• Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Homeschool
    • Charlotte Mason
      • Nature
      • Living Books
      • Narration
      • Copy Work
      • Handicrafts
    • Math
    • Different Abilities
      • Sensory
  • Travel
    • Family Vacation
    • Couples Getaways
    • Festivals
    • Field Trips
    • Rustic Travel
  • Parenting
  • Health and Fitness
    • Diet
    • Exercise
    • Natural Remedies
    • Spirituality
  • Shop

Holistic Homeschooler

A Whole Child Eclectic Living Education

Social Media

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

Join the community and get my FREE Dragonfly and Damselfly Study!

You are here: Home / Nature / Nature Increases Children’s Wellbeing

November 18, 2019

Nature Increases Children’s Wellbeing

#nature #childhoodhealth #wellbeing #wellness #education
Do you take your kids out in nature? How about daily? I’ve known for some time the powerful effects nature can have, especially on children. If you have ever spent a few hours out of doors with your kids then I am sure you have seen it too. New research by the Institute of Education at UCL and commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts supports what we have always known about children who are regularly in nature.

Nature Increases Children’s Wellbeing

The Institute of Education at UCL conducted one of the largest studies covering 450 primary school age children that explores the effects of out of door time on children’s wellbeing and perspective of nature. Often when I take my children out of doors I notice so much improvement in their mood, interactions with one another, and a increase in positive behaviors. The study showed similar findings, time spent connecting with nature increased the children’s well-being and health over time, and they showed an increase in nature connection and demonstrated high levels of enjoyment.(Source: wildlifetrust.org)

Anyone who has spent any time with their children in nature may find it obvious that nature brings children high levels of enjoyment but it is nice to know research supports what we have known all along.


The children also gained educational benefits as well as wider personal and social benefits:
  • 90% of children felt they learned something new about the natural world
  • 79% felt that their experience could help their school work
  • After their activities 84% of children felt that they were capable of doing new things when they tried
  • 79% of children reported feeling more confident in themselves
  • 81% agreed that they had better relationships with their teachers
  • 79% reported better relationships with their class-mates  (Source:wildlifetrust.org)

Better Relationships

As a home educator, I rely heavily on the out of doors for multiple reasons that benefit the whole child. I can attest to the additional benefit of building better relationships. In fact, consistent time daily spent in nature not only noticeably improves our moods but lifts our spirits. You can often find us 45 minutes down a dirt trail into the woods, hand in hand, singing old hymns. There is something about being immersed in Gods beautiful creation that fills you with the Holy Spirit. For us, nature inspires spiritual connections while bringing us closer together as a family.

Educational Benefits

The study showed a significant amount of children felt they learned something new about the natural world, their experience could help with their lessons, and they felt capable of doing new things when they tried. My experience with my own children has proved this time and time again.

It seems every time we are outside we are all learning something new. This past summer we spent much of our nature walks tracking varies types of woodpeckers and learning their common names; mainly a set of Pilated Woodpeckers and two Downy Woodpeckers. Soon our children were able to track the Pilated woodpeckers simply by the loud dull sound their beaks made when they were chipping away at trees. There are endless opportunities for your children to learn new things about the natural world while out of doors.

The Wildlife Trust is now calling on the government to recognise the multiple benefits of nature for children – and ensure that at least one hour per school day is spent outdoors learning and playing in wild places. I laughed a little at this one. Thankfully, as home educators we have the opportunity to spend ample amount of time immersed in nature with our children.

Do you make it a point to spend time outside daily? How much time do your children spend outside each day? How important to you is time out of doors? 

Related Products

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: #natural, Education, forestschool, Homeschool, nature, wellbeing, Wellness, wild and free

Previous
Next

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Sarah

Just the name of my blog gives me away. Hi, There! I am Sarah Bliss, author of Holistic Homeschooler. I am happily married to the man of my dreams and together we raise two adorable children

We obviously homeschool and believe home education is more than academics.

I hold a personal philosophy that homeschooling is holistic and encompasses the whole child-body, mind, heart, spirit.

When I refer to the spirit, I mean the holy spirit. That ones own spirit needs daily nourishment from the word of God.

I  homeschool mainly using a Charlotte Mason Philosophy of Education. I absolutely love nature which is why the nature study aspect of Charlotte’s philosophy really speaks to me. We spend hours outside, on nature walks or the occasional hike.

Additionally, I have a burning desire to take our homeschool Journey on the road and share our travel adventures with anyone who will read or listen. Yet, this is a plan in progress so for now we are casually road-schooling.

Finally-I am a Registered Nurse, with the heart to spread educational information on health, wellness, and physical fitness. 

I hope to be a source of encouragement and inspiration as we travel along this homeschool journey together.

All About Reading

Join the community and get my FREE Dragonfly and Damselfly Study!

Auditory Processing Disorder

Search for a post

Subscribe

Browse

Holistic Homeschooler

Holistic Homeschooler
Holistic Homeschooler
Well?
Holistic Homeschooler
1    View on Facebook

Join me on Pinterest

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No connected account.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account.

Copyright © 2021 · Holistic Homeschooler · Hello You Designs

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.