Transcript for
Nurtured by nature: Outdoor play for children’s mental health

Narrator (00:02): 

Welcome to the Emerging Minds Families podcast. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (00:05): 

Hi, I’m Nadia Rossi, and you’re listening to an Emerging Minds Families podcast. We would like to pay respects to the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We also pay respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their ancestors and elders past, present, and emerging from the different First Nations across Australia. 

(00:31): 

In today’s episode, we are speaking to Amy Saunders, the Wellbeing Impact Lead from Nature Play SA. Nature Play SA, established in 2014, is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging the South Australian community to connect with nature in creative, sustainable, and meaningful ways. Amy is here today to talk about how playing outside in nature supports the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and how it can provide moments of connection for families. Welcome, Amy. It is great to speak with you today. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (01:02): 

Thanks, Nadia. Thanks for having me. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (01:04): 

Amy, when we talk about nature play, can you explain to our listeners what that means? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (01:10): 

This is a really tricky thing to define because it’s so many things, so I think it’s helpful to break it down into two sections. First, what is play? And so play is always voluntary, so it’s always child-led or person-led, and it’s always fun. And so that means that children are choosing what they play and how they play. In play, there is a lot of opportunity for children to practise new skills without pressure of getting it right. There’s a lot of space for connection with others to learn about the world, to practise big emotions and big ideas. But most importantly, play builds brains. That’s a very short definition of play. And then nature play is just play in or with nature. In nature, children have this beautiful space where they can choose how they play and they have this innate sense of freedom. And so children are driven to play. And when they’re in nature, we see this beautiful child-led really meaningful play occur, and this is why it’s beautiful. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (02:15): 

It sounds beautiful. And I love that you explained it like the freedom of play in nature. And so that follows onto my next question, which is why is it important for children to play outside? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (02:27): 

We know that over time and increasingly children are having much less time to play, particularly in nature. And that’s for many reasons. There are less natural spaces for children to play. We’ve got really crowded curriculums at school. Families are incredibly busy, and so we’re just finding there isn’t a lot of time for children to play. And play is the most important thing for children to learn. And when they don’t have this time, we’re finding it’s impacting their mental health and their development, and so giving children the time and the space to play is really beneficial holistically. And so part of what we do at Nature Play is encourage lots of time for children to play, both at school and with their families, and hopefully we become redundant one day. 

(03:14): 

Another thing about children having time to play in nature is that when people are connected with nature, they’re more likely to care about nature as well. And this is really important for children’s futures. But it also develops a sense of hope for children in a world that can feel a bit scary with a lot of environmental change. It also connects children to place, and they have a sense of place in whose land they are on. And this encourages children to understand the culture of the Aboriginal people’s land, of who they’re on. And this develops a lot of respect as well and connection. I think we’ll talk about this further, but one of the biggest things we see for children is this development of resilience. And when children have resilience, they have much better outcomes in life when they face mental health struggles or just problems in every day. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (04:07): 

I love that. I love how you’ve broken it down, something so simple or I think grown-ups can think play is just so simple; they’re just outside running around. What is that? Just send the kids outside. Let’s try and get them outside. But having that deeper understanding on why it’s important and all these different factors that it can play into for the child’s development, how does it support their mental health and wellbeing being outside and in nature? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (04:32): 

Yeah. Well, in so many ways. And it’s really hard to talk about each area independent from the other because we find that, as you said, play is really simple, but when you look at it deeply, it’s incredibly complex. You might be watching a child play, and it’s not a matter of what are we seeing? It’s how do we define all the things we are seeing? 

(04:54): 

For an infant, if we see them playing outside, they might be really drawn to things on the ground, things they can pick up and touch. And that’s developing all the senses and the fine motor skills. And usually there’ll be a really loving, caring adult with a baby in that sort of play. And then they’re developing that sense of attachment and security as well. 

(05:15): 

And then if we have a toddler and you take a toddler to a park, well, they’re going to really enjoy running and going as fast as they can. And so then they’re having so much fun, but they’re developing their gross motor skills with running. They’re exploring their independence; what it’s like to leave that safe, secure person for a little bit and then return. They’re developing this, again, sense of attachment, but also their independence and their sense of self. 

