Natural England - One Million Children Outdoors
One Million Children Outdoors
2 April 2009
Natural England is working on a range of projects to encourage an interest in and understanding of the natural environment amongst school children. We want 1 million children to have the opportunity to enjoy nature and the natural environment.
- Findings from a recent survey* suggest that:
- Children today spend less time in natural places, and enjoy less unsupervised natural play than previous generations
- Most children would like to spend more time playing unsupervised in natural places, and most parents would like them to be able to
- If children are able to experience nature, they care about it and want to conserve it
- Need help in tempting youngsters into the great outdoors? Try some imaginative activities especially for children from our friends, Fiona and Jo, authors of Nature’s Playground and Go Wild at www.goingwild.net
- Natural England welcomes the publication of the Bumper Book of Nature as an inspiring and practical guide to help children and families enjoy the natural world.
* Childhood and Nature: A survey on changing relationships with nature across generations 
How you can get involved
- Take part in the Great Nut Hunt - help save the dormice this October
- Conservation volunteering opportunities in the Muckin4Life campaign
- Go on a farm visit - the educational access element of our Stewardship schemes
- Visit one of our National Nature Reserves
- Find out about our Undersea Landscape Campaign
- Go on a healthy walk - get involved with our green exercise initiatives
- Find out about events and activities in your area using the Breathing Places Event Finder - offers children and families easy online access to more than 10,000 activities across the UK
- Join the Big Wildlife Garden - help create a virtual national nature reserve linking gardens and open spaces
- For cubs and scouts, go for the Naturalist Activity Badge which Natural England is sponsoring
- There are also lots of other places you can go to to enjoy the countryside
iChild supports One Million Children Outdoors
Leading child development and education website www.iChild.co.uk is supporting Natural England’s goal to get One Million Children outdoors in the next three years. iChild offers a helping hand to families and provides them with ideas to help keep their children busy, and to support their education. iChild has hundreds of free education worksheets and fun activities for parents, teachers and carers to use with children aged 0 to 11. Visit the website at www.iChild.co.uk.
Natural England is an official Playday 2009 campaign supporter
Playday is the annual celebration of children's right to play and, this year, takes place on Wednesday 5 August. On Playday and throughout the summer of 2009, children, young people and communities will get out and play at hundreds of locally organised events across the UK. Find out more and get involved at www.playday.org.uk
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(18 August 2009) Schoolchildren across England, Scotland and Wales have the chance to get their hands on free Ordnance Survey maps, as the national mapping agency launches the Free maps for 11-year-olds scheme.