Physical health

Environmental animations (eco-animations) can play an integral part in a child's environmental knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, and concerns. Children today spend a large portion of their time consuming media, often through television shows and movies. Media is one of the main ways that children learn about the world, especially if they are not yet old enough to be in school. All these factors mean that eco-animations have a large impact on the way that children see the world and can be used as a tool to teach them about the environment and environmental issues.

Maintaining a sustainable diet, specifically eating predominantly plant-based and homemade foods, is an essential part of reducing one's overall environmental impact. While many people are aware that eating plant-based food is a more sustainable option, they often overlook the direct actions and skills that are needed to increase vegetable consumption. Vegetable preparation skills can support vegetable consumption and lead to a more sustainable diet. Improved cooking skills also contribute to higher vegetable consumption and lower environmental impact.

Research shows that outdoor play is associated with positive emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development. Children who spend time playing outdoors, particularly in nature, are more physically active, less inclined toward hyperactivity and inattention, and mentally healthier. Given the benefits of nature play and its importance for childhood development, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that preschool age children get at least 60-90 minutes of outdoor play per day.

Studies show that spending time outdoors promotes holistic health and facilitates healthy cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development among children. Spending time outdoors can also foster empathy for wildlife, inspire love for the natural world, and promote nature connectedness. Given these benefits, the outdoor education (OE) movement—which aims to foster environmental stewardship and enhance learning and development—has taken root in countries around the world. Forest School (FS) is a branch of OE that focuses primarily on early childhood education.

Community gardens have become an increasingly popular approach to address food insecurity and build sustainable local food systems. A critical need exists for solutions in western North Carolina, where food insecurity rates have reached 13-20%. In rural Polk County, 26% of children live in food insecure households, many people lack reliable transportation, and food markets are few and far between.

Pest management is important at childcare centers because young children are particularly susceptible to pests and pesticides. This greater vulnerability is because young children spend more time on the ground, put objects and their hands in their mouths, and a have lower physical tolerance to pests and pesticides during early stages of physical development.

With the frequency of flooding increasing in the United Kingdom and around the world, flood-risk management and preparedness has emphasized the need for learning how to live with floods and adapt at local levels. However, children are underrepresented in flood preparedness efforts and undervalued as agents of change. This study explored whether intergenerational learning—specifically, children teaching adults—could be a useful strategy for building household and local community resilience to floods.

Across the United States, pollution in waterways is a major environmental issue. Rivers and streams often become polluted from storm-water runoff in cities, where the water may pick up and carry bacteria and other harmful pollutants. A significant source of pollution is dog waste, which has caused nearly 7,000 cities to develop educational campaigns encouraging people to pick up after their pets.

Less time spent outdoors is associated with both a decrease in health among youth and fewer pro-environmental behaviors. Recent studies have evaluated how youth connect with nature, determining that a consumerism attitude is responsible for their lack of environmental knowledge. Research argues that consumerism in the United States promotes materialism and discourages people from considering the scarcity of natural resources. As a result, younger generations may prefer material goods to environmental conservation.

Research demonstrating the benefits of gardening interventions for youth development led to the formation of the East New York Farms (ENYF) Project. The project recruits youth to participate in a nine-month garden-based internship that teaches skills such as gardening, environmental knowledge, leadership, and self-efficacy. Although researchers had evaluated the short-term impact of the program between four and six months following completion, no researchers had conducted long-term follow-up studies on the efficacy of this or similar garden-based youth interventions.