What’s your favourite ‘wild’ childhood memory?

As a parent, I like watching my kids cavort in a wild place - rock-hopping, poking mud with a stick or rolling down a hill.  It visibly frees them as they sprint, giggle, shriek or lose themselves in the stories they weave.  And it's remarkable watching how far they'll walk in a beautiful landscape given how grumpy they can get just walking to the shops.   

It makes sense - nature (whether in an urban park of a national park) is good for us.  I feel better just having spent a day in the Norfolk Broads and the fens (more on this next week) - amazing what being out of the office can do for you!

Yet, growing evidence suggests that children today have less contact with nature than ever before.  

The loss of green spaces, coupled with cultural changes and the rise in technology, means that many children rarely play outside. Indeed, fewer than 10% of children in the UK play outside compared with 40% 30 years ago.  

But how big is the problem? We’ve undertaken a three-year research project, working with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the University of Essex to develop a new approach to find out and monitor how connected to nature children in the UK really are. The findings will be released at an event in the House of Commons tonight.

We know from the State of Nature report that nature is in trouble, and children’s connection to nature, or lack of it, is closely linked to this.

We know contact with nature has many proven physical and mental benefits. It is clear that children need nature, but the reverse is also true – we need to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders - leaders to tackle the ongoing problems faced by wildlife. The only way to do this is to help young people experience, explore and understand the natural world, to make an emotional connection, because they won’t protect what they don’t know and love.

Worryingly, the results show that only one in five 8-12 year olds in the UK have a level of connection to nature that the RSPB considers to be a realistic and achievable target for all children. It also shows that there are statistically significant differences between children’s connection to nature at a national level across the UK, as well as between boys and girls, and British urban and rural homes.

This is frightening - connecting with nature should be and can be part of every child’s life.

But we can’t do it alone. That’s why the RSPB has joined forces with an unusual coalition of interested organisations, united in their determination to get children outside. The RSPB, National Trust, Play England, the NHS Sustainable Development Unit and many more have pioneered the formation of The Wild Network. The aim is to kickstart a movement for social change which removes barriers so that children can get outside and reconnect with nature.

One of the outcomes of this new coalition is a film called Project Wild Thing. In the film David Bond, award winning director, producer, writer and father of Ivy (aged 5) and Albie (4) asks what might happen if a generation becomes completely disconnected from nature.  Look out for a guest blog from David at the end of the month explaining how you can get involved.

For more information on the national results of the RSPB’s connection measure visit: www.rspb.org.uk/connectionmeasure.

Can you remember where you played as a child? How much of your free time was spent outdoors? What’s your favourite ‘wild’ childhood memory?

It would be great to hear from you.