Are your kids afraid of nature?

Want to discover why it's important to swap electronic time for wild time?

To learn about the benefits of getting kids into nature, I interview David Bond for this episode of the Parenting Adventures podcast.
More About This Show
The Parenting Adventures podcast is a show from My Kids' Adventures.

It's for parents (and grandparents) who are looking for creative things to do with their kids.

The show format is on-demand talk radio (also known as podcasting).

In this episode, I interview David Bond, a documentary film director and the man behind Project Wild Thing.

Project Wild Thing is an amazing documentary that explores David's new job as the marketing director of nature (a.k.a. the great outdoors).

Project Wild Thing is more than just a film. It's a movement and message, as well as an app, to encourage families to spend more time outside.

David shares what inspired him to make this film.

You'll discover the importance of incorporating nature into your kids' lives, even if only for a few minutes a day.

Share your feedback, read the show notes and get the links mentioned in this episode below!


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Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show:
Project Wild Thing
What inspired David to take on this project

David explains the impetus for this film. He looked at the relationship his kids have with nature, reflected on his own experience growing up and asked his 80-year-old mother what she remembers from childhood.

His mother was really connected to the environment in her youth, whereas David feels he was halfway on the journey to being an indoor kid. His children, on the other hand, had a completely foreign relationship with the great outdoors.



Watch this Vimeo trailer of Project Wild Thing from Green Lions. 

David Bond started Project Wild Thing as a way to find out why his kids weren't choosing to enjoy nature.

It struck David that of all of the ways his kids spend their time, they spend the least amount playing outside. According to all the child development experts, playing in nature helps kids develop best. So he wanted to find out why they weren't choosing it.

Although access to green spaces is a key barrier between children and the outdoors, the film reveals that it's not the only obstruction. Even where there are green spaces, children aren't choosing to go there and their parents aren't choosing to take them.

Listen to the show to find out the irrational fears kids have about the great outdoors.

What David achieved with Project Wild Thing

David noticed how effectively big brands, entertainment companies and game manufacturers market to kids to get them hooked on their products. There's nothing wrong with these products in moderation, David believes. However, when you look at all of the products clamoring for your kids' attention, something's going to get squeezed out. And what gets squeezed out is outdoor time.



David decided that he needed to market nature just as vigorously. Once they hit on that idea, the concept for the film took shape. It became more than a movie—Project Wild Thing became a movement.

The film received a wonderful positive reaction after its cinematic release in the United Kingdom last year. It received support from a variety of organizations, including our National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, as well as the scouting movement, forest school, mental health charities and more. It was a campaign people could get behind.

As a result, the film became an international movement and the Wild Network was formed.

Listen to the show to find out ways the film can prompt discussions in schools and other community groups.

What stops parents from taking their kids into nature

David explains that on the Wild Network, they list the 11 major barriers to nature: the rise in traffic, road safety,