Learning from plants and animals

According to United States author Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.

Nature-based education in China has increased since 2010 with the publishing of relevant books. The number of nature-education organizations on the Chinese mainland reached 418 in 2018, said a report by China Nature Education Network. Most such organizations are based in Beijing and Shanghai, and Zhejiang, Guangdong, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.

Nature-based activities are also held to keep children away from computers.

Wu Juan launched the nature-education institution Dingdong Wild School and founded the first nature-themed bookstore in Zhongshan, Guangdong, as a promoting platform, Yicai reported.

A regular "student" of the wild school, her 10-year-old son has walked in a natural environment since kindergarten and collected evidence from nature to prove the knowledge he learned from books. "Insects, birds and plants are children's teachers," she said.

Their events have attracted families nationwide, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest challenge is that a nature-based curriculum cannot meet the increasing demand of parents, she added.

In April 2019, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration released a circular on promoting nature education, which is the first document issued by a national government agency to deploy related work. Nature education was defined in the document as an important channel to improve environmental protection.

Hu Wenyu, founder of a nature-based education workshop based in Anhui province, said environmental protection is closely related to nature education, which requires both a profound understanding of nature and educational experience.

The workshop, Wentiniao, has nature classes on weekends and organizes trips during summer and winter vacations for children aged 4 to 12, Hu told Jiemodui, an education media portal.

Other institutions, including D! Dare in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, have developed standardized curricula and worked with primary and middle schools, providing nature-based events and tourism services for students.

So far, courses have included family trips at summer or winter camps, outdoor activities such as farming and picking up trash on beaches, as well as indoor lectures.

Zhang Meng, president of another institute called Friends of Nature, told Jiemodui that nature-based education can be conducted in various forms as long as it makes up for people's lack of awareness of nature and helps them find their identity in nature.

However, the development of nature education in China started late and is in its initial phase as the country has no related regulations and few professionals are qualified in the sector.

Many teachers of nature education are graduates of physics or geography who are not experienced in teaching about nature. Some parents who attend nature activities are not satisfied with only participating in such events, so they help organizers by becoming teachers.

"Many such parents have passed training but gave up nature education after practicing for one or two years due to limited income," Zhang said.

A survey launched by China Nature Education Network shows that half of the respondents, aged 3 to 15, never took part in activities of nature education, though the idea is much more popular than it was 10 years ago.

The policy of reducing a student's homework and tutoring since last year has provided a window of opportunity for nature-based activities, according to the network.

Meanwhile, it was officially announced in October that five national parks would be added in China. The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) also refers to nature education as an essential role of national parks, which will guide the development of the sector in the coming years.