Explore the Woods is a project I created in University where I created a short length documentary film about the importance of direct exposure children have with nature. It aimed to find out the attitudes children have towards nature, what they actually think nature is and what can be done to encourage more children to get outside and explore.

It shows how important an adult’s influence is in the process of creating the first spark that makes a child leave their computer and put on their wellies.  It is this preliminary movement that will increase the child’s first hand experiences and be the beginning of many adventures. Please watch in HD.

The children are the key members of the future world and without them the research for this documentary will not have been achievable. The documentary will show the variety of relationships children have with nature, from a very distant relationship, to a child who only comes inside at the weekend once the sunsets, (that’s how I remember my childhood).

“Crowded classrooms… are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource – the minds of our children.” – Walt Disney.

The film shows many activities in which children enjoy the natural world. Including tree identification, whether they recognise any tracks, and flora ID. By understanding the amount of knowledge a child has about the surrounding natural world is important because it allows them to then share their knowledge and help preserve it for the forthcoming generations. It also provides a basis to show where adults can improve with their teachings. The film also shows children enjoying nature in many more direct ways. Enjoy.

Please feel free to support the  Explore the Woods project on Facebook too.

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Here I have created a short clip, from the summer of 2012 in Suffolk. It is proven that nature enhances all five of a child’s senses, they just learn so much from what nature has to offer, and I hope this gives an insight to this.

It is important that a child explores because it is what shapes them into their future lives. If they experience direct contact with nature as a child they are more likely to be interested in it as an adult and therefore have the need to protect and conserve it in the future. As well as tell future generations about their adventures as a child!

Where would we be today if we couldn’t share our stories of getting stuck in the mud or the dam we built in the local stream, or a good one from my mother is how she and my god-father used to sail their Guinea-pigs in lunch boxes down the stream to see who would win down the other end. A standard weekend.

Today, as we all know there is a stronger link between children and the technological world. An issue that I won’t focus on because it is occurring and there is nothing that can be done, but instead we can focus on what the natural world provides and how we can keep it in a child’s life.

Thank for watching and I’d love to hear your childhood stories. Please watch in HD.

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