A child can feel the meaning of “shaggy” petting a shaggy mane mushroom and hear the meaning of “crunchy” crawling through leaves.
Along with many other benefits, the sensory-rich natural environment naturally boosts children’s language acquisition. A 2023 study found Dutch primary school students used both more language and more complex language while playing in a nature-based playground compared to a non-nature-based playground. Researchers noted that the open-ended environment, full of loose parts, guided the children’s language. Play in a natural setting encouraged math and science vocabulary, led to more negotiations to communicate the meanings children attributed to objects, and increased semantic complexity in exploring with their senses.
Having the sensory experiences in nature also seems to cement the words in young children’s minds, like remembering the word “owl” when they revisit a place they heard hoots, asking “tunnel?” when looking through the arching branches in a bramble patch, or running through the woods exclaiming “I see one! Mushroom!” again and again even weeks after a fungi search. The words learned outdoors hold special meaning tied with memories.
Books, of course, are also important for children to learn new words. While the Oxford Junior Dictionary print version has removed around 50 nature words (including: acorn, beaver, bramble, dandelion, fern, newt, otter, raven, willow, and wren), the following two books celebrate these “lost words”:
