It's time we gave our children permission to get outside and get dirty

People who spend more time outdoors as kids are the ones who have a stronger interest in protecting the planA family running on the beach at Traeth Mawr in Wales Photograph: The Photolibrary Wales/Alamyet
I grew up on a farm on the edge of Nowheresville, Hampshire. I was a speccy, geeky kid who loved experimenting with nature.
While most of the people at school were experimenting with drugs or each other, drinking copious amounts of cider and getting pregnant, I was experimenting with frogspawn.