Abstract
In 2011, the UK government announced its ambition ‘to see every child in England given the chance to experience and learn about the natural environment’ (DEFRA White Paper, 2011, p. 47). This followed the 2010 UNESCO report on Education for Sustainable Development (EfS), which stated that EfS is ‘an important emerging field of educational policy, practice and research’ (p. 8), stimulated by the sustainable schools agenda, which conceived schools as places which should model ‘good practice’ and ‘offer young people the chance to contribute to sustainable living, and demonstrate good practices to others’ (DCFS, 2006, p. 1). Within formal education, this report recognised that formal education supported programmes including ‘sustainable school’, ‘eco school’ and ‘global learning’ (p. 8). At the same time, there is increased provision for children to engage with nature in therapeutic ways, such as the Forest Schools initiative, whereby children access woodland sites during timetabled sessions in mainstream schools (Ridgers et al., 2012). Building on this work, it was hoped that ‘every school in the country [would be encouraged] to put sustainability at the heart of its thinking’ (DEFRA White Paper, 2011, p. 49). These educational opportunities, it is argued, are framed by ‘momentum towards action on learning about climate change nationally and globally’ (p. 8).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
C. Buxton (2010) ‘Social problem solving through science: An approach to critical, place-based, science teaching and learning’, Equity and Excellence in Education, 43 (1): 120–135.
J. Davidson, L. Bondi and M. Smith (2005) Emotional Geographies. (Hampshire: Ashgate).
DCFS (2006) Sustainable Schools: A Brief Introduction. (Department for Children, Families and Schools: London).
DEFRA (2011) White Paper — The Natural Choice: Securing the Value of Nature. (Norwich: TSO).
K. Ecclestone and D. Hayes (2009) The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education. (Oxon: Routledge).
C. Edwards, L. Gandini and G. Forman (2011) The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation, 3rd edn. (Oxford: Praeger).
P. Else (2009) The Value of Play. (London: Continuum).
V. Gillies (2011) ‘Social and emotional pedagogies: Critiquing the new orthodoxy of emotion in classroom behaviour management’, British Journal of Sociology Education, 32 (2): 185–202.
G. Glasson, J. Frykholm, N. Mhango and A. Phiri (2006) ‘Understanding the earth systems of Malawi: Ecological sustainability, culture, and place-based education’, Science Education, 90 (4): 660–680.
A. Hackett (2014) ‘Zigging and zooming all over the place: Young children’s meaning making and moving in the museum’, Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 14 (1): 5–27.
T. Ingold (2007) Lines: A Brief History. (Oxon: Routledge).
A. James (2013) Socialising Children. (Hampshire: Palgrave).
O. Jones (2009) ‘After nature: Entangled worlds’ In N. Castree, D. Demeritt, D. Liverman and B. Rhoads (Eds), A Companion to Environmental Geography. (Oxford: Blackwell), pp. 294–314.
P. Kraftl (2013a) ‘Beyond “voice”, beyond “agency”, beyond “politics”? Hybrid childhoods and some critical reflections on children’s emotional geographies’, Emotion, Space and Society, 9: 13–23.
P. Kraftl (2013b) Geographies of Alternative Education: Diverse Learning Spaces for Children and Young People. (Bristol: Policy Press).
G. Mannion, A. Fenwick and J. Lynch (2012) ‘Place-responsive pedagogy: Learning from teachers’ experiences of excursions in nature’, Environmental Education Research, 19: 792–809.
D. Massey (2005) For Space. (London: Sage).
H. Matthews, M. Taylor, K. Sherwood, F. Tucker and M. Limb (2000) ‘Growing-up in the countryside: Children and the rural idyll’, Journal of Rural Studies, 16: 141–153.
X. Maudsley (2007) Children’s Play Information Service Factsheet No. 10 Children’s Play in Natural Environments. (NCB Library and Information Service).
K. Milton (2002) Loving Nature: Towards an Ecology of Emotion. (London: Routledge).
O. Morag and T. Tal (2012) ‘Assessing learning in the outdoors with the Field Trip in Natural Environments (FiNE) framework’, International Journal of Science Education, 34 (5): 745–777.
R. Parnell and L. Procter (2011) ‘Flexibility and placemaking for autonomy in learning’, Educational and Child Psychology, 28 (1): 77–88.
S. Pink (2009) Doing Sensory Ethnography. (London: Sage).
L. Procter (2013) ‘Emotions, schooling and power: The socialisation of “angry boys”’, Journal of Political Power, 6 (3): 495–510.
A. Prout (2005) The Future of Childhood. (London: Routledge).
N. Ridgers, Z. Knowles and J. Sayers (2012) ‘Encouraging play in the natural environment: A child-focussed case study of forest school’, Children’s Geographies, 10, 49–65.
M. Z. Rosaldo (2009) Toward and Anthropology of Self and Feeling, In J. Harding and E. D. Pribam (Eds) Emotions: A Cultural Studies Reader. (London: Routledge).
D. Trigg (2012) The Memory of Place: A Phenomenology of the Uncanny. (Ohio University Press: Athens).
UNESCO (2010) Education for Sustainable Development in the UK in 2010. (UNESCO).
M. Wetherell (2012) Affect and Emotion: A New Social Science Understanding. (London: Sage).
H. Woolley and L. Pattacini (2009) Children and the Natural Environment: Experiences, Influences and Interventions. (London: Natural England).
D. Youdell and F. Armstrong (2011) ‘A politics beyond subjects: The affective choreographies and smooth spaces of schooling’, Emotion, Space and Society, 4: 144–150.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2015 Lisa Procter
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Procter, L. (2015). Children, Nature and Emotion: Exploring How Children’s Emotional Experiences of ‘Green’ Spaces Shape Their Understandings of the Natural World. In: Blazek, M., Kraftl, P. (eds) Children’s Emotions in Policy and Practice. Studies in Childhood and Youth. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137415608_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137415608_14
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55583-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-41560-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social Sciences CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)