Tooled Up

Monday of this week marked Earth Day 2024 so at Tooled Up we’re thinking all about our planet and our natural environment. We want our children to grow up as passionate guardians of Planet Earth! Here are some of the resources Tooled Up offers to foster a love of nature in your children, all supported by research that shows the benefits of time outdoors enjoying what the natural world can offer.

Our list of 75 Things To Do Outside is a great place to start, packed with ideas from bug boxes to mud monsters. Thanks to technology there are plenty of ways to learn about the natural world as well as playing in it: this list of apps to help children engage with nature contains bug identifiers, bird guides and maps of the night sky.

For the nature lovers in your house, this fantastic list of Books for Earth Day enables children of all ages to celebrate nature, learn about the world around them and feel like adventurers!

There is a growing body of research looking into the positive effects of playing outdoors. We spoke to researcher Gemma Goldenberg about her work on the impact of outdoor learning on young children. You can hear about her findings in this podcast.

When we engage our children in the natural environment, we also owe it to them to talk about climate change and the impact of human activity. In this podcast, Dr Kathy Weston talks to Dr Verity Jones about “eco anxiety”, thinking about the best way to discuss climate issues with young people.

Upcoming Tooled Up Events

Reaching Girls Early: Friday 26th April 2024, 09:30am BST

Our Reaching Girls Early conference is nearly here! We have a fantastic lineup of expert panellists ready to discuss girls’ confidence and wellbeing, body acceptance, disordered eating and more. Find the full list of panellists and register here.

Allergies and Asthma: May 10th 2024, 1:30pm BST

Join Professor Adam Fox, Britain’s leading paediatric allergy expert, as he answers your questions and shares his expertise on allergies and asthma in young people. Register here.