The Princess of Wales has launched a project promoting the use of nature to help develop young children’s social and emotional development.<\/p>\n
“Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important,” says Catherine, in a social media post.<\/p>\n
This is the latest stage in Catherine’s campaign to improve the status of early years education and to find ways to improve children’s wellbeing.<\/p>\n
She says that research has shown “just how important nature is for our psychological and physiological wellbeing”.<\/p>\n
In her own recovery from cancer, the princess has spoken about the importance of spending time in nature, which she described as her “sanctuary”.<\/p>\n
She has hailed the holistic benefits of nature, which she described in almost spiritual terms, in a series of videos showing the changing seasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n This faith in nature is now being applied to her early years project – the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.<\/p>\n She wants to encourage ways of using the natural world to improve children’s sense of creativity and to help their emotional development – and sites for such educational visits could be provided by the Duchy of Cornwall.<\/p>\n A new photograph of Catherine taken on Thursday in Cornwall by Josh Shinner has been released to accompany the project.<\/p>\n “This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children,” says the princess.<\/p>\n “We believe that taking a whole-child approach is important, and nature becomes a wonderful place to explore how we can successfully nurture the social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n “My hope is that through this practical, nature-based research, we can build supportive environments that help make nature more accessible, benefiting babies, young children and their families across the UK.”<\/p>\n Dr Nicola Kemp of the Froebel Trust, which supports early years education research, said: “A growing body of evidence shows that regular contact with nature can support children’s development in many ways, helping to foster curiosity, creativity, emotional wellbeing and social connection.”<\/p>\n The Princess of Wales has looked for ideas for improving early years education, including her trip earlier this year to Reggio Emilia<\/a> in Italy, which had developed a system that prioritised relationships and learning through play.<\/p>\n There is no funding announced so far for the project, but Catherine is using her profile to promote a cause that she once described as her “life’s work”.<\/p>\n