Decoding the human genome was impressive…But a child playing in the woods? That simple, time-honored image is at once magical, and powerful, and inspiring. Nature Play and Learning Places, Robin C. Moore With the increasing focus on children’s education and health issues, it is timely that a near-flood of studies are being released that show that not only is exercising outdoors better than indoors, but also that when a child is connected with nature her performance in math, r

Due to budget cuts, my 5th grade class didn't get to go to outdoor school. To this day I feel like I missed out. At the time, my sadness was most likely fueled by jealousy. (Cue the "It's not fair! They got to go, why can't I?" discussion with my parents...) But today, as the mom of two school-age kids, I see just how excited they get - and just how much more they absorb when they are outside of a physical classroom. And I guess I'm not alone, because I'm seeing more and more

"Philadelphia is on a mission to convert its dilapidated open spaces into green, safe havens one park rehabilitation project at a time." And so starts one of my most favorite recent news items. It is a short little read, but man is it inspiring! We all have those days where we come to work and wonder, "Why am I here again?" I'll admit it - I was having one of those days a couple of weeks ago when this gem popped up on my news feed. And in six paragraphs I remembered. You see,