Help Playful green planet flourish
In partnership with the Eden Project, Bath Spa University, House of Imagination and HundrED, we’re seeking funding partners to help us realise this bold vision.
Radically reconnecting children to nature and community. Cultivating children’s creativity, agency and citizenship.
Playful green planet is an ambitious intervention to transform how children foster a connection to nature and community through outdoor creative play.
Enabled and co-created by a movement of local citizens and coalitions, Playful green planet transforms unused green spaces into ecologically thriving outdoor playrooms and classrooms that grow children’s capabilities for climate action and social activism.
Early childhood educators observed improved socialisation, problem-solving, focus, self-regulation, creativity and self-confidence, and reduced stress, boredom and injury. Outdoor play spaces are important for promoting children's wellbeing and development.
Nature-immersed creative play is important to children’s development and wellbeing and grows children’s climate action, social activism interests and capabilities.
Quite simply, children need nature and nature needs children who value its contribution to people, places and the planet.
Despite this, children increasingly lack connection to nature, especially in cities. This is further influenced by factors including race, disability and socioeconomic status.
Here are some UK statistics that indicate the extent of the crisis:
Pockets of innovation exist, and there is an appetite for change, but some groups and geographical areas are left out. Within our existing education system, specialists in playful learning struggle to consistently and equitably provide resources and spaces to activate children’s connection to nature.
Our vision is to achieve the following:
Our approach is unique in the following ways:
accessible, equitable and inclusive for all children, their families and communities.
In partnership with the Eden Project, Bath Spa University, House of Imagination and HundrED, we’re seeking funding partners to help us realise this bold vision.
Feature
Jonathan Prosser
Becoming a nation with children at its centre in 10 courageous steps.
Blog
Rebecca Ford Alessandra Tombazzi Penny Hay
Our Playful green planet team summarises a ‘lunch and learn’ at RSA House that focused on how the influence of nature can benefit a child’s development.
Comment
Ray Coyte
Classical music is becoming a niche activity not helped by the fact that fewer and fewer state school pupils are learning to play orchestral instruments. It’s time to reassess our priorities, argues Ray Coyte.