Read our Report

Podcast

 

We asked five young people what they thought the barriers to nature were for their generation, and what we could do about it. Listen to their thoughts here...

 

Take the survey for parents

If you're a parent, we'd love to hear about how your kids interact with nature, as well as your ideas about reconnecting children with nature in their everyday lives. Take our survey to share your thoughts. 

Take the survey for teachers

If you're a teacher or educator, we'd love to understand if you feel we can reconnect children with nature in schools, and if so, how. Take our survey to share your thoughts. 

Watch our videos on YouTube

Find our photos on Flickr

Children are happier, healthier and more creative when they are connected to the natural world. This should be an option not just for a few, but for every child in the UK.

We want every child to have access to wild experiences.

Nationally, The Wildlife Trusts reach over 300,000 children every year through our work with schools, but there are 800,000 children in every school year. Helping today's children to develop a love of the natural world is vitally important for conservation.

The Wildlife Trusts can only carry out this work with the help of our supporters: partners like BBC Children in Need help to fund our education programmes, but mostly our work with schools, our junior nature clubs and family events are supported by our members.

That's why we need your help.

We need you to help us raise awareness - not just of the disconnect between children and nature, but of the solutions too!

We want to see Every Child Wild.

Every Child Wild

What does Warwickshire Wildlife Trust do?

  • Deliver education activities throughout the year, especially during school holidays. We run Nature Tots for 2 – 4 year olds, and Wildlife Watch sessions for older children and Wildlife Watch members. 14,528 children took part in education activities in 2014.
     
  • Deliver a busy schedule of school visits throughout term time. 105 different school groups visited either Brandon Marsh Nature Centre or The Parkridge Centre in 2014.
     
  • Search for external funding for outreach projects. In 2014, for example, funding was received from Coventry Public Health, BBC Children in Need, Tesco Charity Trust and the Four Winds Trust. This funding enabled us to deliver sessions, trips and provide resources to children’s centres in Coventry reaching many hundreds of families.
     
  • Engage young people aged 13 - 19 with wildlife and conservation. In 2014, youth volunteers contributed 753 volunteer hours. Read more about our Youth Work here.
     
  • Include educational priorities as part of wider projects. Simon Thompson, Hedgehog Officer for the Hedgehog Improvement Area in Solihull, has engaged over 2,700 children so far in 2015, both at school visits and community events.

We've been doing some research...

In a recent poll by YouGov, commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts1, we found out that...

  • 91% of parents think that having access to nature and wildlife is important for children in general.
     
  • 78% were concerned that children don't spend enough time interacting with nature and wildlife.
     
  • Over a quarter (27%) of children aged 8-15 had never played outside by themselves, beyond their house or garden – and 37% hadn’t done this in the past 6 months.
     
  • 37% of children had never seen a hedgehog in the UK.
     
  • Only 24% of children said their school had an indoor nature display area like a nature table.

Find out more by downloading our report...

What you can do

1. Inspire a child yourself 

You don't need to be a nature expert to take your children to a local wild place and let them discover it... 

2. Tell us what you think 

Complete our short question surveys for parents and teachers

3. Spread the message 

  • Tweet using #everychildwild 
  • Join our twitterstorm on Tuesday 17 November at 7-8pm 
  • Share our social graphics

4. Read up

5. Get involved with your Wildlife Trust

Children need nature and nature needs children.


Yet only a fifth of 8-12 year olds have a connection to nature considered realistic and achievable (RSPB, 2013).

Whilst being disconnected from nature is characteristic of an unhealthy lifestyle, the opposite brings huge benefits. The wellbeing, happiness, health and education of our children can all be improved by having regular access to wild places. Nature makes children healthier, improves their self-esteem and makes them happier.

Our My Wild Life campaign has hundreds of stories, just like Ffion here, about how nature influences the lives of children every day, all around the UK.

Read the stories, and even add your own.

 

1 All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,082 children. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 20th October 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB children (aged 8-15). Total sample size was 4,224 adults, of which 1,070 were parents of children aged 18 or under. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 20th October 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
 

Downloads

FilenameFile size
Every Child Wild - A Report by the Wildlife Trusts.pdf1.48 MB
Every Child Wild - Outdoor Activities fo Children.pdf12.16 MB