Level One (Part 4)

Just as childhood development is based on attachment and safety with a primary carer, so is children's relationship with nature based on thinking of it as a safe space. Children (and all people) need to feel safe and engaged with the natural world. This chapter explores the neuroscience of nature, the disconnect that modernity and technology has created in people's attachment with nature and how to recreate that bond. It compares the experiences of children who grew up in nature with those who grew up separated from it. It also considers attachment difficulties and how they correspond to forms of disconnection from nature. The chapter ends with five activities for sensory connection and attachment safety in nature and explains what a child will learn from each one.