emphasis on standardized testing. Other factors include limited budgets for safe playground equipment, concerns about lawsuits from playground injuries, and fears of bullying.
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Health | Resource
Newsweek News – November 27, 2007
Got Nature? Researchers Find Strong Bones Require More than Milk Alone
By Lauran Neergaard
Researchers report that our sedentary lifestyle is largely to blame for another disturbing trend: the incidence of rickets in children appears to be on the rise. Possibly millions of seemingly healthy children are suffering from the condition. Researches blame an increase of time spent indoors, noting that exercise and sunlight are as important as calcium to building strong bones.
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Access
The Independent (UK) – November 07, 2008
Study Finds Access to Nature Improves Health
By Steve Connor
Researchers in the UK have found that living near parks and woodland boosts health, regardless of a person’s social class. It’s the first time anyone has systematically shown that the health gap between rich and poor can be decreased with the help of green spaces. The researchers hope their findings will influence planning authorities to consider making green spaces available on grounds of health and well-being.
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Health
New York Times – July 16, 2008
Study: As Children Grow, Activity Slows
By Tara Parker-Pope
As reported in the New York Times, a new study captures in detail the dramatic declines in physical activity that occur as children get older. Whereas a nine-year-old spends an average of three hours a day walking, running, climbing, or otherwise in motion, a fifteen-year-old spends as little as 30 minutes a day engaged in any kind of physical activity. One possible reason for the decline: schools often curtail physical activity as children age.
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Health
Philadelphia Inquirer – February 25, 2008
Philadelphia Inquirer Looks at Declining Interest in Outdoors
By Sandy Bauers
The release of a study documenting a startling decline in the popularity of outdoor activities has prompted a number of news organizations to look at the relationship children today have with nature. The Philadelphia Inquirer explores the subject with one of the study’s authors and several local nature-based organizations.
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Health
Toronto Star – February 09, 2008
Canadian Report Advocates Less Homework, More Play
By Kristin Rushowy
A study of homework conducted by two Toronto professors indicates that too much of it may be detrimental to students, especially younger ones. More important, supporters of the study say, are family time and time for exercise and unstructured play. The recommended amount of homework for children? Ten minutes per night per grade.
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The Nature Conservancy – February 05, 2008
Researchers Discuss Nature Conservancy Study
The authors of a recent report that provides “evidence for a fundamental and pervasive shift away from nature-based recreation” discuss their findings and the impact such a shift away from nature can have on children. The authors also explain how camping acts as a bellwether of outdoor recreation trends in general. [+]
Resource
the Daily Mail, UK – June 15, 2007
How children lost the right to roam in four generations
By DAVID DERBYSHIRE
Report warns that the mental health of 21st-century children is at risk because they are missing out on the exposure to the natural world enjoyed by past generations. The report's author Dr William Bird, the health adviser to Natural England believes children's long-term mental health is at risk.
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C&NN has designated April "Children & Nature Awareness Month." As part of this effort, we invited network members (like you) to list their April programs and share their strategies for building public awareness. Find out what's happening in your community on the C&NN Movement Map.
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:
An annotated bibliography of 20 premier studies focusing on the children and nature connection.
