Rewild Your Child

The benefits of taking children into wild places may seem obvious: fresh air, exercise, being able to recount the names of plants and animals, and so on. But there are many more subtle advantages that have been validated by numerous research studies. Here are a few:

• Greater observational skills

• Increased determination to complete challenging tasks

• Increased self-control

• Enhanced self-awareness

• Improved long-term memory

And for girls, increased likelihood that they will challenge stereotypical gender roles.

All of this aside, being out in the wilds gives children a sense of freedom and adventure and, at a time where children's lives are increasingly sanitised and controlled, the natural world remains resolutely unpredictable. No matter how thoroughly a trip is planned, you cannot foresee what the weather will do, what you will see or the wildlife you will encounter. Nothing beats the thrill of experiencing the natural world first hand, whether it's a seal who emerges unforeseen from a calm sea, or a fossil turned over on the beach.

It would be lovely to think the benefits of a wild life don't need to be quantified in this way to be valued, because aside from anything else, being outdoors is great fun, but sometimes this kind of validation is needed to convert the doubters.

Read more about rewilding children here:

http://www.monbiot.com/2013/10/07/rewild-the-child/