Nature is never far away – explore your surroundings, stop on the way to work or school to see and hear what's around you.

Everyday nature

Urban spade

What

A strategy for increasing the time we spend outdoors and in nature.

Its purpose is to create opportunities for products and services to separate themselves in the value they are delivering. If they promote outdoor time, inquiry into living things, and wonderment of nature they can join Active Nature.

Why

» Health and education » Companies who attain the Active Nature mark are » responsible for helping us get back to nature. » Companies that already have attained the mark are; » Patagonia, National Geographic, Scouts, Woodland Trust, Howies, Blue Peter...

A stamp of certification

A set of Standards

» Active in Nature » Encouraging everyone to get out » Non-prescriptive – Anything counts » Aimed at babies, toddlers and children » Making sure that the outdoors are part of your everyday routine/life

Challenges

Efforts that do not improve social and environmental well being.

Examples include sport hunting, dune buggy racing, motorboats, and nature tourism.

a practical guide to spending quality time in the outdoors

» Starter Pack: 0 yrs old

» Sensory Booster: 2-3 yrs old

» Adventure Booster: 4-5 yrs old

» Practice Booster: 7-8 yrs old

Starter Pack (0 yrs old)

Parental Guidelines

File/album and digital platform

Sensory Booster (2-3 yrs old)

Parent / Child Relationship

Sensory book/box - texture and sound

Adventure Booster (4-5 yrs)

Childhood Adventures / Imaginary Worlds

Storytelling toolkit - images and magic formulas

Practice Booster (7-8 yrs old)

Growing Up / Independence

Guide/sticker book to practical outdoor activities

On the web

Add moments online

Current offering

Business case » A walk in a park can have the same level of benefits as medication. ‘Natural’ environments in urban settings can increase the likelihood of physical activity and play.

» Positive mental health is associated with enhanced psychosocial functioning, improved learning and academic achievement, increased participation in community life, reduced sickness absence, improved productivity...

Business case

» In England, prescribing of ADHD drugs to under-16s went up by 33% between 2005 and 2007.

» Mental illness is the single largest cost to the National Health Service (NHS) at £10.4 billion (10.8% of the NHS budget).