Categories
A Head Taller: Let Children Play on Their Own Terms
“In play, a child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior in play it is as though he were a head taller...
For young children, play is about experiencing the world: about getting their hands on and into all the things that spark their curiosity. Kids want...
Learning with Nature: Finding Creative Inspiration
Learning with nature means not just learning in or about nature, but learning in an environment where the natural world becomes another teacher. Good teachers of course help their students learn facts and ways...
How to Make Outdoor Play Possible All Year Long
It is so important that children get outside to play. When children step outdoors their senses activate and they experience the world in a heightened...
What is play exactly? Why do we play? Why do children play? Why do animals play? When you see dogs playfully roughhousing or dolphins joyously...
Outdoor Preschool During a Pandemic: Creating an Urban Forest School
So there we were last spring: in the middle of a global pandemic. School, childcare, everything, shutdown! Then all summer we wondered: Yes, school? No,...
Ok, I admit it—it’s difficult for me when my kids go back to school in the fall. I’m one of those adults who has a...
It was the most healing thing I’d seen during this whole COVID time: children playing together—finally. After how long? Too long. My two sons, 8 and...
Learning with Nature: Animals and Empathy
“Look a worm. We should make it a home!” If you’ve spent any time with young children, you’ve likely heard a phrase similar to this...
Learning with Nature: Math of Plants
Bursts of sunflowers, spirals of a cucumber tendrils, different leaf shapes of the sassafras tree, and the large number of acorns during an oak mast...
Learning with Nature: Moments of Serendipity
The memory of my grandmother’s voice and joy as she declared, “Serendipity!” came flooding back to me last week. I was spending the day with...
Learning with Nature: The Power of Silence
The world is so noisy! There are dings of email alerts, cars, air conditioners running, lawnmowers, garbage trucks—the list goes on. Metaphorically we’re also surrounded...
Learning with Nature: Language and Literacy in Context
“But how will they learn to read and write outside?” I often hear this question from parents considering a nature-based preschool. Honestly, the answer is...
Learning with Nature: Awaking a Sense of Wonder
Exploring nature is a surefire way to spark young children’s learning. Children inherently want to learn which is why they’re constantly asking questions. They’re full...
Everyday Materials Have the Capacity to be Playful
The world is a naturally playful place. Children don’t need to be in a playroom or at a park to explore playfully. In fact, they’re...
How to Incorporate Light and Shadow Exploration into Playtime
Light and shadow are all around us: you don’t need to look far to find natural or artificial light making spaces more interesting. In the...
Everywhere Materials: Play is Possible All Around Us
We know that children are going to play, no matter what: through good days and bad days, celebrating their interests and digging deep into the...
Space for Possibility: Using Open-Ended Materials in Child-Centered Play
Young children are always at play. Their minds and bodies are wired to explore their world, no matter the location or context. In and around...
Mud Play = The Perfect Screen Break – Lauren’s Learning Lab Featuring Rusty Keeler
In this episode of Lauren’s Learning Lab, mom, architect and teacher, Lauren Magee is joined by author, educator and natural playscape designer, Rusty Keeler. Together, they work to design...
