‘Tuning In’ to Biophilia to ‘Turn Up’ Children’s Healthy Development
Andrea Faber Taylor, Ph.D. | Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Sciences at Univeristy of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Watch This Keynote:
Children’s innate connection to nature lies latent in most due to the ‘static’ (barriers and distractions) interfering with nature’s beckoning signals to seek and connect. Clearing that static allows children to more frequently play and learn in this developmentally supportive setting. Dr. Faber Taylor will present some of the latest research evidence demonstrating greater outcomes in many areas of child development when children experience nature at home and school.
About the Speaker
Dr. Andrea Faber Taylor is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. For more than 25 years, she has been researching the relationship between children’s experiences of nature and healthy development. Her diverse published findings include such benefits to children as more creative play, greater concentration, greater self-discipline, and support for ADHD symptoms. Her latest research, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, suggests Kindergartners’ self-regulation improves more with greater frequency of outdoor lessons in greenspaces. Her work has been highlighted in the popular press including outlets such as Dr. Oz The Good Life, Globe and Mail, Chicago Tribune and The New York Times. She was interviewed on NPR’s Sound Medicine Radio and in a recent movie, The Beginning of Life 2: Outside. She also teaches a variety of Horticulture courses.
