Bringing the Outdoors Back to Childhood
Bioneers | Published: February 27, 2025 Environmental Education Article
A childhood spent outdoors yields more than just curiosity, resilience and a lasting respect for the environment. Mountains of evidence collected by the deeply influential Children and Nature Network suggest that children’s regular engagement with the natural world is essential for their physical, emotional and cognitive health. Given that we humans are, in fact, animals, this should come as no surprise. However, many children today have little opportunity to develop this bond. Children in the U.S. spend less than 10 minutes per day on average engaged in unstructured outdoor play — compared to more than seven hours in front of electronic screens. How can we reconnect children with nature and restore this essential relationship?
As we experience draconian moves to gut education budgets, national parks, and public lands (and much more), it’s important to remember that public support for basic goals like outdoor access for youth remains nearly universal and that there are thriving policy movements across multiple levels supporting this work. In this newsletter, discover how school environments can foster healing, the ecological benefits of the living schoolyard movement, how nature-inspired design builds resilience, and a program bringing the joy of birding to Chicago public school students.
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‘Schools That Heal’: How School Environments Shape Mental, Social, and Physical Health
What would a school look like if it was designed with mental health in mind? Too many public schools look and feel like prisons, designed out of fear of vandalism and truancy. But we know that nurturing environments are better for learning. Research consistently shows that access to nature, big classroom windows, and open campuses reduce stress, anxiety, disorderly conduct, and crime, and improve academic performance. But too few school designers and decision-makers apply this research to create healthy schools. In “Schools That Heal,” landscape architecture professor and designer Claire Latané details the myriad opportunities—from furniture to classroom improvements to whole campus renovations—to make supportive learning environments for our children and teenagers. In this excerpt, learn how school environments shape mental, social and physical health.
Schoolyard Transformations for Ecological & Social Benefit: Daily Acts’ Climate Resilient Schools Program
The modern American schoolyard is dominated by two elements: asphalt (hardscape) and lawn (softscape). The living schoolyard movement, lead by Sharon Danks’ remarkable project, Green Schoolyards America, seeks to transform schoolyards into lush environments that strengthen local ecological systems and provide opportunities for place-based, hands-on learning. While the conversation about living schoolyards has focused on asphalt removal, the transformation of underutilized lawns is an important tool for schools to conserve water, cool campuses, and encourage biodiversity, while expanding holistic and integrated educational opportunities. Photo courtesy of Morgan Margulies / Ten Strands.
Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Baratunde Thurston I Inspiring Change, One Story at a Time
What does it mean to truly citizen? Baratunde Thurston, a masterful storyteller and Emmy-nominated creator, explores this question and so much more as the host of the PBS series “America Outdoors” and the acclaimed “How To Citizen” podcast. From unpacking the human side of the A.I. revolution in his newest YouTube podcast, “Life With Machines,” to penning the bestselling comedic memoir “How To Be Black,” Baratunde is a voice for transformative ideas and action. His work blends humor, humanity, and a keen eye for innovation, making him one of the most compelling communicators of our time.
Catch Baratunde and other visionary speakers at the 36th annual Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California, from March 27-29. ⚡Flash Sale: Register with code VISION20 at checkout before midnight P.T. on Feb. 28 and receive 20% off! ⚡
Ecological Literacy: Teaching the Next Generation About Sustainable Development
As societies search for ways to become more sustainable, Fritjof Capra suggests incorporating the same principles on which nature’s ecosystems operate. In his essay, “Speaking Nature’s Language: Principles for Sustainability” from the 2005 book “Ecological Literacy,” he weaves a blueprint for building a more resilient world on the foundation of concepts drawn from the natural world, such as interdependence and diversity. This essay advocates a shift in thinking to a more holistic view of living systems: taking into account the collective interactions between the parts of the whole, instead of just the parts themselves.
Birds in My Neighborhood: Connecting kids to the joy of birding — and nature
Birds in My Neighborhood is helping Chicago public school students discover their “spark bird”— the one that ignites a lifelong fascination with birds and nature. Founded by the Chicago-based regional conservation nonprofit Openlands, the program has introduced more than 12,000 students, primarily from the city’s south and west sides, to bird-watching in their own neighborhoods. By using birds as ambassadors, the initiative opens children’s eyes to the joys of bird-watching and the natural world around them. Read more about the Birds in My Neighborhood program in this blog post by Susan Pagani. Photo by Eduardo Cornejo, courtesy of Openlands.
“We Will Be Jaguars” Book Club with Nemonte Nenquimo & Mitch Anderson
The Bioneers Learning Book Club is honored to present an extraordinary new experience featuring “We Will Be Jaguars,” the powerful memoir by Nemonte Nenquimo. This groundbreaking book, a Reese’s Book Club Pick and one of Library Journal’s Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, offers an unparalleled glimpse into the life of a fearless climate activist and Indigenous leader.
More than just a memoir, “We Will Be Jaguars” is a call to action—a bold vision for protecting our planet rooted in generations of Indigenous wisdom and resilience. Together, through this book club, we’ll not only explore Nemonte’s inspiring journey but also gather as a community to empower one another and discover actionable ways to champion change in our own lives and beyond.
Join us to reflect, connect, and draw strength from both this extraordinary story and the collective power of shared learning.
Register for this book club by March 3, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free copy of “We Will Be Jaguars”!