Emily

“Older children help younger ones when they play together, and in that way they learn to lead and nurture and develop a concept of themselves as mature and caring. But little of this can occur in school, where children are forced to associate only with others of their own age and where free, unsupervised play is rare or absent.”
― Peter O. Gray, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

“When we make Play the foundation of learning, we teach the Whole child.”
― Vince Gowmon, Let the Fire Burn: Nurturing the Creative Spirit of Children

“Another easy yet impactful activity is to go for nighttime walks, preferably in a natural place like a park or beach. For a bounty of ideas, check out books like Joseph Cornell’s Sharing Nature With Children, Jennifer Ward’s I Love Dirt!, and Susan Sachs Lipman’s Fed Up with Frenzy. Another easy and engaging way to connect kids with nature is to visit your local nature center.”
― Scott D. Sampson, How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature

“periodic exposure to nature in a diverse range of settings, from zoos to national parks, will likely be less effective in fostering bonds with nature than abundant time spent outdoors in a single, most likely local place.”
― Scott D. Sampson, How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature