A Little Dose of Nature: Outdoor fun to help happiness bloom

With over 25 activities, A Little Dose of Nature is a gentle guide to being outside that helps children aged 5-8 make the most of all the good that nature can do for our mental health.

Being surrounded by greenery, wildlife, and fresh air is scientifically proven to be one of the most effective—and neglected—ways to de-stress and boost wellbeing. This book introduces young readers to nature’s five “key ingredients,” which can provide cognitive and emotional benefits. From observing the branching patterns of roots and leaves that mimic our own anatomies, to the power of sunlight, rainfall, and birdsong, readers young and old will discover how to notice and appreciate what nature does for them, their minds, and their bodies.

Each of these key ingredients is explored through a range of simple, relaxing activities that children, parents, and carers can do in their favorite green spaces, including:

• Making a paper cone to listen in on the goings on inside a tree
• Creating beautiful works of art using only natural materials
• Feeling the lovely squelch of mud between your toes

Written by psychologist Dr. Alison Greenwood and with gorgeous illustrations from Anneli Bray, A Little Dose of Nature introduces an easily accessible tonic for difficulty and distress, and encourages us all to get our dose of nature for a happy, healthy life.

Dr. Alison Greenwood is a psychologist who worked for many years within the NHS. Frustrated by the scarcity of mental health provision and on realising how effective nature-led therapies could be to address a variety of mental health conditions, she set up the charity Dose of Nature, to offer ecotheraputic treatments and wellbeing workshops for all ages. It swiftly became a go-to resource for GPs and psychiatrists referring patients from within the NHS, and offers a range of courses and workshops for adults and young people.

Anneli Bray is an illustrator, artist, and maker based in the North West of England. From an early age you could find her painting stories about animals and other magical creatures, making books about ponies, and reading voraciously. Since then she has graduated with a First in Illustration, been a bookseller, and traveled to the other side of the world (and back again). Anneli has continued to illustrate stories and characters influenced by her love of wonder, belonging, and adventure, including The Last Garden (Hachette, 2020) and True Stories of Animal Heroes: Onyx (Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2021).