Children need nature. Nature needs children.

SUMMARY REPORT

The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled toregular contact with the natural environment.

I remember as a child my first school field visit to ShorneMarshes, in Kent, and discovering the amazing diversity oflife in our lakes and ponds.

Every year, thousands of children engage with nature withthe RSPB, including 60,000 schoolchildren who visit our 40 outdoor learning centres across the UK and 100,000children who take part in the Big and Little Schools’Birdwatches in their school grounds. We have over 190,000junior members, including more than 40,000 teenagers.

Every day, we see and hear about the fantastic impressionthese experiences make on children and young people – on their learning and discovery, their health and emotionalwellbeing and on inspiring them to be environmentallyresponsible citizens.

Many of our nature reserves throughout the UK also offeractivities for families to enjoy together, giving them thechance – and perhaps more importantly, the confidence – to try new things and experience the natural world in aninformal and fun way.

To many people it would seem obvious and unquestionablethat exploring the world around you is a crucial part ofchildhood, whether that is through climbing trees andcollecting conkers, looking for insects or feeding birds.Unfortunately, as a survey last year starkly demonstrated,this is far from the case, and the amount of time andcontact children are having with nature is declining steeply.

Our Every Child Outdoors research – summarised in thisdocument – draws together the findings from the widerange of research that has been carried out into thepositive impacts that contact with nature has on children,as well as on the environment. It also explores some ofthe consequences of the loss of such experiences and,sadly, the increasingly used term of Nature DeficitDisorder to describe the phenomenon.

Finally, we present new independent research from Ipsos MORI, commissioned by the RSPB, on the mostremembered childhood experiences of nature amongst the general public. This also revealed that the vast majorityof people agree that these experiences are still important to children today, and that schools should play a role inproviding them to all children.

The RSPB is committed to continuing to play our part inensuring that as many children as possible have contactwith nature, and working with partner organisations to doso. We believe it is essential that all parts of governmentand society play their role too.

INTRODUCTION

Dr Mike ClarkeChief Executive

This summary report draws together the main findingsand recommendations from this rich evidence. As well as academic research from a number of countries, theresearch includes official reports from national schoolsinspectorates, which reflects the increasing recognition of the role that learning outside the classroom plays inenabling children to experience nature.

Some of the key conclusions are:

EDUCATION – “First-hand experiences… can help to make subjects more vivid and interesting for pupils and enhance their understanding… [and] could make an important contribution to pupils’ future economicwellbeing and to preparing them for the next stage of their lives.” (Ofsted, 2008)

HEALTH AND WELLBEING – “Children increase their physical activity levels when outdoors and are attracted to nature… All children with ADHD [Attention DeficitHyperactivity Disorder] may benefit from more time in contact with nature…” (Bird, 2007)

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS – “Experience of theoutdoors and wild adventure space has the potential to confer a wide range of benefits on young people…Development of a positive self-image, confidence in one’s abilities and experience of dealing with uncertaintycan be important in helping young people face the widerworld and develop enhanced social skills.” (WardThompson et al, 2006)

The findings are presented according to the separate areasof benefit shown above, but there is a great deal of overlapbetween these areas and the benefits reinforce andcatalyse each other. This not only highlights the extent ofthe positive impacts on children and young people thatcontact with nature can have, but also the broader effectsthese impacts have on schools, communities and society.

A list of the key research and books discussed is includedat the end of the report to provide a starting point fromwhich you can find out more information. Our full Every Child Outdoors research report is available fromwww.rspb.org.uk/childrenneednature

CHILDREN NEED NATURE

04 / every child outdoors

Over the last decade, a large amount of research has beencarried out into the diverse benefits for children of contactwith nature and outdoor experiences. These benefitsinclude positive impacts on education, physical health,emotional wellbeing and personal and social skills,including the development of responsible citizens.

Evidence of educational benefitsThe majority of research into the educational benefitsthat contact with nature has on children is related tothe practice of learning outside the classroom – rangingfrom the use of school grounds to residential fieldwork.

A review of the broad range ofresearch in this area found that“substantial evidence exists toindicate that fieldwork, properlyconceived, adequately planned, welltaught and effectively followed up,offers learners opportunities todevelop their knowledge and skills inways that add value to their everydayexperiences in the classroom”(Rickinson et al, 2004).

Another study defines the outcomesof learning outdoors as “changes inthinking, feeling and/or behaviourresulting directly or indirectly fromoutdoor education” (Dillon et al,2005). It identifies four specific typesof impact:

COGNITIVE IMPACTS – concerningknowledge, understanding and otheracademic outcomes.

AFFECTIVE IMPACTS – encompassingattitudes, values, beliefs and self-perceptions.

INTERPERSONAL AND SOCIAL IMPACTS –including communication skills,leadership and teamwork.

PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL IMPACTS –relating to physical fitness, physicalskills, personal behaviours and social actions.

Looking more closely at cognitiveimpacts, “both students and theirteachers reported increases inknowledge and understanding as aresult of experiences in the outdoorclassroom. Whenever students wereasked about their learning, they weregenerally able to explain somethingthat they had seen, learned orunderstood on the visits…Developments in knowledge andunderstanding appeared to be fromacross a range of cognitive domains”(Dillon et al, 2005).

One explanation for this is that“outdoor natural space providesadditional opportunities for criticalthinking, creative inquiry and problemsolving; fundamental life skillspermitting students to ‘think criticallyabout issues pertinent to their livesand the world outside the classroom’”(Pretty et al, 2009).

In February 2010, Northern Ireland’sEducation and Training Inspectoratereported that “out-of-classroomlearning opportunities provide thelearners with inspiring, sensory andmemorable experiences that bring thecurriculum to life in an inclusive way.”

They recommend that “schools needto… provide a range of opportunitiesfor out-of-classroom learning, including visits to local and regionalareas of environmental interest andoutdoor education centres, includingfield centres” (ETI, 2010).

This reinforces the findings of Ofsted –the schools inspectorate in England –which undertook an inspection oflearning outside the classroom acrossa sample of schools in 2008. They concluded that:

“When planned and implementedwell, learning outside the classroomcontributed significantly to raisingstandards and improving pupils’personal, social and emotionaldevelopment… [and] could make an important contribution to pupils’future economic wellbeing and topreparing them for the next stage of their lives.”

“…learning outside the classroom can also help to combat under-achievement… Pupils whose behaviourin other circumstances had beenreported as poor often responded well to involvement in high quality,stimulating activities [outdoors].”

Evidence of positive impacts on health and wellbeing“There is a large body of research that illustrates theimportance of environmental experience and contactwith nature in childhood to promote children’s physicaland mental health and wellbeing.” (DCSF, 2010)

3 Modern life has broughtastonishing technologicaladvances, but it has also led torapid changes in ways of living thathave pervasive health outcomes.

3 Lifestyles have so changed thatobesity has within a generationrisen in incidence to take it from 3–6% of adult populations to more than 25% in manyindustrialised countries.

3 Wales has among the highest levelsof overweight or obese children in European and North Americancountries, at 21% and 18% for 15-year-old boys and girls respectively.

3 The cost of physical inactivity to theeconomy in England is calculatedto be £8.2 billion per year (£1.7billion for the NHS, £5.4 billion forwork absence and £1 billion forearly mortality).

3 There is strong evidence to showthat by the time children leavesecondary school their attitude to exercise is highly predictive of whether they will be physicallyactive as adults.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

3 The strongest relationship is withthe quality of exercise they haveexperienced, as opposed to thequantity of exercise.

3 Nature is a major motivatingfactor for exercise. There is verystrong evidence that beingoutdoors is the most powerfulcorrelate of physical activity,particularly in pre-school children.

3 Children increase their physicalactivity levels when outdoors and are attracted to nature.

Below are the key findings from broad reviews of studiesand research relating to children, nature and physical health.

3 The estimated total cost of mentalhealth in England is £77 billion per year.

3 8.3% of children and young people aged 5–15 years inScotland are reported to have a mental disorder. This figureincludes emotional disorders,conduct disorders andhyperkinetic disorders.

3 There is a steady increase in the use of medication in childhood mental illness. Morethan 40,000 children now use anti-depressants, following asharp rise over recent years.

3 The immediate outcomes of contact with nearby nature includeenjoyment, relaxation andlowered stress levels. The longer-term, indirect impacts also includeincreased levels of satisfaction with home and work life, and with life in general.

