Natural England - Getting involved

Getting involved

• 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

• 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 iChild 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 their website at www.iChild.co.uk

Natural England is an official Playday campaign supporter

Playday is the annual celebration of children's right to play and, this year, takes place on Wednesday 4 August 2010. On Playday and throughout the summer, 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