How to Raise Adventurous, Nature-Loving Kids

As children grow, so will their ability to enjoy a diversity of experiences. A late-night badger quest or star-gazing may be less disruptive to a child aged nine, ten or eleven than to an infant in the early years. With higher levels of attention, patience and dexterity, an older child may be more amenable to a puffin-spotting trip, climbing a mountain or picking rosehips to make a syrup.

Those wonder-filled touchstone moments that your child has – marvelling at a scarlet velvet mite, or the red breast of a robin, or a crab in a rockpool – can be built on, as children become older and may be hungrier to learn and deepen their knowledge. Their senses are already engaged, their hearts and minds are open to the rest of the living world. As they grow, they can stoke the fire by learning and experimenting. You can nurture their love by providing opportunities and encouragement.

Children who are vulnerable can reap particular benefits from the natural world. A study from the Cornell College of Human Ecology found that contact with nature seemed to moderate or dampen psychological stress caused by events such as moving to a new house, fighting with parents, bereavement or bullying. The effect of having trees and plants around the house, and access to nearby nature, seemed to be a protective factor, particularly for the children who were most disadvantaged, and it contributed to resilience.

The characteristics of a relationship with the living world will grow and change, even if there are dormancy periods. Nature is bigger than school or friendships or the family; it is life in the background, which will always be there. The child, and later the adult, feels a sense of belonging, wherever they are.

The peace and wonder of the living world are for all children. Nature play is often associated with the younger, early years; Forest School, for example, is more common in the earliest years of school, and then wanes as children get older and the pressures of learning and exams grow. I think this is a disaster for children, and that older children and adolescents need a meaningful connection with trees and ladybirds and other wildlife, just as much as younger children.

There is a growing evidence base linking nature exposure with cognitive functioning. Studies suggest that the natural environment – particularly walking in nature – can help reduce symptoms of ADHD, which is most commonly diagnosed in children between the ages of six and twelve. Gardening activities for autistic children have been found to improve language and communication skills, and reduce anxiety.

A study by environmental health researchers in Belgium found that children living in areas with more residential green space had higher IQs. It showed that nearby nature in urban areas is beneficial for children’s intellectual and behavioural development. This might be because of lower stress, more opportunities to play or a quieter environment.

What else can I do in nature with older children?
Older children might fall head over heels in love with botany and want to identify everything they can find. Or you might find they have less patience for standing still and long, ambling walks. With older age can come a loosening of the reins and more trust. Older children can be given practical responsibilities, such as lighting fires, or picking mushrooms, or playing on rope swings and climbing trees with less parental supervision.

Physical activities might become more appealing, such as swimming in rivers, kayaking, geocaching (finding hidden treasures in containers), kite-flying or climbing. Of course this might also be the age when you find their enthusiasm for walks wanes, as friends and socialising start to become more important. I found a letter I’d written to a friend when I was about nine. I wrote about a walk that my dad had taken us on in France, which I described as ‘soooooo long and soooo boring’ [sic]. And I do remember complaining a lot of the way, as my desire for independence and autonomy grew. But I am so grateful for it now. It planted a kind of seed, which I have been able to return to.

When I smell a pine tree, or feel warm air on my face on the top of a hill with a panoramic view, or spot an unusual bird, I remember those moments in childhood where that love was first planted. So I will take my children out, whether or not there is moaning.

Don’t be put off by a child saying it’s boring. The research literature from the growing science of boredom suggests that ennui, as a state, can trigger creativity and lead children into finding new paths of interest and stimulation. Giving your older children the chance to stare at clouds, or daydream outdoors, or wander in natural areas can stoke their imagination, enhance their problem-solving skills and give them the opportunity to come up with ideas – just as it can for adults.

‘As a parent, you might feel afraid of boredom and worry that you’re not stimulating your child enough. But we need to allow them this downtime and encourage them to find inspiring ways to “unbore” themselves,’ the psychologist and boredom expert, Sandi Mann told the BBC – and there are plenty of opportunities for this in the infinite variety of the natural world. It will also help children deal with times of boredom. ‘If they have the tools to unbore themselves, they’ll be able to handle periods of downtime better as they get older,’ said Mann.

