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.
The U.S. can learn a big lesson from Finland’s education system: Instead of stress and standardized testing, schools should focus on well-being and joy. Wall Street Journal
At this point it seems the evidence is overwhelming—new studies seem to arrive on our desks each week that suggest simply spending time in green spaces can improve our health, both mentally and physically. As avid outdoors people, we instinctively…
Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency. “I’m bored.” It’s a puny little phrase, yet it has the power to fill parents with a cascade of dread, annoyance and guilt. If…
Children should be encouraged to spend time outdoors to reduce their risk of becoming shortsighted, experts have said. Shortsightedness is rising around the world, with the condition said to have reached epidemic proportions in east Asia: estimates suggest about 90%…
It is easy to accept that a one-year-old baby is not yet able to dress herself unassisted, or to put on socks and shoes without help. Even people who do not spend their days working and playing with very young…
Educational experts proclaim that we have a crisis in the education of boys in this country. The media attention to this topic has been extensive, yet I do not see the systemic changes that are needed.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-day/why-boys-are-failing-in-a_b_884262.html