Why not let them walk to school alone? Parents and communities are figuring out ways to give their children more independence—and it just may help them to become less anxious, more self-reliant adults. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-overprotected-american-child-1527865038 (Wall Street Journal subscription required)
Most American kids don’t spend large chunks of their day catching salamanders and poking sticks into piles of fox poop. In a nation moving toward greater standardization of its public-education system, programs centered around getting kids outside to explore aren’t…
As parents, we want our children to be emotionally resilient — able to handle life’s ups and downs. But parents’ ability to foster resilience in our children hinges a great deal on our own emotional resilience. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/well/family/to-raise-resilient-kids-be-a-resilient-parent.html?smid=pl-share
SHOEBURYNESS, England — Educators in Britain, after decades spent in a collective effort to minimize risk, are now, cautiously, getting into the business of providing it. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/10/world/europe/britain-playgrounds-risk.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2Ftodays-new-york-times&action=click&contentCollection=todayspaper®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
Benefits of early education found to persist for years, bolstering graduation, reducing retention, and reducing special education placements. www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/11/lasting-payoff-early-ed
As you know, at the heart of our school is a belief that children need to be engaged in play-based learning while immersed in nature. Since we are a school on a farm we spend a substantial amount of time…
Once there was apple tree living in the wide, wide world… Clara’s Song
WCVB.com September 1, 2016 There is a growing movement in the U.S. towards nature-based learning. The curriculum focuses on staying outside all year to prepare kids for the traditional classroom setting. Research suggests the exposure to nature helps children become…
Wall Street Journal July 8, 2016 A strange thing happened to mothers and fathers and children at the end of the 20th century. It was called “parenting.” As long as there have been human beings, mothers and fathers and many…