'More outdoor play' for children

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A survey produced to mark the launch of Natural England's One Million Children Outdoors programme revealed parents' worries about strangers and road safety prevented them from giving children freedom to play unsupervised outdoors.

Experts voiced fears parents are running the risk of raising a generation of "cotton wool kids" who are denied the independence that comes from exploring the outdoor world.

Natural England's Childhood and Nature survey found that less than 10% of children played in natural places, compared to 40% of adults when they were young, and that only 24% of those who have a patch of nature near their homes visited it weekly.

More than 70% of children said they were supervised wherever they played, rising to more than 80% in natural places, and 81% said they would like more freedom to play outside.

The majority of parents - 85% - said they would like their children to be able to play in natural spaces unsupervised but fears of strangers and road safety prevented them from giving much freedom to their offspring.

The Natural England programme, which will be launched at the Natural History Museum, aims to introduce one million children to the natural world over the next three years.

The first year of the scheme will see farm visits and visits to national nature reserves doubled for school-aged children, the launch of an interactive wildlife gardening website and the promotion of a nationwide marine conservation campaign.

Stephen Moss, a naturalist and the author of a new family outdoor guide, The Bumper Book of Nature, which is also being launched, said: "Concerns over child safety are understandable but if children can't get out and explore the natural world, we run the risk of raising a generation of cotton wool kids, whose experiences are defined by websites and computer games."

Poul Christensen, acting chair for Natural England, said: "Children are being denied the fundamental sense of independence and freedom in nature that their parents enjoyed."