Resources
This collection of free toolkits, reports, infographics and advocacy tools is designed to help you or your organization connect children, families and communities to nature. Please check back often. We add and update resources regularly!
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For many youth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, safe and accessible green space can be hard to come by — an unfortunate circumstance, considering the plethora of health benefits...
This set of resources includes a report developed by national economist Rob Grunewald titled, "How Green Schoolyards Create Economic Value." The report takes a deep look at the economic benefits of green schoolyards as well as additional benefits such as boosting children’s learning, enhancing environmental sustainability, and supporting community development and health. Additional resources include source data and case studies for the report from The Big Sandbox, Inc. and Autocase Economic Advisory, plus infographics, case making materials and more.
In today’s rapidly digitizing world, our youths’ lives are increasingly dominated by screens. As of the time of writing this article, we are observing a concerning upward...
In a recent study from the University of South Australia, researchers explored the impact of nature play areas versus manufactured play spaces on children’s development. They found that children aged 3 to 5 demonstrated more imagination and social interaction in nature play areas, where they spent over half their time when given the choice between the two spaces. The Sector.
Across the U.S., access to safe, welcoming green spaces is disproportionately distributed. Discriminatory land and housing policies, as well as other methods of systemic segregation, have excluded Black communities, Indigenous communities and other people of color from public lands and natural spaces. “Kids experience and navigate life through play, and not having access to great places to play is detrimental to their full development,” explains Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!. “We know what we need to do. We just need to build more playgrounds and parks for our kids.” The Grio.
Despite the well-documented benefits of nature, many face social, structural and systemic barriers to accessing green spaces. Plus, camping, dirt and mosquitos don’t always sound like a fun time to everyone — we get it! In this article, discover how to find a personalized version of connecting with nature that suits you best. “Nature is all around us, even in the most urban places in the world,” explains Yvette Stewart of Audubon Texas. “If people want to start tuning into it, the best thing to do is just pause outside.” Vox.
Graduate student and educator Ary Amaya’s work bridges academia and Indigenous wisdom to ensure that Native ecology drives local land management. Amaya spearheads an Indigenous-led reforestation initiative spanning 27 acres in Los Angeles, California, partnering with local students to take ground observations, monitor newly planted trees and measure canopy coverage. “These students are helping us think about how we as Indigenous people not only reforest and reenvision what ecological restoration looks like in the city,” Amaya explains, “but also how that’s rooted in Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.” UCLA Newsroom.
While hiking in Idaho, journalist and mom Tracy Ross confronted both the difficulties of raising children in the age of screens and the looming threat of climate change. In this heartfelt piece, Ross explores how time outside has shaped her family and how she hopes to inspire her youngest daughter to connect with nature in a world where cell phones reign — a sentiment echoed in global initiatives like Screen-Free Week, which encourages families to step away from screens to experience more peace, connection and fun. Vox.
This Digest explores pathways to environmental stewardship, particularly through connectedness to nature and other nature experiences
Upstream solutions for an opportunity-rich future for children. Adventure, joy and a more inclusive outdoors. Shifting dynamics in the relationship between grantmakers and grantees. The real-world impact...
Nature access is a matter of public health. In Oregon, start-up NatureQuant has aggregated dozens of factors into a new measurement they call the NatureScore, which provides a snapshot of the amount and quality of nature in neighborhoods across the U.S. – thereby representing geographic access to nature’s health benefits. In this article, interactive maps and data visualizations reveal the inequitable distribution of nature along class, race, income and education levels. A better understanding of these disparities comes with the opportunity for positive change. “The best way to boost a city’s NatureScore is to plant trees,” columnist Harry Stevens explains. Washington Post.
Nature-filled schoolyards – or green schoolyards – provide a wealth of well-documented benefits for children’s health, well-being and learning. A growing number of communities are also considering...
As we approach another Earth Day, it's a great time to teach kids about the importance of caring for our planet – and to get them actively...
As rates of anxiety and depression among youth continue to rise, nature emerges as a powerful ally. Studies show that spending time in green spaces improves well-being, memory and social connections while reducing stress and ADHD symptoms — highlighting the urgent need for fair access to nature. “We would be remiss not to provide equitable access to all kids,” reports Cathy Jordan, Children & Nature Network’s director of research, “especially those who have the most to gain.” American Psychiatric Association.
We love this article’s practical, real-life advice to help address common barriers to outdoor learning. Though the piece is written with teachers in mind, we think the tips could be helpful for guardians and practitioners, too. We Are Teachers.
