Nature preschools and forest kindergartens have been increasing in number: from around 25 programs in 2012 to more than 250 in 2017 in the United States alone (North American Association for Environmental Education [NAAEE], 2017). Thus questions in research communities have emerged about these programs, such as how they compare...
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There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather
A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids When Swedish-born Linda Åkeson McGurk moved to Indiana, she quickly learned that the nature-centric parenting philosophies of her native Scandinavia were not the norm. In Sweden, children play outdoors year-round, regardless of the weather, and letting babies nap outside...
Last Child in the Woods
Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder By Richard Louv In this influential work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends,...
Balanced and Barefoot
How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children By Angela J. Hanscom In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook shows how outdoor play and unstructured freedom of movement are vital for children’s cognitive development and growth, and offers tons of fun, engaging...
Mindfulness & Nature-Based Therapeutic Techniques for Children
Creative Activities for Emotion Regulation, Resilience and Connectedness By Cheryl Fisher Whether you’re in the therapy office, a classroom, in the city, or the countryside, using nature-based activities with children is always possible, and incredibly therapeutic. By integrating these activities with mindfulness, therapists and educators can harness the power of...
Safety in the Outdoors
If I had heard the phrase, “safety in the outdoors” just a few years ago I would’ve thought it was in reference to how to remain safe outside in nature, or how to be prepared if you are walking alone at night. Now in light of the global pandemic, there...
HOW IMPORTANT IS EMOTION?
“It’s huge!” That is what I’ve always said, for lack of a better explanation. I have always found it difficult to find the words to explain the important role of emotion in one’s life and furthermore how the role of emotions can be used effectively in therapy, in fact emotions are one of the...
DO YOU NEED THERAPY?
I get it. Trust me, I get it. There has been a long time stigma attached to therapy and it is definitely taking its time in going away. People still use the word “shrink” and imagine they’d be made to lie down on the couch of a psychoanalyst for years...