People in Nature

Got dirt? “In South Carolina, a truckload of dirt is the same price as a video game!” reports Norman McGee, a father in that state who bought a small pickup-load of dirt for his daughter and friends. McGee is turning consciousness into action. So is Liz Baird, who keeps a “wonder bowl” available for her children. Other families are taking Nature Staycations. Read More

Reducing our society’s nature-deficit disorder can’t pay the mortgage or immediately replace a lost job, but doing so could help reduce stress, and improve our health and our sanity. Read More

A nature-balanced life reduces many barriers to education, including psychological and physical health, stress, attention deficit and cognitive functioning. Researchers at the University of Illinois have shown that the greener a child’s everyday environment, the more manageable their symptoms of attention-deficit disorder. When it comes to reading skills, “the Holy Grail of education reform,” says researcher and educator David Sobel, place-based or environment-based education should be considered “one of the knights in shining armor.” Students in these programs typically outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. Read More

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to approve the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008. This was an extraordinary moment, symbolizing just how far the children and nature movement has come in just a few short years -- and how far it still needs to go. Read More