Commentary News
Leadership
C&NN Mourns Tragic Loss
C&NN Board Member, John Parr, his wife Sandy Widener, and daughter Chase Parr were killed December 22 in an auto accident in Wyoming. Daughter Katy has been released from the hospital and is recovering with relatives in Idaho.
We honor his commitment to the mission and his stellar leadership and support for the grassroots, community-based work over many decades and across the nation. Our hearts and prayers go out to Katy and to their family and friends. We will always thank him and miss him terribly.
John near his cabin at Boulder Creek in 2006. Photos by Richard Louv.
National Post – December 19, 2007
This Season’s Hot New Toy: Fresh Air
By Jill Barker
The ultimate gift for children this holiday season, according to Canada’s National Post, is spending time with them outdoors. The newspaper encourages parents to provide opportunities for their children to be active and, more importantly, to teach by example: “Parents who play with their kids set the ultimate example. Being active is fun at any age.”
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Wild Sanctuary – October 01, 2007
Tuning in to Nature’s Choir
By Bernie Krause, PhD
For Bernie Krause, a specialist in animal bio-acoustics, the sound of birds, insects, and other creatures in concert rivals the world's best instrumental music. And one doesn't have to travel far to enjoy it. In fact, there is probably an animal symphony taking place right now outside the window.
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Education
Inside the Outdoors Foundation
Inside the Outdoors provides life-changing experiences for students and teachers
By Susan Brown, President
Inside the Outdoors has been connecting Southern California student’s to nature since 1974 through Field Trips, week long residential Outdoor Science School experiences and Traveling Scientist programs that bring science and nature into the schools.
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Review
Bellingham Herald – October 03, 2007
Author, educator defends a childhood that allows ‘inner wildness’
By Kie Relyea
Author and educator Chris Mercogliano encourages parents and caregivers to let kids play alone. "A ‘controlled’ childhood can lead to later problems," says Mercogliano. He also emphasizes the importance of getting them into the outdoors. “Get kids out into the natural world. There’s a real strong connection between wildness of an inner kind and wildness of an outer kind, the wildness we find in nature.”
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Health
New West Publishing, Boise – October 21, 2007
Autumn leaf-pile jumping makes kids smarter
By Jill Kuraitis
One mother remembers what it was like during the leaf season, when her kids gave a whoop and they all took flying leaps into an SUV size pile of leaves. Home life has gotten more complicated she acknowledges, but we still need to make time for catching bugs and watching the clouds go by.
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C&NN has designated April "Children & Nature Awareness Month." As part of this effort, we invited network members (like you) to list their April programs and share their strategies for building public awareness. Find out what's happening in your community on the C&NN Movement Map.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build the movement, the Children & Nature Network has published two new resources for leaders, organizers, and participants at the local, national, and international levels:
An annotated bibliography of 20 premier studies focusing on the children and nature connection.
