Engaging children with nature through environmental HCI

Children do not experience nature as much as in past generations. Indoor technology use has been reported as the main competitor to playing outside. However, technology can also be used to encourage children to get outside and interact with the natural environment. This paper examined literature and known projects in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and related fields that aim to facilitate children's interaction with the natural world through technology. A thematic analysis was then undertaken in order to identify the different approaches to connecting children with nature through technology. We identified three major types of technology use, instructional, exploratory and contributory: (1) Instructional technology to enhance and enable structured science curriculum activities in outdoor environments; (2) Exploratory technology to encourage children to explore outdoors in nature; (3) Contributory technology to engage children in contributing to citizen science activities. We discuss ways to deepen and extend the scope of HCI research for environment, in order to entice and engage children to care about the physical environment and nature on its own terms, developing lasting connections to and knowledge about their natural environment.

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