Now, More Than Ever, We Need Nature

In A Famous Middletown Study Of Muncie, Indiana, In 1924, Mothers Were Asked To Rank The Qualities They Most Desire In Their Children. At The Top Of The List Were Conformity And Strict Obedience. More Than Fifty Years Later, When The Middletown Survey Was Replicated, Mothers Placed Autonomy And Independence First. The Healthiest Parenting Probably Promotes A Balance Of These Qualities In Children.

No Other Youth Group Like The Scouts Has Trained So Many Future Leaders While At The Same Time Being A Nature Organization With Its Outdoor Focus.

Being Close To Nature, In General, Helps Boost A Child's Attention Span.

Progress Does Not Have To Be Patented To Be Worthwhile. Progress Can Also Be Measured By Our Interactions With Nature And Its Preservation. Can We Teach Children To Look At A Flower And See All The Things It Represents: Beauty, The Health Of An Ecosystem, And The Potential For Healing?

The Physical Exercise And Emotional Stretching That Children Enjoy In Unorganized Play Is More Varied And Less Time-bound Than Is Found In Organized Sports. Playtime—especially Unstructured, Imaginative, Exploratory Play—is Increasingly Recognized As An Essential Component Of Wholesome Child Development.