The Happiness Outdoors Project (HOP) is a small Exeter-based community interest company with a mission to get children outside, connecting with nature – from juicing apples to racing worms!
HOP believes everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy being in nature, that’s why they’ve based their work just outside the classroom door on school grounds, giving all children the chance to get close to nature and helping overcome barriers that some face in reaching the outdoors.
Led by Jen, Emma and Hannah, and supported by community volunteers, children grow vegetables, build dens, cook over fires, plant trees, make craft with natural materials and much more. Through these activities, the children learn new skills, grow in confidence and build their resilience, all of which helps to support their mental wellbeing.
Parents have noticed that after HOP sessions their children are “calmer, more grounded and more regulated”.
Children who have taken part in HOP have begun to appreciate the connection between being in nature and feeling happy, with one saying: “Love being out in nature, it puts me in a good mood for when I go back to class.”
Of all the children who have participated, 95% have returned to class happy or happier, demonstrating HOP’s effectiveness as a nature-based mental wellbeing project.
The sessions have also helped encourage environmental awareness and responsibility. One child commented: “I didn’t realise that nature was for us; I thought it was just for frogs! I’ve learnt that nature is important for the whole world.”
Jen and Emma, the founders and directors of HOP, are continually inspired by the positive effects of nature connection for children. They said:
HOP’s impact has been incredibly beneficial; some children are putting on wellies for the first time, many have never used a spade and are unfamiliar with the names of common plants and trees such as thistles, brambles or oak. Being part of HOP has motivated children to go home and build bug hotels, make jewellery from nature and play in their gardens instead of asking for more screen time – they are realising that being in nature is making them feel good and they are learning to care for and respect the world around them."
A small grant from Devon Community Foundation has enabled HOP to continue a partnership with Ladysmith Junior School which began in 2023 and to expand work to Bowhill Primary School, offering sessions to children for the whole school year.
The donation by Devon Community Foundation will help HOP reach 545 children over the school year and facilitate 256 hours of nature connection.
