‘Natural spaces’ grant for children of Grand Rapids
Children in the US city of Grand Rapids will have more opportunities to play, learn and explore thanks to a $1million ‘natural spaces’ grant. The Michigan state city is to reap the benefits of another initiative...Read more
Limiting children’s screen time to maximize outdoor play
Governments and education leaders must work better together to steer children away from the potentially damaging effects of excessive online time in favour of the wider benefits of traditional ‘play’ activity. That’s the view of education...Read more
Children malfunction without access to nature
Where I grew up on the newly built edge of Campbell River, there was a 100-kilometre swath of forest, rivers and lakes between my doorstep and the Pacific Ocean. Within an hour’s hike I could find beaver dams,...Read more
Paris to open school grounds as public spaces
As part of its new ‘resilience strategy’, the French capital has launched a programme to transform its state schoolyards into green, inclusive public spaces. Adrian Voce reports. Paris will open up school grounds to the local...Read more
Researchers look at environments in early years sector
A new initiative in Norway will research the knowledge and tools needed to improve the competence of early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers to develop the indoor and outdoor environments they offer to children. Adrian...Read more
Young people demand role in shaping future of parks and green spaces
Members of the youth network of environmental regeneration charity Groundwork UK say they want input on a group established by government earlier this month to ensure young people’s views are heard. The Parks Action Group, which...Read more
Facebook boss advocates outdoor play – for his own children
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of the social media giant, Facebook, has published an impassioned letter to his new-born daughter, in which he extols the virtue of playing outside in nature. Adrian Voce reports. The...Read more
Salzburg group calls for urgent action on children and nature in cities
An international coalition of environmentalists and urbanists has published a call for action ‘to prioritize children’s needs for their optimal health and development by creating liveable cities that enhance their wellbeing and integrate nature’ into...Read more
iVamos Afuera! – taking it outside in California
In this second part of their article about revisioning outdoor space as places of belonging, Jordin Simons and Victoria Derr explore one approach to building community connections to parks through a statewide initiative to engage children...Read more
Parks as sites for belonging
Parks are vital spaces for children’s play and sense of place, as well as being important spaces for the health and restoration of the whole community. But a recent study of ethnic minorities (Das et al....Read more
UN links child-friendliness to environment
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s report of its General Discussion Day on children and the environment makes links between children’s freedom to play, and their ability to enjoy a healthy, sustainable environment....Read more
Empowering young people through action on community environment
Action is a key not only to directly effecting environmental change, but to personal empowerment in the face of the huge challenges we face. In this article, Victoria Derr and Jeffery Morton describe the ‘action...Read more
New report links children’s mental health to climate change
A new research report has found links between rising incidences of natural disasters related to climate change and mental health problems in the populations affected, including, particularly, children and young people. Victoria Derr reports. Around the globe, children and families are...Read more
Why can’t I play in our schoolyard?
Breathing air that does not make us ill is something that most of us take for granted, but for children who have asthma or pollen allergies, even playing outside at school can be seriously hazardous....Read more