(05:42): 

And then for older children, they’re drawn to play that might be a bit more challenging where they can stretch themselves, share their knowledge and their skills. And that might be where we see children climbing trees as high as they can. And they’re developing, again, gross motor skills, problem solving skills. They’re developing a sense of self-esteem, like I did this really tricky thing, and then being able to share that with a caring adult mom or dad and have that person delight in them. It’s really tricky to talk about things in and when we can. There’s a lot of research talking about each individual area. But really what I think the best thing for parents to know is that children will choose how they need to play, and just by trusting in that, they’ll be developing the things that their brains need without them even thinking about it. When we follow children and we watch what they’re doing, we know that they are doing what their brains and their bodies need for development in play. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (06:40): 

That’s so wonderful. And I love that you’re putting in perspective the child climbing a tree and then wanting to show their parents what they’ve done. That, “Mom, look at me, look at me, look at me.” There’s meaning behind that. You can look up from your phone or your coffee or your chat, it’s like there’s a moment of connection there with your child or your child’s trying to show you what they’ve accomplished. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (07:03): 

Absolutely. And that will look different for different children as well. Some children might feel really confident in nature play and others might not. But when we know our children, and parents are the experts in their children, they can see change. And the change might be different for every child, but again, it’s that delighting in them, seeing their development, and I guess joining in on that sense of fun and wonder and curiosity. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (07:28): 

I wanted to go back to something you mentioned earlier about how we are seeing less time spent outside for children at the moment. And so I wanted to ask how can parents encourage their children to go outside, to maybe step away from the screen and find going outside exciting? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (07:48): 

Yes. I guess first it’s showing curiosity of why is my child not playing outside? What are the barriers there? And as you said, that could be that there is the pull of screen time that feels more appealing. It also might be that children haven’t had a lot of time to play outside, and that might feel overwhelming. They might not know what to do. And that’s where having a parent that plays with them would be really beneficial. Children learn by watching others, and so that role modelling from parents is incredibly important. That might be parents get outside with their children for a little bit until the child becomes comfortable to do that on their own. 

(08:28): 

Sometimes children, I guess, afraid of being bored and boredom is actually a really wonderful thing when. When children are bored, especially outside, we let them sit with that boredom for a little bit; usually come up with something really interesting. And even just naming that to your child and saying, “Yeah, you’re feeling bored, you’re pretty unsure of what to do,” you might then have some suggestions or some prompts or some wonderings that might help your child feel more comfortable outside. Sometimes children also really benefit from having their mom or their dad or their caregiver just sitting outside with them, just that proximity to a loved one. And that can help them feel more secure to explore outside, wherever that may be. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (09:13): 

I love what you said about boredom because I think, especially as a parent, you want your child to be happy and entertained and looking like they’re having fun all the time. And then there’s also that constant stimulus now from screens and having exciting things happening all the time, even if we’re going outside or inside or what activities are we doing? What activities are we doing? And it’s just that amazingness that can happen in boredom, the imagination that when you watch kids create those games or make those potions or build things out of sticks or whatever where their brain can go if you just let them have that space. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (09:51): 

Yes, absolutely. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (09:53): 

Yeah, that’s wonderful. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (09:54): 

I think if parents can reflect on their childhood as well, and what are their memories of playing? And often they’re outside. And if you can remember what that feels like to be outside and when you had that sense of freedom and that time to play in the ways you want, what that felt like, and trying to then nurture that feeling in your own children can help make it feel more accessible and achievable. Because I think nature play often feels a bit scary for parents, they’re unsure of what to do, but they have experience of it most of the time in their own childhood. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (10:32): 

Yeah. Going back into that and you as a kid and what you found exciting. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (10:38): 

Yes. Absolutely. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (10:39): 

Because chances are your child will also find that exciting, I guess. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (10:40): 

Yes. Exactly. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (10:42): 

Yeah. Amy, I was wondering if we could break it down for parents and suggest some outdoor play for different ages and stages. Maybe babies and toddlers, what’s great outdoor play, primary aged and then school aged children? We touched on it before, but if you have any suggestions for those ages and stages. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (11:03): 

