Connecting with nature has been proven to have significant benefits on our mental health. The Mental Health Foundation’s research found that going for walks outside was one of the country’s top coping strategies. 45% of people reported that being in green spaces had been vital for their mental health during the pandemic.
This year the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week has been Nature. We can all find a bit of nature wherever we are, even if it’s just a window box or house plant. There’s something about growing plants or being surrounded by green trees and the sounds of nature, that is soothing to the soul and mind.
At Coppice Valley we are so lucky to have amazing green spaces at the front and back of our school which we teach the children to use for their own mental health and enjoyment. For instance, some of our Year 6 boys decided to create a bug hotel in the wildlife area during their lunch break. This developed into a full-scale building project over the next few days, developing the hotel into a resort! The pleasure they got out of working together as a team on something purposeful and helpful was immense.
During Mental Health awareness week, we got outside even more than usual, to get creative and commune with nature. We’ve made bug hotels, done meditation in the meadow, gone on nature treasure hunts, made art from natural materials and planted up our garden spaces.
The school has several eco-projects on the go at the moment to help protect nature. We’re hosting baby oak trees for the Longland commons campaign group, until they are big enough to be planted out. Our children helped to plant them in our raised beds and are now checking in on them, making sure they are watered and healthy.
We’ve also planted 100 trees on our field, provided by High Street TV and with the help of our families, to off-set carbon footprints. No matter what the weather, the children love getting outside and getting muddy while they look after our trees, plants and vegetables. We’re looking for more sponsors and donors right now to support us in developing our outside space further for the children – we’d love to have a bio-dome to grow fruit in and a wetlands area to study frogs and newts.
These are just a handful of ways we get out into nature to enjoy it, protect it and use it for our mental health. There are so many wonderful things you can do with your children outside. Here are some more ideas from the Mental Health Foundation for Thriving in Nature.
*Guest Blog By Emma Meadus, Head Teacher at Coppice Valley Primary School