3 Children with stressful life eventsare more likely to develop mentalhealth problems. There is evidencethat children who experiencestressful events in their lives areless stressed and have a higherglobal self-worth the more theyare exposed to nature.

MENTAL WELLBEING

3 Attention Deficit HyperactivityDisorder (ADHD) is a significantpublic health problem that affects 5–10% of school children in theUK. It is characterised byoveractive and impulsivebehaviour and difficulty in payingattention, causing disruption tothose around and reducing thechance of success as an adult.

3 Outdoor activities in nature appearto improve symptoms of ADHD in children by 30% compared with urban outdoor activities and threefold compared with theindoor environment. All childrenwith ADHD may benefit from more time in contact with nature,greener routes to school and morenatural views from their windows.

Sources: B

ird (2004); P

retty et al (2009); WAG (2009)

Sources: B

ird (2007); S

DC (2008); M

uñoz (2009)

Building on the research on physical health benefits, researcherssubsequently reviewed studies about nature and mental wellbeing, finding:

Evidence of contributions to personal and social skills As well as developing knowledge and understanding,and having health and wellbeing impacts, experienceswith nature have also been shown to provide manypersonal and social skills and benefits.

Research into teenagers’ informal(out-of-school) encounters found that“experience of the outdoors and wildadventure space has the potential toconfer a wide range of benefits onyoung people… Development of apositive self-image, confidence inone’s abilities and experience ofdealing with uncertainty can beimportant in helping young peopleface the wider world and developenhanced social skills” (WardThompson et al, 2006).

Other research into outdoor learningfound that “one of the main benefitsof outdoor activities… appeared to be the development of social andinterpersonal skills… These novelexperiences, in addition to thefreedom and encouragement thatchildren were given to try newactivities, were also thought to be helping to increase students’confidence and self-esteem…Educators reported that such activitiesgave students an opportunity to meetnew people, with different teachingstyles, and also involved activitieswhich required co-operation andteamwork” (Dillon et al, 2005).

Developing the mental wellbeingbenefits, research has also beencarried out into impacts onaggression and crime. Severalstudies support the belief that contact with nature can reduceaggressive behaviour, possibly due to the restorative process in the brain that helps reduce irritability.The subject of these studies rangesfrom domestic violence in the innercity to aggressive behaviour inAlzheimer’s patients (Bird, 2007).

One of the theories behind the mentalwellbeing impacts – the AttentionRestoration Theory – shows that“with increased contact with naturethe brain can be restored from fatigueand so reduce many unwantedsymptoms such as impulsivebehaviour, irritability and aggression.Studies point to 50% less crime anddomestic violence in families withviews of increased vegetation in apoor housing estate compared toidentical blocks with no vegetation”(Bird, 2007).

The impacts have even been shown to extend beyond individuals into thelocal community and environment.Studies from the USA found thateducational programmes relating to the local community andenvironment improved youngpeople’s attachment to place, civicengagement and environmentalstewardship (DCSF, 2010).

They also found evidence thatenvironmental action builds youngpeople’s capabilities for furtherparticipation and contributes to both personal and communitytransformation.

Building on the positive impacts of contact with nature forchildren, research has also been carried out into whetheror not this contact is beneficial to the environment.Studies have shown that, as well as enhancing youngpeople’s resilience to changes in their environment,outdoor learning also develops their environmentalresponsibility (DCSF, 2010). Significantly, it has emergedthat “an adult’s attitude to the environment and time spent outdoors in green space is strongly influenced bytheir experience as a child” (Bird, 2007).

The University of Essex’s Interdisciplinary Centre forEnvironment and Society recently published a detailedreport into nature, childhood, health and life pathways.This reinforced previous findings of a strong correlationbetween ecological knowledge and frequency of visits togreen spaces, and that it is likely that children who havefree play in nature at a young age retain a connection tonature in adult life (Pretty et al, 2009).

The study outlines a pair of theoretical life pathwaysbetween which all our lives are shaped, in part determined by childhood contact with nature (as originallyproposed by Wells and Lekies in 2006). On one pathway –where as children they were ‘free-range outdoor’ – peoplelive longer with a better quality of life; on the other – where as children they stayed indoors and becamedisconnected from nature – they die earlier and often have a lower quality of life. On the first pathway, adultstend to engage with natural places, be active, be connectedto people and society, eat healthy foods, be members ofgroups and volunteer more.