Yeah, absolutely. Children do develop sequentially, so their brains develop from the bottom up, and so we usually see that children of certain ages are drawn to certain types of play, but this can be impacted trauma or disability. And so again, I think that the best thing to do is to get outside with your child and watch what they’re drawn to. And most of the time, it will be around their developmental age. For younger children, that’s sensory play and a connection with a caregiver. And so I’d encourage things like getting outside, looking at the trees, looking at the finer details, but then also exploring sand and mud and really focusing on following the child on the infant and what it is they’re interested in and giving them language to what it is that they’re doing. If they’re touching mud and it’s really squishy, you might say, “Well, is mud squishy or was it cold?” And you give them a lot of language, and then you respond to their emotions. If they’re smiling and they’re laughing, say, “That’s really funny to you.” And so you’re building connection in that way. And this applies across all the ages as well. 

(12:18): 

And then when children get a bit bigger, they’re more likely to enjoy a bit of challenge as well, but they still will want you nearby. And so that sort of play for toddlers is more around a bit more exploration of a space. And climbing is often interesting to them and playing in ways that reflect the real world. I think many parents have the experience of going to a playground and children making food with bark chips. We just join in. And then older children might like a bit more challenge. That’s climbing trees, going on hikes. 

(12:54): 

The easiest way to make it accessible is to notice your child, what they are doing, and then that is what they developmentally need. Biggest takeaway there is trust your child. And they will be playing in the ways their brain needs for development. And then we can extend on that. And we just follow them. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (13:15): 

I really loved how you acknowledged that play looks different for every child. It can show in different ways. And so even a parent just letting go of what they think a kid will do at the playground and each child will play differently and they’ll show you, and you will know your child. And what a great way to connect. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (13:35): 

Exactly. Yes. And it will change on the day as well that your child might be really tired, and they might then want to do some calm, relaxing play. They might have a lot of energy, and so their play will change that day. It is really child dependent, time dependent. There are a lot of factors in that. I think this might bring parents a bit of comfort is that when we are out in the community or we’re going to schools, we find that we can have the same stuff, and children of all different ages will play with it in the ways they need. We often have potions, right? 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (14:08): 

Yes, lots of potions. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (14:09): 

Yeah. Which is lots of water and non-toxic plants and lots of kitchen items from an op shop. And we find that the infants, they’ll get in and they get messy. And they might sit in the water. And they play in those ways where they’re mouthing things and getting really sensory. And then we’ll see a group of teenagers playing with the same stuff, and they will still be engaging in sensory play and sometimes making perfumes and things like that, but they’ll be also using that time to talk with their friends and to build social connection. And so it’s the exact same setup, but we have children of all ages playing with it in the ways that make sense to them. It does simplify things. I think there’s a fear of making sure everything is Pinterest pretty and age and stage appropriate, but with nature play there’s a lot of open-ended play. And we have the resources, and we just let them go. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (15:08): 

And I guess to celebrate that as well, what are they doing? What are they making? What are they finding? I wanted to talk about connection and family connection, how outdoor play can support connection as a family. And so when we’re thinking about the family unit, what can families do together outdoors? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (15:27): 

Absolutely. I know for a lot of families there’s not a lot of access to the outdoors. They might not be close to national parks, they might not have local parks nearby, but we can find nature in lots of different ways. This might be having a small potted garden on a balcony or looking at the moon before bedtime or splashing in some puddles on the way to school. But when families are outside together, time slows down. And I’d really encourage parents to put their phones away for a bit and feel comfortable in maybe not knowing what’s going to happen. And this can be just going to a green space or going into your backyard and seeing what happens. 

(16:12): 

And when we are with children and we are slowing down and we are watching what they are doing and we’re following their lead, there is such beautiful connection that happens. There’s this understanding that arises between child and parent. The child feels that what they are doing is important because their parent is with them. And then we learn a lot about children when we are playing with them as well. And we might find that we learn something about them that we didn’t know they could do. We learn about their interests, we learn about what they know and what they don’t. And that just that time, time and nature builds so much connection and understanding. And again, it’s really simple and really complex and deep at the same time. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (17:00): 

Yeah, absolutely. If you’re just walking in your neighbourhood, gives them a real understanding of connection to where they live, but also knowing the streets and knowing what is around them. We used to find when we’d go for walks, our girls would always want to pick up sticks. All the time, wanted to pick up sticks. And we would be on the way to school or whatever and we’d just be like, “Come on, we’ve got to go.” And so we decided to start doing stick walks where we would just get an old shopping bag and just walk around the neighbourhood, and they could pick up whatever stick they wanted as long as we could carry it and it would fit in the bag. And they loved it. And we have these bags of sticks, and they then go and build little fairy houses in the backyard with them. But it was just something so simple that my husband and I were like, “Oh.” They just really loved that. And it just changed the dynamic from going, “No, don’t pick that up; we’re in a hurry,” to, yes, let’s slow down. And there’s something so simple but is so deeply rooted in just connection and something bigger than what we’re thinking. Right? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (18:03): 

Absolutely. And that’s so driven by them, isn’t it? It’s that they wanted to pick up sticks, and then they take them home. And then the learning continues because they’re making something for the things they had found. And I bet that made them feel really proud of what they were making. 

(18:18): 

Going on walks is such a good thing for families to do. And I think we can do this from birth into adulthood is a type of walk called a wonder walk. And you can do that anywhere, but a wonder walk is where we walk and we really embrace curiosity. And so we might use phrases for children like, “I wonder what that sound is over there.” And then you go and explore, and it’s some cockatoos. Or, “This really tall tree reminds me of a big skyscraper.” We’re just going and we are singing and we’re exploring and we’re being really curious with each other. 

(18:55): 

And that can happen anywhere, like you said, around the neighbourhood, can happen in a national park, could happen around the schoolyard. And that curiosity I think is really infectious. And when parents are matching that curiosity and finding that it’s really true to them, then children respond to that as well. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (19:15): 

Wonder walk. I’m going to use that. That’s really great. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (19:18): 

Yeah, yeah, wonder walks are great. And you do it with little babies, pop them in the pram or the carrier, and you can follow where their body language is telling you that they’re interested. If they turn to a sound or if they’re looking at something, then we can follow them that way. Older children will tell us, but we can still follow children’s curiosity when they don’t have a language quite yet. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (19:39): 

We talked about family connection and being with your children in nature and what families can do together. How can parents support their children in outdoor play in those moments when the child is maybe exploring a bit by themselves? Is it better to be involved in the play or hang back as a parent? What’s the balance there? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (20:01): 

Yeah, this is a really tricky balance, isn’t it, to know when to step in and when not to. I think again, we follow the child. Is your child asking for your attention a lot? Are they taking your hand? Are they speaking to you? Are they sharing with you what they are doing? That might be an invitation to play alongside them. And I think we respond to that. 

(20:21): 

If children are going off and they’re quite comfortable doing their own thing, I’d hang back a bit. There’s a lot of delight for children when they have a sense of freedom, a sense of perhaps not being watched. And this doesn’t mean that the parent’s not observing them and keeping them safe, but it might be that they feel that they are away from mom or dad, those little hidey spaces in nature. And if children are doing that, then I’d hang back. 

(20:49): 

But it can be really tricky to know when to step in, when to play. We can always ask children too and say, “I’m wondering if you’d like me to join in, or are you happy doing this by yourself? And I’ll sit over here if you need me.” And just making ourselves available to children I think might be enough. And we’re not always going to get it right as well, but kids will let us know most of the time if they need us or if they want us to go away. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (21:15): 

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I’ve heard a term, risky play, Amy. And I wanted to know what is risky play? And what are the benefits to children’s development of risky play? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (21:30): 

Risky play can be quite a scary thing for many adults. Risky play is play that’s exciting. And there’s an element of risk in that the child might have the opportunity to be hurt such as scraped knee from running really, really fast, but it’s not hazardous and dangerous. And risk looks different for every child and for every parent. Some parents are much more comfortable with their child taking some risks and others might not be, and so it’s really dependent on the adult and the child. 

