Children's and parents' thoughts and feelings regarding nature in two types of locations: comparisons and implications

This study examines the nature thoughts and feelings of 6 - 12 year-old children and their parents living in mountainous and city regions. It asks whether location and parental influences play roles in children's responses. Hypotheses assumed that participants in mountainous locations would be more connected with nature and that children's and parents' nature thoughts would correlate. Using mix-methods, surveys were distributed to 192 participants. Results illustrated that children in mountainous regions displayed more emotion words while children in the city displayed more descriptive words. No significant differences were found between parents. Compared to the urban sample, participants in mountainous regions felt that their environment was more a part of nature. Lastly, descriptive and total number of words correlated for parents and children. Recommendations include suggestions for curriculum design and childhood experiences. Parents, educators, and policy-makers should provide more unstructured outdoor play opportunities.