THE BRIEF

Client
Naturesbase

Background
UK children are losing contact with nature at a 'dramatic' rate, and their health and education are suffering, a National Trust report says. Traffic, the lure of video screens and parental anxieties are conspiring to keep children indoors, it says. Evidence suggests the problem is worse in the UK than other parts of Europe, and may help explain poor UK rankings in childhood satisfaction surveys.

The phrase 'nature deficit disorder' was coined in 2005 by author Richard Louv, measured in 'diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses'.

Key Objectives

• To design elements of a potential children's book which will act as an introduction to exploring the natural world through activities and associated information.
• To suggest best or most appropriate art styles, type use/formatting and/or added features through research to help the audiences best engage with the subject matter.

Target Audience(s)

• 5-7 year olds (Emerging readers). To be read and used with adult assistance.
• 7-9 year olds (Confident readers). To be read and used with some adult assistance.
• 9+ (Confident and competent readers). To be read and used independently with minimal adult assistance.

Initial Thoughts

• The range of ages and open subject matter means that this is a task where I can express my own style
• At this stage, there is not a particular area that I will look to research, instead taking a wider view of the subject.
• Encouraging children back into the outdoors may require research back to the sixties and seventies to see how they went about it.