This booklet Nature Play is planned for nurturing children and strengthening conservation through connections to the land.
Just remember your favourite memories of outdoor play as a child, probably involving some type of free form play without adults in sight. Do today’s children have this possibility? This type of play can practically be called endangered. If you wish to expose the children under your guidance to the beauty of nature, playing outside, exploring and the whole lot, this book is for you. Go ahead, download it and make good use of it!
Unstructured, frequent childhood play in informal outdoor settings powerfully boosts the cognitive, creative, physical, social and emotional development of children. It also engenders deep conservation values—more so than any other factor. Part 1 of this guide explores the essential characteristics of nature play, the benefits nature play provides and the societal barriers to it. Part 2 describes the array of concrete actions that organizations may take to restore nature play to children’s lives.
Booklet provided by Pennsylvania Land Trust Association and also available online here.