Play Australia Webinar with Dr Jake Robinson

Topic: Time to get dirty - discovering the benefits of dirty nature play for health and wellbeing.

Date: Thursday 19th February 2026

Time: 4:00pm (Sydney, Melbourne & Canberra)

We all know the benefits of risky play, but what about “dirty play”: the unstructured, tactile interaction with soil, mud, plants and the microbial life that inhabits them. Integrating ‘dirty play’ into early childhood settings supports children's health and could cultivate ecological empathy, encouraging deeper, lifelong relationships with the natural world.

Join Dr Jake Robinson from Flinders University as we unpack the developmental, immunological and ecological value of this form of play, which is frequently dismissed or sanitised due to modern hygiene norms and societal perceptions of ‘dirt’ as dangerous or undesirable. Jake and his colleagues have synthesised evidence from microbiome science, environmental psychology and early childhood education to argue that microbially rich natural environments play a crucial role in shaping healthy immune systems, preventing inflammatory and allergic diseases, and nurturing curiosity, sensory development and nature connectedness. 

So who is Dr Jake Robinson?   

Jake is a microbial ecologist with an interdisciplinary skillset. Grounded in innovation and systems thinking, his work explores how ecological, biological and cultural processes interact to shape resilient futures. Jake is currently a Senior Research Fellow in Restoration Genomics in the Frontiers of Restoration Ecology lab (College of Science and Engineering). He has pioneered studies in aerobiology and soil ecoacoustics to improve ecosystem health. He is also the author of three books and an Editor for the journal Restoration Ecology. His latest book, The Nature of Pandemics: Why Protecting Biodiversity is Key to Human Survival, will be published in December 2025. 

Jake founded the Aerobiome Innovation and Research Hub (The AIR Hub) - an initiative aiming to research and safeguard the beneficial biological components of air for both human and ecosystem health: www.aerobiome.org

He also contributes to national and international initiatives such as the UNFCCC Resilience Frontiers think tank and the Grounded Minds Consortium, and leads science-driven projects that bridge research, public engagement and imaginative transformation.

Jake holds a PhD in Microbial Ecology and Nature-based Health Interventions and an MA in Social Research (The Environment-Microbiome-Health Axis), both from The University of Sheffield, as well as postgraduate degrees in Applied Neuroscience and Ecosystem Health.