Children need nature! In this last year of pandemic living, many more of us have seen this in our day-to-day lives, how much kids thrive when playing outside. We spoke with Nancy Striniste, founder of Earlyspace and author of “Nature Play at Home: Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children with the Natural World” on about the importance of playing in nature.

With a unique background in both children development and design, Striniste has been creating spaces for children for more than three decades. Striniste talks about how to connect children—in their neighborhoods, backyards, schoolyards, child care centers, and parks—to nature through good design that is deeply informed by an understanding of child development and principles of sustainable landscaping.