So many schools are reducing recess–outdoor play–due to budget cuts and hopes of boosting test scores. However, studies show that increased recess time results in better test scores compared to increasing time in the classroom. Yikes! But here’s something you may not have heard about in the argument for keeping recess. Outdoor play–and specifically, recess–helps
How to Entertain a Toddler (Toddler Play) Have you ever been sucked in to all those ‘educational’ and ‘developmental’ programs that are ‘beneficial’ for toddlers? (Don’t worry, I have on occasion.) This morning I had a moment. While my son and I took our puppy out for a walk I recalled why playing outside is
>> JUMP TO THE INFOGRAPHIC Moms are being arrested for allowing their children do something highly beneficial for their development–something we took for granted as kids. What is it? Playing outdoors unsupervised. As an example, there’s Tammy Cooper of Texas who was arrested for letting her kids play outside in their cul de sac, and
It’s a scary world out there. It’s scary because we aren’t letting our kids, as a general rule, play, explore, and discover that outdoor world. And to me, the lack of kids roaming out there is scary. (Crime rates are down since we were kids, so the world is actually less scary if we look
What is a Nature Anomaly? Nature anomalies are something strange or different that occurs in nature–it’s not quite normal. Things like the dandelion pictured above that has several stems and dandelion heads all grown together. Another, more common example would be a four-leaf clover. Maybe two leaves that share a stem. A bird’s egg that
Are you looking for outdoor activities to do with the kids? Maybe get a little vitamin N (for nature) as Tim Gill (of Rethinking Childhood) says? Wondering where to start? I’ve got a question for you!: Have you gone looking for butterflies lately? Why Kids Love Looking for Butterflies They look so cool They are
The Risk of Not Camping With Kids According to Richard Louv (author of Last Child in the Woods) children are suffering from Nature Deficit. In other words, kids aren’t getting outdoors enough and hanging with good ol’ nature. And this is causing them to deal with increased depression issues, ADHD type behaviours, increase the likelihood