Are you interested in nature connection for children, and the role of museums or informal science learning in the context of the planetary emergency?

We are Flow Associates, independent researchers working for the Natural History Museum in the UK. We want to gather views from people working or researching in environmental or museum learning, or early years & primary education, anywhere in the world. This survey asks your views about gaps in sector knowledge, and about good practice in learning about the natural world.

It closes on 23rd February. All questions are optional and should take no longer than 15 minutes. Please feel free to share the link to widen the pool of responses. We follow EU law on protection of data, and all information you share will be anonymised in our reporting.

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* 1. What is your name? 

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* 2. Which country are you based in?

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* 3. Which of these sectors is closest to the one you work in?

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* 4. What is the name of the main organisation you work for? You can share a weblink too. 

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* 5. To what extent do you think there are gaps in professional knowledge and training in how to engage young children with the natural world, to enable their progression from accessing and loving nature to understanding and protecting it?

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* 6. Please say more about your response. Where are the gaps?

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* 7. To what extent do you think there are gaps in knowing how this provision could be designed by museums and science centres in age-appropriate and accessible ways?

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* 8. Please say more about your response. Where are the gaps?

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* 9. We propose that best practice involves trying to balance child-led and adult-directed learning so that children are motivated but supported to grow their understanding of the natural world and its challenges. To what extent do you agree with this?

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* 10. Please say more about your response. What do you think are principles of good practice?

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* 11. Which one of these framings of the Natural World most fits with your view?

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* 12. Use this space to comment further on how we frame the Natural World with reference to children and their learning. 

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* 13. Have you heard the term Nature Capital before? 

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* 14. What does Nature Capital mean to you? 

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* 15. Do you have any practice or research to share on age-appropriate and inclusive engagement on activism and the natural world? You might, for example, have something to share about what experiences are empowering, or what risks pushing children into eco-anxiety and apathy. Or perhaps about equity of access and engagement. Use this to share links, with a short line to explain. 

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* 16. What kind of initiative would you like to see to address the need for growing nature connection in children, in context of the planetary emergency?

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* 17. If the initiative focuses on research, what would be the most interesting and useful research question?

Many thanks for sharing your views. We are extremely grateful. 

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