1. BATS AND OTHER NIGHT-TIME LOVELIES - Bats, hedgehogs, foxes, owls, deer and badgers are all part of the night-time environment and can be seen on an evening stroll. Wend your way through the streets or head out into your local park, or wild area. Walk quietly, use your ears to listen to the different unique sounds and you’ll build up a fascinating picture of what’s around you, without even being able to see it. You could always time your walks to coincide with a full moon, to limit the need for a torch and allow the illumination from the moon to light your path. Bats, in my opinion, are the true stars of the night sky. They’re fascinating creatures, super-intelligent, the only flying mammal and adorable. They certainly suffer a reputation problem. These fast-flying mammals are a joy to watch, and they’ll usually spend a bit of time hunting in the vicinity of their roost, before heading off to other hunting grounds. There are eighteen bat species in the UK, but only a few are out and about as the sun sets. Bats are vital members of their ecosystems; in the UK they help to control pests – a single UK pipistrelle bat can consume 3,000 mosquitoes in a single night – and they are an indicator species, meaning that a reduction in bat populations somewhere can indicate an environmental change.
   
2. NIGHT WALKS - Head out for a night-time walk, with a torch in hand, or join one of the many evening walks and events that happen in the spring and summer months, such as moth nights, stargazing and bat walks. These are often delivered by local authorities’ parks teams, the Friends of groups, country parks, national parks, local nature reserves, national and local charities such as the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and Field Studies clubs. You can make your very own lantern using a recycled plastic bottle: cut off the top, make two small holes in the side near the top of the cut bottle, thread a length of string through the small holes to make a handle, use PVA glue to decorate it with coloured tissue paper and then drop an LED balloon light inside the bottle. Your very own wild lantern!
   
3. MOON, STARS AND METEORITES - Our towns and cities are lit with artificial lights, so interacting with the night sky can feel inaccessible to many. Some towns and cities do turn street lights off in the early hours of the morning, but heading out then isn’t going to be convenient for most families, with bedtimes and evening routines. If you can get away from the bright lights of towns and cities, head out on a clear night, get as high as you can, grab a rug, lie on your back and just stare into the sky. As your eyes adjust, you’ll see more and more. We’ve enjoyed many delights through the years. NASA produces superb information on the comings and goings of celestial objects, and you can track the International Space Station. We’ve used apps such as Sky Map to understand the bright objects we can see in the sky as the sun is setting. Recently we’ve been able to see Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
   
4. ROCKPOOLS AND CRABBING - These are two of our most favourite activities and they’re timeless. I have many fond memories of rockpooling as a child, and as part of studying for my degree in environmental biology. Britain has thousands of miles of coastline, so you have a lot of choice, but do follow all the coastal warnings. Each rockpool can feel like opening a new present. There’s something different to see and discover in every pool. Approach gently and quietly, then crouch at the edge to get yourself out of view of the pool’s residents. With patience, the rockpool’s residents will begin to show themselves – you can entice them out with the same food you would use to catch crabs. Using a swimming mask will help you see into the pool better. Just push the mask gently into the water surface: voilà, you have a window into this fascinating world. Anything you move in the rockpool, such as rocks and stones, should always be placed back where they were found, as near as possible, after you’ve had a look underneath.
   

It’s often difficult to get my child outside – there are so many distractions at home and things she wants to do. What can I tempt her with?

Older children are more able to use equipment such as a hand-lens, binoculars or telescope to watch birds or look at the surface of the moon. As their senses develop, your adventures together can take on added dimensions. Marvel at more complex concepts, such as how water moves from the sea into water vapour, into the clouds, and then becomes rain falling onto their tongue. Or at the scale of the Earth, and the distance that birds, butterflies and moths migrate. A painted lady butterfly is charged with magic if you can imagine the 9,000-mile round trip it makes from Africa to the Arctic Circle.

Your child might grow to be interested in identifying species. If so, a hand-lens and an identification guide will be helpful. Children may like to engage with species counts that the national charities run each year, such as the Big Butterfly Count or the Big Garden Birdwatch.

It is important to give children the opportunity to learn more about wildlife and ecosystems, and monitoring them can be a fun way of doing that. Without citizen science, we would have less information about how the climate crisis is affecting patterns of migration and behaviour.

The Nature Seed by Lucy Jones and Kenneth Greenway (Profile Books)

Lucy is the author of Losing Eden and Foxes Unearthed. Especially interested in the psychological relationship between humans and the rest of nature, she spends as much time as possible outside with her children.

PHOTOGRAPHY Amy Hoogerbrugge instagram.com/amyhoogerbrugge