Related Research

"Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart."
-Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods

Learning to Love the Natural World Enough to Protect It

Dr. Louise Chawla's recent rearch focuses on those factors that contribute to individuals choosing to take action to benefit the environment when they are adults. She identified direct experience in nature and mentoring as the two key factors.

We are obviously pleased with this research, as Wilderness Awareness School programs center around these elements. Positive, direct experience in the out-of-doors and being taken outdoors by someone close to the child — a parent, grand parent, or other trusted guardian (such as your child's mentor at Wilderness Awareness School) — are the two most significant contributing factors according to her research (read more about our mentoring philosophy, and programs for parents and educators).

While lifelong activism is the primary focus of Dr. Chawla’s inquiry, as reported in this article, her well-documented study includes citations and explanations of many additional benefits to children from early experiences in the out-of-doors. Creativity, physical competence, social skills, environmental knowledge, confidence, and problem-solving ability are among those benefits to children’s development.

Download the study in PDF format, courtesy of the Children and Nature Network

Direct Experience in Nature Is Critical to Childhoold Development

Nature is important to children’s development in every major way according to Dr. Stephen R. Kellert of Yale University — intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and physically.

In a recent book which combines his original research with well-documented references to the research of others, Dr. Kellert writes, “Play in nature, particularly during the critical period of middle childhood, appears to be an especially important time for developing the capacities for creativity, problem-solving, and emotional and intellectual development.”

He includes research to indicate optimal learning opportunities at age-appropriate times and differentiates between indirect, vicarious, and direct experiences with nature — with the latter less and less available to children. He urges us all to help provide children with positive contact with nature — where children live, play, and learn.

Download Chapter 3 of 'Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection' in PDF format, courtesy of the Children and Nature Network

Nature and the Life Course: Pathways from Childhood Nature Experiences to Adult Environmentalism

by Nancy M. Wells and Kristi S. Lekies - Cornell University

This study from Cornell University found participation in wild nature activities such as camping, playing in the woods, hiking and hunting before the age of 11 has a potent impact on shaping both environmental attitudes and behaviors in adulthood. (Download full study in PDF format)

Interestingly, domesticated nature activities such as caring for plants and gardens, and structured outdoor programs such as scouts, did not have as strong of an effect on adult attitudes toward the environment. The findings were published in 2006 in the journal Children, Youth and Environments (Vol. 16:1).

We were obviously excited about this study, because these kinds of unstructured nature experiences are at the heart of what Wilderness Awareness School does - we've been helping kids wander through the woods and build forts for over 20 years.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder - by Richard Louv, 2005

In this landmark book which sparked an international renaissance of the environmental education movement, with a new rallying cry of "leave no child inside," Richard Louv summarizes and describes several scientific studies as well as educational and personal experiences that together illustrate the need our children have to be connected to nature.

As we read, we discover the current disconnection between youth and nature, and the health implications that result from it (among them diminished use of our senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses). Louv restores our hope through examples of how we can take part in reshaping our culture to understand and value the creative, cognitive and restorative properties of nature and provide all children access to the natural world.

Richard Louv presents a clear vision of our current challenges, as well as a future that will have nature as a respected and essential component of healthy individuals, families and communities everywhere. We look forward to that future, and are heartened by the knowledge that we are doing everything we can to help bring it about here at Wilderness Awareness School. Indeed, Louv confirmed the vital need for what we have been doing for more than 20 years, through our mission to "care for the earth and our children by fostering understanding and appreciation of nature, community, and self."

You can order Last Child in the Woods from our on-line store. Your purchase supports our mission.

On January 8, 2007, we organized a rountable discussion, Raising Children With Connections to Nature: Facing Nature Deficit Disorder, at REI in Seattle which featured 7 representatives from leading local outdoor education organizations. These panelists shared insights from their experience on how to help re-connect children with the natural world.

Visit our page about the event, and you can see a 30-minute Google video of highlights from the evening, and read more about the panelists and their organizations, including contact info.