Located in a predominantly white suburb of Boston with a primarily white student population of 3- to 6-year-olds, the administration and teachers at our school wanted to think through our role in the systemic racism in our country. Can a…
As academic expectations in public elementary schools have become more demanding over the past decade, some educators have turned to the outdoors as a means of providing meaningful, relevant and tangible experiences for their students. The Forest Kindergarten movement, which…
Adecade into her optometry career, Marina Su began noticing something unusual about the kids in her New York City practice. More of them were requiring glasses, and at younger and younger ages. Many of these kids had parents who had…
Janet discusses the challenges and benefits of authenticity — how being real with our children helps us to achieve our goals as parents, strengthens our relationship, and even makes our lives easier. Janet says that it was Magda Gerber who…
Saying “be careful” all the time can confuse kids, instill fear, and lower their self-confidence. If you’ve ever watched your not-so-sure-footed kids ascend a tall—very tall—rope climbing structure at the playground, or hoist themselves atop a large, wobbly log in…
“Mommy, who is that?” My preschooler asked me this last May when he noticed me staring at Ahmaud Arbery’s headshot in my Instagram feed. I froze up. I thought, how do I even begin to explain to him that this…
Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest’s undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child’s immune system, according to an experiment in Finland. When daycare workers rolled out a lawn, planted forest undergrowth…
While on a business trip in Chicago last month, I accidentally slept for 12 hours. I fell asleep at 9:30 p.m. local time and didn’t set an alarm, because I figured there was no way I would sleep past 7:30…
Nature-based preschools are becoming increasingly popular. But what are they, and are they effective? When I picked up my son from preschool on a recent summer afternoon, his dirty fingers were stained pink from the raspberries he and his classmates…
The approach, stress and rigidity that often accompanies modern lesson plans may cause young children to feel frustrated or disengaged.