The Impact of the Outdoor Learning Environment Upon Children’s Eco-Anxiety.
Markus Spiske, Unsplash.
We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that our planet is changing rapidly and daily due to the persistent and harmful human intervention it is facing. The effect of man’s destruction towards nature is therefore tenfold and devastating. The overexploitation of natural resources, water, air and light pollution, deforestation, and habitat destruction, as well as waste management and fossil fuel emissions, are to name but a few overwhelmingly negative environmental issues happening globally.
The effect of such climate chaos can lead to chronic worry and mental health stress about the effects of the damage incurred to our beloved planet. Solastalgia is a noteworthy example, which I have written more about here. It is in this article however, where I will be raising awareness specifically around the rapidly growing issue of eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety is a mental health threat which wreaks havoc amongst environmentally minded adults. More recently however, this extreme and persistent worry about both current and future damage to our planet is becoming more frequently apparent in children as found through this example of fantastic research. For children and adults to work collaboratively in this area, an effective way to address this complicated and often terrifying issue of climate destruction can happen at school. Children who have been found to suffer from eco-anxiety, can often exasperate environmental situations. Worrying that all the world’s forests will burn down, or that every animal on the planet is going to die, are both examples of extreme environmental distress. Effective solutions at school can be explanations and discussion of these perspectives, providing guidance and reassurance. There are, however, also more hands-on and practical ways to tackle eco-anxiety.
Evidence suggests that the outdoor learning environment can provide a reassuring sense of calm, which gives children an optimistic outlook within natural surroundings. Stepping out into nature and allowing children to experience an encounter of the senses is crucial here to show that nature can, and does, still thrive. Simple examples include smelling the flowers, hearing the birdsong, touching the ground, or completing bark tree rubbings, to show children that all is not lost. The outdoor learning environment can also be effective in a wide variety of school settings. Forest schools for example, provide a multifaceted approach to learning in which children can freely step outside into the open and natural space to learn skills, build independence, and raise their self-esteem. Some amazing forest school ideas can be found here. In addition, primary schools which are not forest schools can also provide alternative outdoor learning environments and provisions for children, such as durable tables for learning, picnic tables for eating and a ‘growing corner’ for practical hands-on activities with nature. It is also important to note than schools in urban settings such as cities, can also create simple and effective outdoor learning environments for children to integrate nature into education too. Further ideas on how to integrate nature and outdoor learning into urban education can be found here.
I believe that environmentally related mental health issues such as eco-anxiety are here to stay, given the ongoing dire treatment of our planet. When identified in children, this poses an alarming threat, given that ultimately, the fate of our planet lies in the hands of the next generation. Combatting extreme environmental distress in children is something which can and should be addressed in schools. Where time permits, stepping into an outdoor learning environment, even for a moment, to spark conversations and ignite the senses, can provide positive and lasting impacts of encouragement, allowing children to feel uplifted beyond eco-anxiety stirrings.