(22:06): 

Risk for, you might have two four-year-old children, and you might have a log that’s a metre off the ground, and for one child jumping off that log is easy and they know that they can do it, and they’ve done it many, many times. And for another child that might be really tricky, and so there is an element of risk for that child. And so children are really good at knowing their boundaries as well, so again, trusting the child and following the way that they play. Parents really know their children too. They know their levels of capability, but it is a lesson in trusting your child. 

(22:41): 

Risky play isn’t dangerous, but we can manage hazards. We remove hazards, but we don’t eliminate risk. I think for parents that are maybe a bit nervous about it, there are a lot of beautiful nature play playgrounds that have opportunity for risky play where hazards have been removed. And that could be a good space to start in. There are many. Just have a little Google search wherever you are. And that could be a good space to start because your child will see other children playing and you will see other parents playing. And that might be a good space to get used to what risk is and what risky play is for your child. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (23:20): 

And that’s a way that you can support your child in the risky play is listening to them, knowing their boundaries, and also removing the hazards from that. Risky play is testing the boundaries but in a safe way that is appropriate for your child. Not every child is the same in the risky play. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (23:40): 

Absolutely. And not every adult is the same. But the benefits of risky outweigh any risk. Children really learn a lot of resilience with risky play. They work out lots of different ways to try something that’s challenging, and then they can translate that into their every day. 

(23:58): 

Children also, when they’re engaging in risky play, learn what their personal boundaries are and they learn what is safe. And that translates into other aspects of life where children will know limits and they know how far they can push things and what is reasonable. And this keeps them safe in life. They also learn their boundaries. This means that they can say, “No, that’s too dangerous,” or, “I don’t like that.” 

(24:21): 

And it also develops empathy. I talk about tree climbing a lot, but it’s just such a thing that children are drawn to. If a child’s climbing a tree and they went a bit higher than felt comfortable, they know that that felt scary, and then they needed the support of someone to come back down. If they see someone else that’s climbing a tree and is a bit scared, they might then be able to use what they learn in their experience to help someone else. 

(24:47): 

In risk, yeah, there is a risk of the child being hurt, not seriously injured, or scared or a bit frightened. But then we hold them in that, that that was a bit scary, and we managed to get down, and you worked it out and you were okay. I guess what I’m saying, yes, there’s risk, but the benefits, they outweigh any risk in so many different ways. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (25:09): 

I didn’t realise how much it can feed into just everyday life and their development, like you said, learning empathy, learning their own boundaries, what they’re personally comfortable with, and understanding that fear and almost that good fear and bad fear. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (25:27): 

Yes, exactly. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (25:28): 

You know? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (25:30): 

Yes, because it is, it’s exciting and thrilling, and that sometimes being a bit scared can be that way, but it’s not fearful. It’s not a really frightening experience. And if that is happening, that’s when parents step in and they keep the child safe. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (25:45): 

I wanted to touch on parents and risky play, and if you had any advice to I guess parents that maybe aren’t so comfortable with risky play and are watching their child do something and trying to find that balance of supporting them, but also keeping them safe and just having a bit of an inner monologue of panic, what advice do you have for those parents in that situation? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (26:07): 

Yeah. Gosh, it’s going to be hard. I still struggle with it at times. I think trust the child. Be close to them if you’re feeling really worried, but talk about what they’re doing. Verbalising that can calm parents down. If we stay with tree climbing, you can say, “You’re climbing up higher than you’ve ever been before.” And inside, you’re going… And can say things like, “I wonder how you’re getting back down.” And that can slow children down and start helping them to think about whether they’re pushing it a bit. You can encourage children to climb only as high as they feel that they can get back down on their own. You can also use phrases and wondering statements such as, “It’s really slippery over here. I wonder how we can make sure we don’t slip.” And so you’re not telling the child what to do, you’re making clear to them the risk and a hazard around, but not telling them what to do. That can be helpful. 

