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In our COVID-19 era, we’re getting closer to nature.
Kayaking, biking, hiking and other outdoor activities are booming. Some schools are teaching in-person classes outside. So many high school and would-be college students taking a gap year want to participate in semester-long nature-based programs that these schools are flooded with applicants. The number of nature-based pre-schools has been growing rapidly, even before COVID hit. Even some doctors are prescribing walks in nature for health and well-being.
Will this heightened amount of outdoor activity have long-term effects for individuals, society and the planet? If so, what might those be?
Based on studies using the Connectedness to Nature Scale, people who score higher are better able to reflect on life problems, take others’ perspectives, feel a sense of belonging and are typically more open to experience. A meta-analysis of research about the natural world’s effects on child development and learning finds that learning in a natural setting improves concentration, cooperativeness, engagement, self-discipline and physical activity and decreases stress.
In our stressful, complex, interdependent world, where we need to understand and cooperate with each other more and mitigate negative human effects on the environment, the benefits of nature connectedness and learning in nature are invaluable. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live, some nature pre-schools are intentionally multicultural to ensure all children, families and communities reap the rewards.
The Director of the Sierra Club’s Outdoors for All campaign says this time period is a once in a generation opportunity to re-imagine schools and connect kids to the natural world. In addition to the longstanding environmental and conservation groups, many youth groups have formed to protect the natural environment and help reverse climate change.
But in the COVID-era, adults are benefiting too. Will we keep our closeness to nature going post-COVID?