Category Archives: Child development

On child development

When did you last go to the edge of your comfort zone?

Posted on March 21, 2012 | 11 comments

Last week on Facebook, a friend posted a link to this youtube clip, of a nine- or ten-year-old girl doing her first proper ski jump. The clip, filmed from her point of view, is remarkable to watch.

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Posted in Child development, Education, Learning, Risk

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The outdoor child: doomed to extinction?

Posted on March 15, 2012 | 8 comments

Shrinking horizons of childhoodEvery year since 1979 there has been a Big Garden Bird Watch, a UK-wide survey organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. I can’t help wondering about a survey of a different species: a Big Outdoor Child Watch.

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Posted in Child development, Health, Nature, Outdoor play, Parenting

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Out of sight, out of mind?

Posted on December 2, 2011 | 9 comments
Boys climbing a tree

Image from St Joseph’s OSHC, QLD, Australia

I was recently told about an article on tree-climbing, by an Australian after-school service. It rightly makes the case that the benefits of this activity clearly outweigh the risks. The video footage certainly reinforces this, showing the children’s appetite for the experience, and their obvious competence. And yet, even though I think that what St Joseph’s is doing here is terrific, something in the clip jarred with me. It was the very presence of the grown-ups. Such a contrast from my own childhood memories of climbing trees. Continue reading →

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Posted in Child development, Education, Outdoor play, Parenting, play, Risk

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Why does nature matter to children? What’s the evidence?

Posted on November 28, 2011 | 15 comments

Sowing the seeds literature review coverWhat happens when children spend time in natural environments – and what happens if they do not? What does the empirical evidence say? And what other insights might the research literature hold? These were the questions that I wanted to answer in my literature review [pdf link] for the Sowing the Seeds project – published on 17th November, alongside the main report. Continue reading →

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Posted in Child development, Education, Health, Learning, Nature, Outdoor play, Public policy, Public space

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London moves to reconnect children with nature

Posted on November 18, 2011 | 21 comments

Sowing the seeds report front coverMy new report Sowing the Seeds: Reconnecting children with nature was launched at City Hall yesterday morning. The report, written for the London Sustainable Development Commission (the body that advises the Mayor of London on sustainability) sets out a new vision for children’s relationship with nature, and maps out an action plan to reintroduce nature into their lives.

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Posted in Child development, Health, Learning, Nature, Outdoor play, Public policy, Public space

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Adults think children are becoming feral. Could they be right?

Posted on November 4, 2011 | 10 comments

Almost half of adults think that children are becoming feral, according to a survey published yesterday by leading children’s charity Barnardos. The charity blames perceptions of children – yet could there be some truth in the observation? Continue reading →

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Posted in Child development, Morality

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