// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Catherine says nature can help children's emotional growth
A new photo of the Princess of Wales was released with the early years project
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.