In my former role as a secondary school science teacher, I grew increasingly frustrated at how difficult it was to organise outdoor learning activities in a high-pressure school environment, writes our Education and Lifelong Learning Manager, Paddy Hayes.

Facilities on the school site weren’t really appropriate for self-guided lessons (though I did try the classic survey of the football pitch looking for daisies, amongst others), there weren’t any clear opportunities in the immediate local area to the school, and budgetary and time constraints meant organising off-site excursions was incredibly difficult. I felt bad for the students I worked with who, despite being surprisingly close to some significant green spaces, didn’t have the motivation or means to engage with nature on a regular basis.

Towards the end of my time as a teacher I became interested in alternative pedagogies to promote pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, and I came across Nature Connectedness research, which is being pioneered by the University of Derby. Early on in the research they identified a significant and interesting feature – a dramatic nature connectedness ‘dip’ in the teenage years. The lack of emphasis on nature in the secondary schooling programme is surely a factor in this drop-off, but interestingly further research has shown that whilst school location (urban/rural) and school type (fee-paying, non fee-paying) have some influence, they do not have as strong an impact as screen-time and differences in young people’s favourite places to spend time. This shows that social changes, evolving priorities, and use of technology can have a huge impact at this time. Studies of nature connectedness have shown correlations between high connectedness and the likelihood to engage in pro-environmental behaviours, so reducing and shortening the duration of any dip in adolescence could mean more young people enter adulthood with the motivations and skills to engage in a sustainable future.

So, how do we do just that? Well research again suggests that activities promoting engagement with the nature connectedness pathways (emotion, beauty, contact, meaning, compassion) should encourage stronger connection to nature. As well as this creating opportunities that encourage social interaction with other young people and promote a sense of control over their local environment are likely to strengthen outcomes.

And this is where our new series of Eco-Explorer activities for 10 to 14 year olds comes in! For the past 2 years we have hosted a week-long Summer Camp to encourage exploration, learning, and contact with nature, and this year we plan to build on this by offering a year round programme. We hope this will encourage young people to take part in nature related activities across the whole year, and not just on a one-off basis, and offer them the chance to meet other young people who are similarly interested in the environment. The full Eco-Explorers programme for 2025 is:

• 18/02/25 – Eco-Explorers Bird Box Building Workshop (AM + PM) – get active and build your own bird box to provide a home for local nature! (Click for more info and to book: AM or PM.)
• 22/04/25 – Eco-Explorers Bat Walk – take an evening stroll around the woods to spot and learn about our nocturnal neighbours
• 27/05/25 – Eco-Explorers Tree Trail – journey to another world to appreciate and understand the wide variety of trees on the Common
• 23/07/25-25/07/25 – Eco-Explorers Summer Camp – a shorter 3-day version of our successful and well-received annual Summer Camp! Starting straight in the first week of the summer break for most, this activity will introduce young people to a variety of habitats, species, whilst learning new skills and fostering independence and confidence exploring nature

If you know someone aged 10-14 who you think would be interested in coming to these activities, please do pass on the message to them or their parents and carers – we look forward to working with the next generation of nature protectors!

For more information on nature connectedness and the adolescent dip see the following, which have been used to inform this blog and the Eco-Explorers programme:

Nature Connectedness: Pro-nature behaviours and the ‘Teenage Dip’ – Results from a population survey | Finding Nature 

Factors associated with nature connectedness in school-aged children – ScienceDirect 

1 in 2 primary-aged kids have strong connections to nature, but this drops off in teenage years. Here’s how to reverse the trend 

Urban children’s connections to nature and environmental behaviors differ with age and gender | PLOS ONE 

All activities will be bookable via our Eventbrite page closer to the date. Please sign up for our emails to Friends to get notified of our latest events.