Catherine says nature can help children's emotional growth

The Princess of Wales has launched a project promoting the use of nature to help develop young children's social and emotional development.

"Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important," says Catherine, in a social media post.

This is the latest stage in Catherine's campaign to improve the status of early years education and to find ways to improve children's wellbeing.

She says that research has shown "just how important nature is for our psychological and physiological wellbeing".

In her own recovery from cancer, the princess has spoken about the importance of spending time in nature, which she described as her "sanctuary".

She has hailed the holistic benefits of nature, which she described in almost spiritual terms, in a series of videos showing the changing seasons.

This faith in nature is now being applied to her early years project - the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

She wants to encourage ways of using the natural world to improve children's sense of creativity and to help their emotional development - and sites for such educational visits could be provided by the Duchy of Cornwall.

A new photograph of Catherine taken on Thursday in Cornwall by Josh Shinner has been released to accompany the project.

"This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children," says the princess.

"We believe that taking a whole-child approach is important, and nature becomes a wonderful place to explore how we can successfully nurture the social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong health and wellbeing.

"My hope is that through this practical, nature-based research, we can build supportive environments that help make nature more accessible, benefiting babies, young children and their families across the UK."

Catherine has looked for ideas for improving early years education, including her trip earlier this year to Reggio Emilia in Italy, which had developed a system that prioritised relationships and learning through play.

There is no funding announced so far for the project, but Catherine is using her profile to promote a cause that she once described as her "life's work".

The emphasis on families enjoying the natural world is also an antidote to an overload of screens and mobile phones, with Catherine having warned of an "epidemic of disconnection" from too much tech disrupting family life.