Schools nature table initiative

Another of my pet subjects: the way kids aren’t allowed to do the things that kids should be allowed to do these days.

I know I sound like a right old git here – but it’s true. Yes, there are lots of good reasons why parents might mollycoddle kids but when I was a young I’d disappear for whole days out into the countryside.

Others are also aware of this lack of connection kids have with the natural environment and Country Living magazine has launched the ‘Bring Back the Nature Table’ campaign, designed to reconnect children with nature by encouraging UK schools to set up nature tables.

It comes in the wake of research showing kids are losing touch with the natural environment, a loss that could damage their wellbeing and the future of the countryside.

According to the mag, the loss of nature tables is just the tip of the iceberg and more needs to be done to raise awareness of health and societal costs of children’s isolation from the natural world.

Apparently, less than half of all UK parents and grandparents now take their kids out for a regular walk. And few take the time to stop and look at wildflowers or insects.

GP and strategic health advisor for Natural England, Dr William Bird, says youngsters have lost contact with the natural environment so much that they are more familiar with cartoon characters than British wildlife.

“Getting out into green spaces is absolutely vital for children, for their mental state and wellbeing,” says Dr Bird. “We have an innate connection with the natural environment and this means that nature has the ability to recharge us.

As part of the campaign, Country Living Magazine is also holding a competition for Best School Nature Table and Best Home Nature Project.

The magazine has also dedicated 30 March as the official ‘Bring Back the Nature Table Day’, which will include guided walks throughout the country and a free field guide with the April issue of Country Living.

Bill Jordans, founder of Jordans Cereals which is sponsoring the initiative, says: "My hope now is that by encouraging children to engage with the natural world they will do a much better job of looking after our countryside in the future than my generation has done in the past!"

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