Benefits of Nature

At Circle of Life Rediscovery, we truly believe in nature and how it can be used to power a healthier society. We discovered in March 2015 that 26,580 youngsters were admitted to hospital because of self-harm, up from 16,417 a decade ago.

We also found that:

  • The cost of physical inactivity to the economy in England is calculated to be £8.2 billion per year
  • 25% of boys and 33% of girls aged between two and 19 are overweight
  • Allergic cases are on the rise in the UK by 30%
  • Mental Health cost 77 billion £/year to the NHS
  • In the UK today 44,000 children will swallow anti-depressant pills

But it’s not all bad news. Proven links between good mental health and outdoor experiences show that when young people get the opportunity to connect with nature, great things can happen.

Research shows that:

  • Spending time outside raises levels of Vitamin D, helping to protect children from future bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other health issues
  • Being outside improves distance vision and lowers the chance of near sightedness
  • Nature appears to improve symptoms of ADHD in children by 30% when compared with urban activities and threefold when compared with the indoor environment
  • Nature increases creativity as children engage in more unstructured forms of play in green areas
  • Nature enhances cognitive abilities as daily exposure to natural settings increases children’s ability to focus
  • Schools with environmental education programs score higher on standardised tests in math, reading, writing and listening
  • Nature makes you nicer, enhances social interactions, value for community and close relationships
  • Children’s stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces

If we want to build a healthy society for our young people it is essential that we give them the opportunities to be outdoors, to understand nature and to interact with it.

In 2021, our Director Marina Robb published her new book, ‘The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy’. The book includes an online chapter dedicated to current research benefits of nature.

Our Forest School Training Level 3

Led by Forest School Association Endorsed Trainer, Marina Robb, the Circle of Life Rediscovery team have over 25 years’ experience in training and inspiring professionals of all ages and backgrounds into the outdoors in both the UK, Ireland, China, SE Asia and Portugal.

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Continued Professional Development Training

Circle of Life Rediscovery is passionate about training schools, organisations and education departments, in Outdoor Learning, Forest School and Nature-based Practise.

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