This research paper Children’s perception of biodiversity in their school grounds and its influence on their wellbeing and resilience is shared in Journal of Environmental Psychology (Volume 67, February 2020, 101381).
This research was carried out by University of Holloway of London (Louise N. Montgomery et al.) It explored whether engaging school children (aged 8–11) with nature could produce sustained improvements in mood and wellbeing in the long-term. The children were taken outside for an hour a week to engage with their school grounds.
A range of measures were used including the Connection to Nature Index.
It found that participation in this program produced significant improvements in children’s mood and wellbeing, across the academic year. Children with initially lower feelings of connection to nature became more connected over the course of their participation.
