By Julia Dance 14th October 2021

There are five key ways to connect with nature: Contact, Emotion, Beauty, Meaning, Compassion.

Part 4: Meaning – think about the meaning and signs of nature

Notice how nature appears in songs, stories, poems and art and how people celebrate the mystery, signs and cycles of nature. Maybe you can create something to understand and tell the story of the natural world.

Choose a tree near you and tell its story – what has it seen in its lifetime, how does it feel throughout the year?


Map the journey of a bee or insect you’ve seen leaving your garden or window – where does it go next?


Find a favourite song or poem about nature and listen to how it’s described


Do something to celebrate a natural event like the longest day of the year or the first falling leaves

Humans are part of the natural world and connecting with it matters – for our own wellbeing, our understanding and to inspire us to protect nature.

Use one of the five key ways to get closer to nature today!

Generation Green wellbeing

We are delighted to share these tips as part of the Generation Green project, using work from the Nature Connectedness Research Group at University of Derby.