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November 2008
Children and Nature Movement Gaining Momentum Worldwide
The children and nature movement received a major global boost recently at the International Union for the  Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress in Barcelona. www.iucn.org/cec/
The gathering drew more than 8,000 of the world’s leading decision makers in sustainable development from 177 nations representing governments, academia, private enterprise, media and the non-profit sector as well as the United Nations. Among those participating was Cheryl Charles, President and CEO of the Children & Nature Network.
 Charles, who is a member of the Steering Committee for the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication, was instrumental this year in making the importance of reconnecting children and nature a focal point of the event.
She moderated a panel discussion entitled Reversing a Worldwide Trend: Strategies for Solving Nature-Deficit Disorder that included participants from India, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Hungary.
Charles also helped ensure that children and nature would remain an IUCN focus going forward. The resolution passed at the close of the congress acknowledges the importance of connecting children and nature. In addition, it asks the head of the IUCN to assist members in “reconnecting people, especially children, and nature as a priority in order to assure responsible stewardship of the environment for generations to come.”
[+] read 2008 IUCN resolution
[+] Reversing a Worldwide Trend: Strategies for Solving Nature-Deficit Disorder
[+] visit the IUCN Web site
Further evidence of the growing awareness worldwide of nature-deficit disorder can be found in the steady increase in the number of global initiatives. You'll find a selection of links to leading organizations and news reports below. Please send us a note to let us know of other children and nature programs and efforts worldwide.
For the latest news visit the international news section on C&NN's Web site.
[+] C&NN International News Center
 Africa
Children Plant 5,000 Trees in Cameroon
Children at the first Africa Region Children's conference planted 5,000 trees in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon.
Kids of Nature Initiative
A South African project that is taking steps to enable children to feel connected with their natural environment.
 Asia
Radio Beijing Program Nominated for UNICEF Award
The “Listen to Children, Listen to Nature” radio program in China encourages children to search for and record the sounds of nature.
Fun with Nature
The Nature Society Education Group in Singapore organizes programs for kids.
Eco Wagon Expeditionary Party
This program in Japan, sponsored by Honda, provides children with an opportunity to be in contact with nature throughout the four seasons.
Australia
Throw Out Kids’ TVs and Get Them Outside
A report from Australia on a childhood obesity summit.
The Benefit of Nature on Nurture
A Sydney Morning Herald report on the mounting evidence that nature is healing.
Europe
BBC Report on Outdoor Schools
The first generation of children to follow play-based learning in Wales is starting school, BBC News reports.
Learning Outside the Classroom
A report from Britain that supports the idea that learning outside the classroom raises standards and achievement.
Playday
A national campaign in which thousands of UK children play in natural settings at locally organized events.
Play England
A government program to ensure that all children in England have regular access to and opportunity for free, inclusive, local play.
Rewilding Childhood
A high-profile multimedia initiative highlighting how children in different parts of Europe experience wild nature and how that affects their social and emotional development.
Little Nut Tree
The Get Kids Active Campaign
ia a campaign started by the founder of a British online toy store.
Tree for All
A campaign that will encourage a million children to plant trees across the UK.
Growing Schools
With support from the British government, this group aims to give all children the opportunity to connect with the living environment.
Pure Nature Project Sponsored by BASF
This project helps daycare centers in Germany teach children about nature.
Children’s Nature Week
In Three Rivers, England, Children’s Nature Week was celebrated for the fourth year with nature-themed events.
The Discovery of the Last Child in the Woods
A short film from a Dutch advocate for free-range play.
Kids for Forest Project
Launched by Greenpeace Russia in 2002, the project engages children with nature by planting trees on their land.
The Hague Nature Explorers
Netherlands
Every year the Haagse Natuurverkenners (HNV) organizes six weekend scavenger hunts so that children 7 to 13 years old can experience The Hague’s nature in a fun way.
Whistlebrae - Scotland's first Nature Kindergarten
Inside Whislebrae young children in Scotland find a secure natural space, and a challenging outdoor zone which builds confidence and skills.
Freiburg
For more than a decade Freiburg's parks department in Germany has been creating 'nature playgrounds' that are just like the wild spaces of our childhood memories, yet they meet European safety standards.
Children's Nature Club - Zöldfülû (Youngling)
In 2005, the Körlánc Association for Environmental Education established this nature children club for children aged 5-10 in the capital, Budapest.
 North America
Robert Batemen's Get to Know
Helping young Canadians connect with nature by teaching them local species’ names and characteristics.
Nature Child Reunion
A cooperative initiative of Canadian organizations and institutions engaged with children and nature.
Outdoor Preschool in Ottawa
A CBC report on Carp Ridge Forest Pre-School in Ottawa, which features a garden, trails, and a yurt.
Victoria Natural History Society
A British Columbia effort to involve school-aged children in activities and events that expose them to the natural world.
Young Naturalists of British Columbia
A group for young people in Canada who care about nature and want to know as much as possible about it.
Canada’s Get Out Campaign
The vignettes call attention to the critical need for Canadian young people to get outdoors.
Sense of Wonder
A creative and engaging nature appreciation and environmental education experience for Nova Scotian children, youth, adults, families and organizations.
Playa Viva
A sustainable resort and residence community on the Pacific Coast of Mexico designed as a place for families to reconnect to the land and to each other.
 South America
Blue Fields
The first and only organization in Colombia dedicated to providing outdoor experiences for children and youth.
Worldwide
Nature ActionCollaborative for Children
This World Forum Foundation initiative is led by early childhood educators, designers, and landscape architects representing six continents.
Last Child in the Woods
In addition to its publication in the United States and Canada, "Last Child in the Woods" has been translated and published in The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, Mainland China, Taiwan and Turkey. In Spring, it will be published in the United Kingdom for distribution in Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
November Field Notes from the Future: The Giftedness
by Richard Louv, November 16th, 2008
 Reflections on a recent visit with the great writer and ecotheologian, Thomas Berry. Berry's lifework has been dedicated to helping us understand that the destiny of the earth and the destiny of humans are inseparable.
[+] read the BLOG by Richard Louv
[+] learn more about the Thomas Berry Hermitage
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