Reflecting these connections, in 2009 Ofsted recommendedthat “schools should… ensure that all pupils have access to out-of-classroom learning to support their understandingof the need to care for their environment and to promotetheir physical and mental wellbeing.”

Northern Ireland’s Education and Training Inspectorate(ETI, 2010) complements this recommendation, stating“schools have a vital role in helping children make sense of these [first-hand] experiences and in fostering areasoned and sensitive concern for the quality of theenvironment and for the present and future managementof the earth’s resources.”

NATURE NEEDS CHILDREN

08 / every child outdoors

“Children’s knowledge of biodiversity is in decline at a timewhen we need future generations to be more engaged andaware in order to halt its loss. There is a very real need toeducate our children as the future guardians of our planet,to provide them with the knowledge they need today topreserve the natural world for tomorrow.”Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

Last year, the RSPB looked into therelationship between the feelings of connectedness to nature that UKadults have and their beliefs aboutenvironmental concerns and howthis influences their behaviours.

Connectedness to nature isassessed on a scale by asking anumber of questions relating toecological knowledge andunderstanding, such as whether or not the respondent thinks of thenatural world as a community towhich they belong, or if they have a deep understanding of how theiractions affect the natural world(Mayer and Frantz, 2004).

Our previously unpublished workfound that over three-quarters ofpeople who felt connected to naturehad changed their behaviours in the previous year out of concern for the environment – compared to significantly fewer of those who did not feel connected. These pro-environmental behavioursinclude attending a public hearing or meeting about the environment,and no longer buying a product theypreviously would have because itcaused environmental problems.

CONNECTEDNESS TO NATURE

In addition to inspiring behavioursin the future, children who areconnected to nature also takeimmediate action to the directbenefit of the environment.

In 2007, v – the national youngvolunteers service – undertookresearch investigating the passionsof young people, and examiningtheir main concerns regardingglobal and local issues. They foundthat 75% of the young peoplesurveyed were concerned aboutclimate change, and 60% about their local environment.

However, many young people werealso not sure how to help addressthese issues or believed they hadnothing to offer.

The RSPB offers a variety of waysfor children and young people toovercome these barriers, and tackletheir local and global concerns. Over5,600 children are taking part in ourWildlife Action Awards – at home, inschool or as part of a community oryouth group. This scheme awardsyoung people who are committed to undertaking a range of on-goingtasks that benefit wildlife, including

MAKING A CONTRIBUTION NOW

setting-up compost bins and takingpart in wildlife surveys.

Since 2002, our junior membershiphas fundraised over £200,000 insupport of our major campaigns,such as protecting the Sumatranrainforest. We also have over 200 conservation volunteers aged under 18 – regularly making ahands-on contribution to protectingthe environment.

THE EXTINCTION OF EXPERIENCEDespite the advantages to children and young peoplefrom contact with the natural environment – for theireducation, health and wellbeing, and social skills – as well as critical benefits to the environment, research hasshown that the amount of time and experiences childrenhave with nature is declining.

In April 2009, Natural England – the WestminsterGovernment’s environmental advisor – published a reportabout childhood and nature. This shows that less than10% of children today play in natural places such aswoodlands, countryside and heaths, when compared with 40% of children 30–40 years ago.

In parallel over recent years, a significant decline in youngpeoples’ understanding of the natural environment hasbeen widely reported, particularly in urban areas ofindustrialised communities. The culmination of thisphenomenon has been described as the ‘extinction ofexperience’, whereby children are experiencing nature farless than ever before in history (Kahn and Kellert, 2002;Pyle, 2003).

EVERY CHILD OUTDOORS?

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“Children’s view of nature is increasingly distant,abstract, and utilitarian. However affluent, their lives are impoverished by diminishing contact with nature.Their imaginations, simulated by television andcomputers, are being impoverished ecologically,socially, and spiritually.”Professor David W. Orr, Environmental Studiesand Politics, Oberlin College, Ohio

Professor David Orr has questioned the role of thecommercialisation of childhood in this decline. He notesthat “we have little idea of the long-term effects ofexcessive materialism on the child, but it is reasonable to think that its hallmarks are satiation, shallowness, andthe loss of deeper feelings having to do with a secure and stable identity rooted in the self, relationships, andplace” (Orr, 2002).

UK research has also shown that alongside children losing their connection with nature, there is also a “disparity in children’s access to high quality naturalenvironments. All children benefit from opportunitiesprovided by access to outdoor space but these benefitsare not equally distributed. Whilst children have universalrights and needs, poverty places severe limits upon theextent to which they can be recognised” (Thomas andThompson, 2004).

In 2005, the American authorRichard Louv published hisinfluential book Last Child in theWoods. Louv brings together manyof the early studies about childrenand nature that have subsequentlyled to a great deal of the research in this report.

He discusses how children nowwander less, discover less and arelosing some important connectionsto nature and place. He alsosuggests some of the reasonsbehind this – the commercialisationof childhood, parental fear of crimeand road traffic, loss of naturalspaces for free play and the

attractions of indoor alternatives,such as computer games and TV.

Of perhaps most impact was thephrase that Louv coined to capturethe negative consequences of theextinction of experiences of nature:Nature Deficit Disorder. While notreferring to a specific medicalcondition amongst individualchildren, Louv suggests that theterm “does offer a way to thinkabout the problem and thepossibilities – for children, and forthe rest of us as well.”

-NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER

He goes on to state that:

“Nature Deficit Disorder describesthe human costs of alienation fromnature, among them: diminished useof the senses, attention difficulties,and higher rates of emotional andphysical illnesses. The disorder canbe detected in individuals, families,and communities.”

Reconnecting Children and Nature – new research from the RSPBIn July 2010, the RSPB commissioned new research intothe important issue of childhood experiences of nature.Building in particular on Natural England’s Childhood andNature report, we asked Ipsos MORI to look into whichoutdoor experiences a representative sample of the Britishpopulation remembered, and their views about them.

The first part of our research askedthe public which of 12 outdoorexperiences they remembered havingas a child. These included climbingtrees, looking for insects, swimmingin a river and feeding birds.

For each of the 12 activities, at leasthalf of the people rememberedhaving experiences of them in theirchildhood. The most rememberedexperiences were climbing trees and collecting or playing conkers,both of which were remembered by 70% of the public surveyed.

Only 5% of people reported nothaving had, or not remembering, any of the experiences asked about.In other words, nearly all of thegeneral public (95%) rememberoutdoor experiences of the naturalenvironment from their childhood.

However, these over-arching figuresalso conceal the fact that significantlymore of those aged 15–34 yearsclaimed not to have had, orremember having, these childhoodexperiences compared to those agedover 55 years (8%, compared to 2%).

Given the broad positive impacts to children and nature from suchexperiences, and evidence of a sharpdecline in children today havingthem, the second part of our researchasked for the public’s views on thisissue, including how important theyconsidered them.

3 92% agreed that it is important that children have these types of experiences today.

As much of the research into therelationship between children andnature relates to educational benefits,and the contribution of learningoutside the classroom, we also askedabout the role schools should play in ensuring every child has contactwith nature.

3 82% agreed that schools shouldplay a role in ensuring all childrenhave these types of experiences.

Collectively, this evidence clearlyemphasises why it is important for governments and schools torecognise the crucial role they should play in entitling all children to experience, enjoy, learn andbenefit from contact with the natural environment.

OUR CALL TO GOVERNMENTThe RSPB believes that there are four key areas where governmentaction should be taken:

3 Provide adequate funding andguidance for schools to be able toensure that every disadvantagedchild and young person has the opportunity to have regularfirst-hand experiences of thenatural environment.

3 Ensure the whole teachingprofession is confident, competentand committed to teach outside the classroom by including thenecessary skills and understandingacross the repertoire of practicesincluded in initial teacher trainingand early career and ongoingprofessional development.

3 Enshrine the value of outdoorlearning and environmentalresponsibility in national curricula.

3 Support schools inspectorates inembedding the assessment andreporting of schools’ performancein providing outdoor teaching,including through the suitabletraining of all inspectors.

Ipsos MORI questioned 1,012 members of the British public, aged 15 years and over, between 2–8 July 2010as part of their weekly face-to-face Capibus omnibussurvey. The data was weighted to ensure that theprofile used was representative of the over 15 yearsBritish adult population.

82%agreed that schools should play a role in ensuring all childrenhave these types of experiences

Ipsos MORI questioned 1,012 members of the British public, aged 15 years and over, between 2–8 July 2010as part of their weekly face-to-face Capibus omnibussurvey. The data was weighted to ensure that theprofile used was representative of the over 15 yearsBritish adult population.

