I recently had the opportunity to provide a keynote presentation to a large audience of early years educators. Amidst my talk which covered the physical, social, and emotional benefits of unstructured outdoor play for kids, and recent research on the educational benefits, I shared some photos of the best examples of play areas that I […]
Read MoreEvery week I see different research articles highlighting the benefits of nature and unstructured play for children. At times I wonder if there is indeed a growing understanding in our community, or if the algorithms are messing with my perception. In reality (the offline world) it appears there is a huge gap between what the […]
Read MoreI have a theory that loud kids are happy kids. While it’s not applicable to all situations, it tends to work. For example, birthday parties are always excruciatingly loud. Kids playing in the pool, also unbelievably loud. Toddlers with balloons inevitably results in excited shrieks of delight. Teenagers recounting a funny story, talking over each […]
Read MoreLast month I wrote about the importance of finding pockets of time in our kids’ lives for rest and relaxation. Writing that piece in the thick of term 4, knowing all that was coming in the way of end of year commitments, it was a plea for adults to give our kids a break. A […]
Read MoreThe heat is here! You know, that time of the year when you break out into an instant full body sweat the moment you step foot outside. The kids are standing in front of the air conditioner vents with no plans of enjoying the outdoors. If you want to stay outside, you need a body […]
Read MoreI love the idea of Children’s Week. It is a national celebration of children’s rights, talents and citizenship, held in the last week of October to coincide with Universal Children’s Day. Each year the theme of Children’s Week highlights a particular Children’s Right. This year, the theme was based on The United Nation’s Convention on […]
Read MoreLike many Australians, I fell completely and utterly in love with the Matildas during the World Cup. As a little girl who loved cricket and AFL yet had no opportunities to play in a girls’ competition, I delighted in the almost unbelievable level of respect and admiration that was showered on the Matildas from all […]
Read MoreI recently read some research from the UK that examined children’s play and generational differences in how play is viewed and valued. Like all things, social, cultural, and economic factors influence our views and experiences with play, whether they be as a child or parent. One common theme that emerged was that adults of all […]
Read MoreOn a recent family holiday my kids found it bemusing that I was paying so much attention to trees. We were in one of the most densely populated cities of the world. The local government had undertaken a streetscaping project more than ten years earlier and watching the trees and plants grow and thrive has […]
Read MoreWe love a good snack when we’re out and about on our nature play adventures, so we asked our good friend and nutritionist Liz Mendelawitz for some tips on something healthy to take with us! Here’s what she had to say: Thinking about snacks for a family hike in our Great Outdoors, or even a […]
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