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Nature is not well-defined, it offers challenges not found in the classroom, in video games, or on the basketball court. There is no answer key in nature, no cheat codes or levels, no winning and losing.  There’s no trophies or badges given out by the forest, no likes or approving comments given by the birds and squirrels.  Nature is just there, and it will be … [Read more...] about Adapting and Coping with the help of Nature

The world that children grow up in seems to be getting more structured as time progresses.  Lives get more and more concrete and organized—play dates, team sports, after school activities, tutoring—filling the schedule of the modern child in America. One thing all this scheduling does is reduce or eliminate free play and exploration from children’s lives.  Free … [Read more...] about Idle Time in Childhood

Sam and Beth were walking home from their friend’s 11th birthday party.  They lived in a suburban neighborhood with streetlamps and sidewalks, and a nice city park, complete with well-worn trails and a shallow pond for swimming.  Beth walked at a fast pace, Sam following just behind her.  “Do you want to cut through the park on our way back to your house, … [Read more...] about Two Friends at the Park