Children Mental Health Week 1-7 Feb 2021

Support your children's mental health this week through some simple, outdoor, nature-based activities

A long time ago, human life would have been interlinked with nature to a much higher level than we see today. However, the development of technology, farming and transportation such as cars and trains has removed the need for us to forage, hunt or even grow our own food. Our connection and understanding of nature has therefore, been diminished.

"An understanding of the natural world is a source of not only great curiosity, but great fulfilment." David Attenborough

There is now an understanding within a growing community that the lost connections to nature is negatively impacting our physical and mental health. Research has found spending time in nature can reduce stress and anxiety while improving concentration and self-esteem. It is one of the driving reasons behind Bee Wild and one of the key outputs from our work, improved mental and physical health.

Mindfulness

Being 'mindful' is a very trendy topic in this day and age and for good reason, in many countries day to day life is a fast paced, house to car to job to home life, with little time for proper rest, creating an almost constant pressure on our minds, increasing stress and anxiety.

Being mindful isn't about sitting down and meditating either, by the way. Being mindful is, simply put, taking a bit more time to take notice of your surroundings. I often ask groups some questions that help to focus their minds. First up, why is a conker (Horse Chestnut seed) so large and shiny? The answer can be researched and looked up online, but when in the woods, it creates a chain of questions and thoughts that start to develop to encourage mindfulness.

Children are naturally more inquisitive than adults, but asking philosophical questions isn't always necessarily the best or easiest approach to getting them engaged. Our kids love Fungi, so we'll often have fungi-hunt walks which is a great way to get them focused due to the varied growth forms and locations of fungi, but nature based scavenger hunts are a great way to do it too. When you are out on a walk, get your kids hunting for things, check out the list below for ideas on what to seek out.

Find:

1. something rough

2. something smooth

3. something red

4. something smelly

5. something wet

Listen to:

1. for 3 different bird songs

2. running water

3. rustling leaves

4. the wind

5. the rain

Don't forget to tag us (@beewildnature) and #BeeWild in your social media posts so we can see what you find!