CONNECTING CHILDREN TO NATURE The Essential Guide for Parents and Teachers

As a child, my fondest memories were exploring in forests, playing in creek beds, finding groves of mushrooms, digging in the dirt, and building houses in trees. Our connections and interactions with nature as we grow, evolve and shape our bodies, personality, interests, and passions in life. Scientific research now shows how nature positively impacts our biology, mental health, learning and connections to the world and people around us. Research also shows a decline in children's health, learning, sense of self and creativity, that is correlated with the excessive use of technology, and reduced time spent outdoors playing. Now more than ever, we must believe in the importance of sharing the gifts of nature, and the love of nature with the world - so they will care for what is most important - the earth we live on, the nature of our planet, and our health and wellbeing. This book has been written to give teachers and parents, a solid foundation in the reasoning for nature connection, and a toolkit full of ideas, and tactics that will make nature connection with children, stimulating, educationally rewarding, and life-enriching for both the adult and the child. The book condenses the scientific research on technology, nature, and how they impact childhood development and learning. In a busy modern world that is ever changing, it is important that parents and teachers are up to date and armed with the most relevant knowledge, to deal with the culture, the world that we are in, the current challenges we face in science, education, and in the roles of parents, mentors and teachers. It is an easy to read, practical guide, that can help shape the way things are done in and out of the classroom, to stimulate the creation of solid foundations for our children's connection to nature to flourish. After all, children deserve to have a lifelong, loving and deep connection to the natural world around them so they can discover the magic of Life.