It’s the turn of the year, and I’m hip-deep in reflections on the past year. Among all the other data, I looked at are some metrics for my website. What images did my readers click on most in 2018? Perhaps you’ll be interested, too. Here are this blog’s Top Five most-clicked images of 2018. Was your favorite in the top five? Maybe, maybe not–I post a lot of images on this blog. But I hope you found these quote-images interesting,…
The Artdog Images of Interest Last May, I blogged in some detail about ways that kids can learn to think better and be creative by getting out into nature. That series was focused on keeping kids learning and teaching them to value nature during a summer away from school. But just because they’re back in school now, that’s no reason for them to stop learning from nature. I’d like to hope that they benefit from classes that teach science on beaches and riversides. But if…
The Artdog Quote of the Week A person could (people have and do) write many books about the value of outdoor play, the things children learn from it, and the reasons why “nature deficit disorder” really is a serious matter. We can’t save what we don’t value, but there are so very many reasons why we should and must value our natural environment, and cherish the many lessons nature teaches. IMAGE: Many thanks to How Wee Learn on Pinterest, for…
The Artdog Image of Interest As a parent, I know that delicate balance between letting kids explore and keeping them safe. It can be a dangerous world. A responsible parent can’t disregard the hazards, even as we gradually expand kids’ boundaries. Playing in nature definitely presents a list of potential hazards, from sunburn to tick-borne illnesses (a particularly knotty problem this year!), animal bites, falls . . . a worried parent could go mad. I believe it’s important to remember that…
The Artdog Quote of the Week Engaging kids with the natural world is serious business–but don’t tell them that! Kids interact with nature in the way they do everything: with imagination and curiosity. Also, I’d like to hope, with spontaneous joy. Getting kids out into the natural world is a matter of enormous importance–they won’t save what they don’t value–but we must couch it in children’s native language, which is that of play. IMAGE: Many thanks to the Natural Healthcare…
The Artdog Image of Interest Some folks will look at this photo and see nothing but weeds, potential sunburn, probable bug bites, an annoying tick-check later, and dirty feet in the making. Grab the sunscreen and the bug repellent! They’ve let the kids loose in the the woods again! Others will realize that these kids are receiving many more benefits than they are facing potential hazards. What are the benefits of taking a walk in nature? Let me count out…
The Artdog Quote of the Week Do you remember feeling this way as a kid? Please make sure the children in your life get to have this same kind of wonderful feeling! They won’t save what they don’t value, and the stakes get higher every year. IMAGE: Many thanks to the Children and Nature Network’s Facebook page, for this image.
The Artdog Image of Interest There’s a special magic that happens when kids play outdoors in an unstructured way. Last week’s Image of Interest discussed NPAs, or Natural Play Areas in parks, and their value. But lower-case natural play areas don’t just have to be in parks. Lucky are the children with access to a farm or a big back yard that consists of something other than manicured grass and a plastic swing set–although kids tend to make do with…
The Artdog Quote of the week Last month’s Quotes of the Week centered on climate change and the denial thereof. This month’s Quotes turn to the related topic of teaching children (and their parents) the important things that the natural world can tell us. As today’s quote points out, we won’t save what we don’t value. Summer beckons. Let us make the most of it! IMAGE: Many thanks to Dona Matthews and her wonderful blog post essay about the value…
The Artdog Image of Interest Welcome to Imagination Grove in McLean, IL, a place where more unsupervised play is allowed. What if kids were allowed to pick flowers, build forts, break off branches, and carry away rocks from public parks? To make extra trails through the undergrowth, to dig holes? What’s the worst that could happen? If you’re like a lot of grownups, you’re probably envisioning hard-compacted soil, hillsides denuded of flowers, and desolation. In some settings, particularly the more fragile, endangered areas,…