Super Eco

Photo credit: ms.lume on flickr

“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life.”
-Rachel Carson

"There's no way that we can help children to learn to love and preserve this planet, if we don't give them direct experiences with the miracles and blessings of nature."
-Anita Olds

As a society we are becoming aware of the benefits of unstructured play in nature to a child’s social and emotional development. Instead of being told—as I was—to "go outside and play," children are spending more time indoors and at scheduled social events.

Here is a list of some organizations which provide insight and ideas and rescources for greening our children:

The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. It provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being.

At GREENHOUR.ORG, you'll find inspiration and ideas to help set children on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Each week they publish a fresh issue full of activities and information to help guide the exploration and focus on fun.

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds. They passionately believe that play has purpose, and that unstructured play in particular helps make children happier, fitter, smarter, more socially adept and creative.

The Sierra Club's Building Bridges to the Outdoors Project is moving towards its long-term commitment to give every child in America an opportunity to have an outdoor experience.

Take A Child Outside Week is a program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on outdoor activities, their goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live.

"Nature—the sublime, the harsh, and the beautiful—offers something that the street or gated community or computer game cannot. Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity."  Richard Louv