92%of people asked agreed that itis important that children haveoutdoor experiences today

REFERENCESBird (2004) Natural Fit: can green space and biodiversityincrease levels of physical activity? Sandy, Bedfordshire:RSPB. www.rspb.org.uk/health

Bird (2007) Natural Thinking: investigating the linksbetween the natural environment, biodiversity and mentalhealth. Sandy, Bedfordshire: RSPB.www.rspb.org.uk/health

DCSF (2010) Evidence of the Impact of SustainableSchools. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Dillon et al (2005) Engaging and Learning with theOutdoors: the final report of the outdoor classroom in a rural context action research project. Slough: NationalFoundation for Educational Research.

ETI (2010) Effective Practice in Education for SustainableDevelopment in a sample of primary, post-primary andspecial schools in Northern Ireland. Bangor, Co Down:Education and Training Inspectorate Northern Ireland.

Kahn and Kellert (eds) (2002) Children and Nature:psychological, sociocultural, and evolutionaryinvestigations. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Louv (2005) Last Child in the Woods: saving our childrenfrom nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, North Carolina:Algonquin Books.

Mayer and Frantz (2004) The Connectedness to NatureScale: a measure of individuals’ feeling in community withnature. Journal of Environmental Psychology 24: 504–515.

Muñoz (2009) Children in the Outdoors: a literature review. Forres, Morayshire: Sustainable DevelopmentResearch Centre.

Natural England (2009) Childhood and Nature: a survey onchanging relationships with nature across generations.Warboys, Cambridgeshire: England Marketing.

Ofsted (2008) Learning Outside the Classroom: how farshould you go? Manchester: Office for Standards inEducation, Children’s Services and Skills.

Ofsted (2009) Education for Sustainable Development:improving schools – improving lives. Manchester: Officefor Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

Orr (2002) Political Economy and the Ecology ofChildhood. In Kahn and Kellert (eds) Children and Nature: psychological, sociocultural, and evolutionaryinvestigations. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press: 279–303.

Pretty et al (2009) Nature, Childhood, Health and LifePathways. Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment andSociety Occasional Paper 2009-02: University of Essex.

Pyle (2003) Nature Matrix: reconnecting people andnature. Oryx 37(2): 206–214.

Rickinson et al (2004) A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning. Preston Montford, Shropshire: Field Studies Council.

SDC (2008) Support for Change: approaches and modelsfor the development of provision for children and youngpeople’s mental health. Edinburgh: Scottish DevelopmentCentre for Mental Health.

Thomas and Thompson (2004) A Child’s Place: whyenvironment matters to children. London: GreenAlliance/DEMOS.

v (2007) Barriers preventing passionate young peopleacting on their concerns. London: v – the youthvolunteering charity.

WAG (2009) Creating an Active Wales. Cardiff: WelshAssembly Government.

Ward Thompson et al (2006) Free-range Teenagers: therole of wild adventure space in young people’s lives.OPENspace research centre: Edinburgh College of Art and Heriot-Watt University.

Wells and Lekies (2006) Nature and Life Course: pathwaysfrom childhood nature experiences to adultenvironmentalism. Children, Youth and Environments16(1): 1–24.

The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems thatthreaten our environment. Nature is amazing – help us keep it that way.

RSPB Wildlife Explorers is the junior membership of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

www.rspb.org.uk/childrenneednature

The RSPBUK HeadquartersThe Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DLTel: 01767 680551

Northern Ireland HeadquartersBelvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QTTel: 028 9049 1547

Scotland HeadquartersDunedin House, 25 Ravelston Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 3TPTel: 0131 311 6500

Wales HeadquartersSutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9ABTel: 029 2035 3000

EVERYCHILD

OUTD

OORS

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654. 273-0374-10-11. Year of publication 2010

Boy by David Tipling, boy with worm by David Tipling, Dr Mike Clarke by Eleanor Bentall, students by David McHugh, beach by Andy Hay, children doing Big Schools’ Birdwatch atschool by David McHugh, children in chain by David McHugh, daisy by Kaleel Zibe and boy behind tree by David Tipling (all rspb-images.com). All other images by iStockphoto.com.