This chapter examines successive schools of thought in early childhood education that have encouraged the exploration of urban environments by young children. These traditions have pursued similar aims, from creative self-expression and... more
This chapter examines successive schools of thought in early childhood education that have encouraged the exploration of urban environments by young children. These traditions have pursued similar aims, from creative self-expression and democratic decision making to collaborative learning among peers and multiple generations, communication skills, and a deepening of children's experiential, place-based education. The chapter explains how these aims can be achieved in cities through a variety of approaches such as participatory planning and design, mobile preschools, greening the grounds of schools and child care centers, gardening, and forest and nature schools in metropolitan areas. It looks at examples from both resourced and poorly resourced schools and child care centers in the Global North and South and shows that urban environmental education facilitates children's contact with and learning about urban nature and the built environment.
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Eight practitioners in the Growing Up in Cities project of UNESCO reflect on what they have learned in terms of how to move government officials and leaders of civil society to view children and youth as partners in creating livable... more
Eight practitioners in the Growing Up in Cities project of UNESCO reflect on what they have learned in terms of how to move government officials and leaders of civil society to view children and youth as partners in creating livable cities. They describe their experience in participatory action research with children and youth, how they achieved successful outcomes, what they learned from mistakes, and strategies that they would apply if they were beginning a new initiative to ensure that city officials, community leaders and donors integrate young people into decision-making. The conclusion summarizes the group’s shared wisdom regarding how to make certain that adults in power not only listen to young people but also take action on at least some of their recommendations. These reflections should have relevance for any action research project with young people
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Louise Chawla is professor emerita in the program in environmental design at the University of Colorado Boulder. She remains active in the university’s Community Engagement, Design and Research Center, which she helped establish and which... more
Louise Chawla is professor emerita in the program in environmental design at the University of Colorado Boulder. She remains active in the university’s Community Engagement, Design and Research Center, which she helped establish and which includes the Growing Up Boulder program to involve children and adolescents in participatory planning and design with city agencies. This program is the foundation of the recent book Placemaking with Children and Youth: Part icipatory Pract ices for Planning Sustainable Communities (New Village Press, 2018), which she co-authored with her colleagues Victoria Derr and Mara Mintzer. Chawla began her career as a Montessori primary and elementary teacher. She received her training from Phoebe Child and Margaret Homfray, who helped Maria Montessori spread the Montessori Method in Great Britain and who established the St. Nicholas Training Center in London, during a period when they led training courses in Pennsylvania in the summers. PlACe-BAseD eDuCATi...
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This paper examines the meaning, assessment, and development of connection to nature (C2N) in twoto five-yearold children. It grows out of a Connection to Nature Workshop organized by the University of Florida, Stanford University, the... more
This paper examines the meaning, assessment, and development of connection to nature (C2N) in twoto five-yearold children. It grows out of a Connection to Nature Workshop organized by the University of Florida, Stanford University, the North American Association for Environmental Education, and the Children and Nature Network to evaluate instruments that measure C2N. Defining and measuring C2N in young children emerged as a current research gap. The workshop was followed by the formation of an Expert Advisory Panel on Early Childhood Nature Connection to address this need. Through semi-structured interviews and narrative responses to a survey, panel participants provided insight on early childhood connection to nature and reviewed existing measures of nature connection for this age group. This paper presents a synthesis of panel ideas. One outcome of the analysis was a detailed description of C2N, highlighting the importance of both quantity and quality of time in nature. Quality ti...
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Within a generation, children's lives have largely moved indoors, with the loss of free‐ranging exploration of the nearby natural world, even as research indicates that direct experiences of nature in childhood contribute to care for... more
Within a generation, children's lives have largely moved indoors, with the loss of free‐ranging exploration of the nearby natural world, even as research indicates that direct experiences of nature in childhood contribute to care for nature across the life span. In response, many conservation organizations advocate connecting children with nature, and there has been rising interest in measuring young people's connectedness with nature, understanding how it relates to their well‐being and stewardship behaviour and creating programs to increase connection. This article reviews the literature on these topics, covering both quantitative and qualitative studies. It notes that this research emphasizes positive experiences and emotions, even as global environmental changes and biodiversity loss accelerate. Young people's emotions of worry, frustration and sadness as they learn about environmental degradation also express their understanding that they are connected to the biosph...
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This review examines different ways that contact with nature can contribute to the health and well-being of children. Applying the capabilities approach to human development for a broad definition of well-being, it traces research from... more
This review examines different ways that contact with nature can contribute to the health and well-being of children. Applying the capabilities approach to human development for a broad definition of well-being, it traces research from the 1970s to the present, following shifting research approaches that investigate different dimensions of health. A compelling body of evidence exists that trees and natural areas are essential elements of healthy communities for children. They need to be integrated at multiple scales, from landscaping around homes, schools, and childcare centers, to linked systems of urban trails, greenways, parks, and “rough ground” for children’s creative play.
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With a focus on childhood and adolescence, this chapter seeks to understand how people come to act responsibly on behalf of the environment. It begins with a brief overview of selected theories related to the development of agency and the... more
With a focus on childhood and adolescence, this chapter seeks to understand how people come to act responsibly on behalf of the environment. It begins with a brief overview of selected theories related to the development of agency and the motivation to act as a framework for research reviews in three areas of young people’s experience: informal play and exploration in nature; environmental education programs in schools and in the field; and wilderness experience programs. The chapter compares research results in these areas with the goal of understanding the types of experiences that prepare young people to take action for the environment, considers how these results correspond with processes that would be predicted by developmental theory, and distills recommendations for the design of school-based programs, wilderness adventure programming, and the design of communities that facilitate free access to nature. Directions for future research are suggested.
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This paper discusses the benefits of involving children in planning and managing human settlements both for the children, as they learn the formal skills of democracy, and for the wider community, as young people contribute their... more
This paper discusses the benefits of involving children in planning and managing human settlements both for the children, as they learn the formal skills of democracy, and for the wider community, as young people contribute their knowledge, energies and perceptions about local environments, and remind adults of their rights and their special needs and vulnerabilities. Children learn active and responsible citizenship through opportunities to practise it - but this requires formal channels to incorporate children into school- and community-based programmes for evaluating, planning and caring for local environments. This paper reminds governments of the commitments they have made to such an approach in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Agenda 21 and the Habitat Agenda. It also discusses what underlies effective children’s participation in development planning, drawing on the author’s work as coordinator of the Growing up in Cities programme and on other innovative policies an...
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Early childhood—which is generally defined as the span from ages three through eight—is a foundational period when children rapidly move through milestones in physical, cognitive, social, emotional and language development (McCartney and... more
Early childhood—which is generally defined as the span from ages three through eight—is a foundational period when children rapidly move through milestones in physical, cognitive, social, emotional and language development (McCartney and Phillips, 2006). Cities offer unique environments for learning because they present young children with great densities of people from different backgrounds and cultures, buildings and public spaces that may reflect hundreds or even thousands of years of human history, and political systems that regulate environmental behaviors and decision-making. In parks and along riverbanks, in vacant lots and gardens, the natural world weaves its presence. This chapter begins by identifying successive schools of thought in early childhood education that have encouraged the exploration of urban environments with young children. These traditions have pursued similar aims: creative self-expression, democratic decision-making, collaborative learning among peers and multiple generations, communication skills, and a deepening of children’s experiential, place-based learning. This chapter illustrates diverse ways these aims can be achieved in cities, including participatory planning and design, forest and nature schools in metropolitan areas, mobile preschools, greening the grounds of schools and child care centers, and gardening. It draws examples from both well-resourced and poorly resourced schools and child care centers in the global North and South.