The Leave No Child Inside Movement has brought to national attention the critical role that nature plays in healthy childhood development.
Reconnecting children with nature is not an environmental issue – it is a childhood development issue.
It touches organizations involved in health, education, community services, regional planning, parks, recreation and natural resources.
It addresses some of today’s most pressing problems related to children, including obesity, stress related mental health, low self-esteem, poor academic performance and unhealthy environments.
Nature-centered play experiences for children are those that instill wonder and engender curiosity; take place in outdoor settings ranging from backyards to neighborhoods to city parks to wilderness; and occur in the form of guided activities as well as unstructured nature play in children’s everyday lives.