In this evocative piece by Scottish poet John Burnside, he muses on the wonder that can be found in nearby nature, both by children and grown-ups alike. He quotes conservationist Rachel Carson, who wrote, “If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.” New Statesman.
We’re huge fans of Dr. Jane Goodall, whose Roots & Shoots program empowers youth to take action for the environment. On April 3, 2024, Dr. Goodall celebrated her 90th birthday — a milestone occasion marking a lifetime of advocacy and inspiration. In honor of this landmark, 90 female wildlife and landscape photographers from around the world are participating in a print sale of their photographs, with proceeds going to the Jane Goodall Institute. Check out the powerful images in this gallery. The Guardian.
This report, authored by former Federal Reserve economist Rob Grunewald, investigates the economic returns that can accompany investments in greening school grounds. Grunewald based much of his report on data from a study of a large-scale green schoolyard project in Denver, Colorado, that converted 99 traditional elementary schoolyards to green schoolyards over a 12-year period.
In the U.K., a study funded by the National Trust revealed that children are unable to spend as much time in nature as they wish, with accessibility as the main barrier. Another recent study found that “a third of British children spend less than an hour a day outside in summertime.” The trust is now calling on the U.K. government to live up to previous commitments to ensure every person will have access to a green space within a 15-minute walk of their homes. The Guardian.
Public policy and funding decisions at all levels of government directly impact children’s ability to engage with and learn from nature. Policies and advocacy efforts around the...
We’ve had the honor of collaborating with many inspiring women over the past year. In recognition of Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting just a handful of them.
This paper reviews research on the relationship between a young person’s nature experiences and subsequent pro-environmental behavior as an adult. A literature search of an academic database is supplemented by discussions with experts in the field.
As preschoolers, my two young boys would hang longingly outside the fence of our neighborhood public school and ask if they could join the pickup soccer game....
“As long as you have a green roof over your head, everything will be okay.” So goes Lucy Stott’s adaptation of her grandfather’s mantra. Born of a long line of New Yorkers, Stott was fortunate to have access to a green space via her elementary school’s outdoor classroom – a green roof. In the concrete jungle, green rooftops can provide shade, capture airborne pollutants and reduce rooftop temperatures. Enough green rooftops can even lower citywide ambient temperatures by up to 5°F. In this article, Stott, now in her freshman year of college, shares some of the research behind the benefits of green roofs, as well as her own personal experience. Living Architecture Monitor.
Students around the globe are feeling the effects of climate change, with hotter weather and other climate-related disasters on the uptick. Hotter temperatures have negative effects on students’ test scores. Climate disasters like storms and droughts cause children to leave school and join the workforce early to support their families, while hurricanes and wildfires cause children in higher-income countries to miss school days. Even children exposed to climate disasters in utero can face impacts, with higher rates of ADHD reported among kids whose mothers were pregnant during Hurricane Sandy. On top of all this, researchers predict that climate change will exacerbate existing inequalities in education worldwide. Conversation.
Over the past decade, the Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative — a joint national partnership between the Children & Nature Network and the National League of CIties — has helped nearly 50 cities across the U.S. to prioritize youth nature connection. A new report conducted by two independent research firms helped quantify the impact of CCCN’s nine years of support in helping cities connect children to nature. Now, the new Nature Everywhere Communities initiative builds upon CCCN’s successes, with the Children & Nature Network, National League of Cities and Kaboom! partnering to advance equitable access to nature everywhere children live, learn and play. CitiesSpeak.
In a beautiful, urgent blend of memoir, ecology and history, Pulitzer Prize-nominated novelist Lydia Millet “urges respect for the staggering interconnectedness of existence.” Balancing grief and wonder, Millet helps us face and process the ecological ruin that we’ve wrought on our planet, our species and those with whom we share our home. She investigates the question, “Where does our childhood love of nature go?”, among other pressing queries. Scientific American.
The Madison Advisory Council has been crucial to the planning and development of our 2024 Nature Everywhere Conference. Composed of fourteen distinguished leaders from...
GROWING POWER: Urban Roots connects young people with natural spaces, food systems – and one another
"Being in nature - it's a luxury, right?" Paloma Cardoza, a child of immigrants, leveraged her educational background in habitat restoration to work with a major...
A kindergarten-only school in Toronto, Canada, has teamed up with a local farming group to introduce little ones and their parents to nature through a community garden. At guided sessions, participants learn about growing carrots and the local ecosystem. The program brings nature’s benefits to residents and restores habitat in a dense urban neighborhood, while providing free organic produce to community members during a time when food can be increasingly hard to afford. CBC.
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