Children, Youth and Environments

Inside this issue, you will find diverse scholarly work that spans across the globe. We first arrive in the midwestern region of the United States where Underwood and coauthors interviewed teachers to explore how nature preschools foster empathy development in young children. By focusing on teachers' experiences, they were able to create a conceptual model highlighting the role of the natural environment, school culture, and teachers in nurturing empathy in children. Next, Jones analyzed participant-created digital stories and interviews about garden programs at U.S. secondary schools to evaluate themes in environment, instruction, assessment, and professional learning. Findings revealed there are common themes like building relationships and student leadership and suggested that stakeholders could benefit from garden-based education resources focused on justice and cultural sustainability. Heading west to Texas, Trina and coauthors studied a nature-based preschool in Texas to test if outdoor environments with appropriate landscape elements encourage STEAM-related behaviors in children aged 3-5. They found that children engage in more STEAM activities in settings with flexible features like sand and water play areas, loose parts, and varied natural topography. Staying in Texas, Guerrero and co-authors conducted an online survey of early childhood educators to explore their views on outdoor play settings and their design features that various forms of play. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data informs practical implications for architects and early childhood centers to design environments that intentionally foster these types of play. Heading back east, Moore and coauthors examined horse camp experiences of historically underserved youth (ages 9-18) through letters written to their assigned horses and interviews with riding instructors. The analyses revealed that the program helped participants develop positive relationship skills such as respect, responsibility, discipline, and social connections, providing valuable opportunities for socio-emotional growth through interactions with horses. Spanning across the United States, Iwinski and coauthors analyzed data from 468 families in a longitudinal birth cohort study and found that early access to green space and outdoor items positively influences children's cognitive development and household environment. They emphasized the importance of promoting green spaces and reducing household chaos to support executive function and well-being, with implications for education and policy.

The issue continues with two reports from the field. First, Derr and coauthors describe a partnership between a land trust, elementary school, and university in California, focused on fostering empathic relationships for children with limited access to nature. Using an action research framework, the partnership co-creates, co-learns, and documents "magical moments" of joy and connection with the land and each other. Next, Reyes and share an initiative in Santa Ana Chiautempan, Mexico, where "play yards" were created to promote free play and recover public space for recreation. The evaluation, based on surveys and field observations, showed the initiative's positive impact on children's holistic development.

We wrap this issue with two book reviews: Thueneman’s review of The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain by Annie Murphy Paul and Wilson’s review of The Nature of Inclusive Play by Amy Wagenfeld and Chad Kennedy.

Happy reading!