(27:03): 

And just joining in with your child can help. I think when we’re doing something alongside a child, we can even track our own fear. “I haven’t been this high in a tree before. I’m a little bit scared.” And that can help children as well. They might go, “That’s all right, mom.” Yeah. I think being comfortable with it is practising it and giving yourself time. time to get it wrong as well. And just keep on trying it until you feel comfortable with it. And then you might find that your children are doing things you never thought they could do. I think children often surprise us with the ways that they play and manage risk. Most kids get it right for themselves. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (27:45): 

Thank you for that. I think it’s such an amazing way to frame it and also just to give that language to parents, the wonder, suggestive questioning and not so much the telling, and then you’re discovering it together because it’s wonderful to be there with your children. And you just want to keep them safe but also give them those opportunities to explore. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (28:06): 

Yeah. We find that children that haven’t had lot of risky play then do find themselves in situations where they might not be keeping themselves safe. It can feel counterintuitive, but it does keep children safer. I think too that if parents are really worried, they can always ask their child to pause for a sec while they think about whether this is a risk that they feel is appropriate to take or whether it’s turned into a hazard. It might be, “Oh, hold on a sec. I’m just having a think about that.” And that gives you time to assess the situation and then tell the child that, “Actually, I think it’s okay,” or, “I’m a bit worried about that. I wonder if we can find a different way.” You can give yourself time as well. Because I think when we’re watching children play, we have to be quite reactive; often that’s how it feels. But we can ask for time for the child to pause to give us time to assess if it’s a risk or a hazard that we are comfortable with and help us to not be as reactive and not say things like, “Be careful, slow down, stop.” 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (29:13): 

Yeah. Yeah. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (29:13): 

Yeah. Time can help us as well. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (29:16): 

Yeah. Amy, I was wondering if we could talk a bit about Nature Play SA for a moment, and if you can talk to our listeners a bit about how they can find you and if there are organisations around the country similar. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (29:27): 

At Nature Play SA, we really want to become redundant one day, and so we encourage children and families and adults and communities to get outside and just have time in nature. And that will look different for every child and every family, and we want to embrace that, and then eventually not be needed. There are many organisations around the world, and in Australia there’s Nature Play WA, there’s Nature Play Queensland, but if you just search Nature Play and your state in Google or whatever search engine, you will find a lot of resources. 

(30:02): 

On our Nature Play SA website, we have I don’t know how many free resources, but there is a lot there for families to access. And we also do a lot of work with local councils and communities. There’s lots of free events that families can come along to and try some things out and see how they feel once they get into nature. Once they experience some things, we hope that they might feel that it’s not so out of reach and that nature play, again, it’s complex in all the things that develops, but the experience of play, it’s inbuilt to people. It’s a simple thing to do that has really complex and wonderful outcomes for people. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (30:45): 

It’s so great to know that those free resources are available and so accessible for families. And we’ll include those links in our show notes as well. Amy, thank you for speaking with us today. I just wanted to ask one final question. If you had any final thoughts or a couple of things for our listeners to remember from our chat today, what would they be? 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (31:06): 

Be to trust in yourself and your child and just to get outside and see what happens, to not overthink it and just slow down and be with. I think that’s the most important takeaway. I think it becomes quite scary and overwhelming, but we don’t need to over complicate it. If parents trust themselves and their child and they get out and they make time for nature in whatever ways feel right for them, they will find something really positive in it. Just trusting yourself, trusting your child, and being in nature and playing. It’s very simple. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (31:42): 

Thank you so much, Amy, for sharing with us the wonderful opportunities for connection in nature for children and families today. 

Amy Saunders (Guest) (31:51): 

Thank you, Nadia. 

Nadia Rossi (Host) (31:51): 

And thank you to our listeners for joining us. If you would like to keep up to date with our latest conversations, we’d love it if you would like and subscribe to our Emerging Minds Families podcast channel. You can also find us on Instagram @emergingmindsau or on Facebook at Emerging Minds Families. 

Narrator (32:09): 

Visit our website at www.emergingminds.com.au/families for a wide range of free information and resources to help support child and family mental health. Emerging Minds leads the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health. The centre is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health under the National Support for Child and Youth Mental Health Program.