Tag Archives: public-policy

German children enjoy far more everyday freedom than their English peers

Posted on January 14, 2013 | 37 Comments

New research from the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) shows that only a quarter of English primary school children are allowed to walk to school alone – yet in Germany, three quarters are. It is easy to think that the decline in children’s freedom to play out of doors and get around on their own is an inevitable side effect of modern life. That is why international comparisons are so valuable: they can show us how things might be different.

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Posted in Mobility, Parenting, Public policy, Urbanism

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Is ‘nature deficit disorder’ the right rallying cry?

Posted on April 10, 2012 | 15 Comments

Rosa in a riverThe term ‘nature deficit disorder’ – as used by the National Trust in its recent report – has come in  for criticism, in a Guardian article, and in a post by playwork academic Wendy Russell on Play England’s Love Outdoor Play website. I share some of the concerns raised. But I think too much semantics is being made of the phrase. The critique also takes too little account of what the children and nature movement is actually saying and doing.

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Posted in Nature, Outdoor play

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