Research and Useful Links
Are you writing a grant proposal for a nature program? Or just looking for information to pass along to the parents and guardians of your young patrons? Below, you'll find a growing list of studies and fact sheets that may be useful to you. Please feel free to suggest additional ones!
To get up to speed in a hurry, you can quickly read the National Wildlife Federation's Fact Sheet on the health and wellness benefits of outdoor time for children. Click on the image below to access the fact sheet. The fact sheet includes links to numerous research studies.
Are you writing a grant proposal for a nature program? Or just looking for information to pass along to the parents and guardians of your young patrons? Below, you'll find a growing list of studies and fact sheets that may be useful to you. Please feel free to suggest additional ones!
To get up to speed in a hurry, you can quickly read the National Wildlife Federation's Fact Sheet on the health and wellness benefits of outdoor time for children. Click on the image below to access the fact sheet. The fact sheet includes links to numerous research studies.
One study which may be of particular interest to librarians notes the dramatic reduction in time allocated to play in recent years. While there are numerous studies that point to the cognitive, social, and physical benefits of play, this one published by the American Academy of Pediatrics discusses the emotional benefits focusing on the parent-child relationship. Access the PDF Document: The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds.
The following are several white papers from Public Libraries & STEM: A National Conference on Current Trends and Future Directions held in Denver, Colorado in August 2015. The first ones point out that science experiences for children are increasingly coming from places other than the school and public libraries are one of those places.
- The Science Learning EcoSystem by John H. Falk, Institute for Learning Institute, Oregon State University
- The 95 Percent Solution: School is not where most Americans learn most of their science, by John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking (a reprint from American Scientist)
- Expect More: Why Libraries Cannot Become STEM Educators, by R. David Lankes, Syracuse University
Annotated Links
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is the national organization that has been at the forefront of EE for decades. This site should be bookmarked for the variety of resources it can provide from research articles and publications to the Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education. Of special interest to STEM librarians will be the documents linking environmental literacy to Next Generation Science Standards. You'll also find a crosswalk between the EE standards and the Common Core State Standards. Also of interest to public libraries are the Guidelines for Excellence in Nonformal Environmental Education Programs. That link is provided below.
Link: Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence
If you'd like some useful handouts for your parent patrons that touts the benefits of nature for children, the NC Office of Environmental Education offers a series of free postcards that you can order online. The theme of these postcards is "Discover the World Outside" and each one in the series has a pleasing graphical layout with important facts about the benefits of getting children outdoors.
Link: http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/outdoorcards-orderform.html
The NWF.org has a terrific Kids page with activities, songs, printables, and other educational content.
Link: Kid's Page
More annotated links will be added.
Additional Links to Environmental and Nature Organizations
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Council for Environmental Education
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- National Wildlife Federation
- U.S. Forest Service (Kids Page)
- World Wildlife Fund
- Children and Nature Network (Richard Louv)