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Ahhh... the holidays are so relaxing!

11/23/2011

If you shop local that is.

Check out what Apothecary class has been up to and make your holidays a bit more relaxing...

BathSalts (1 bath per sachet) $2.00

Rose
PepperMint/Orange
Orange Dreamsicle
Eucalyptus

SugarScrubs 4oz jars/8oz jars $4.50/$7.50

Rose
Lavendar
Peppermint

HerbalBathSoaps(glycerin) Small/Large $3.00/$5.00

LipBalms $2.00 each

BathBombs (3 per pouch) $2.00 Come scented with various essential oils

LavendarEyePillows $8.00

To place orders email [email protected] and put apothecary in the subject line. Orders will be ready by Expo Day Dec 16th or earlier upon request.

Joyful holidays to all!

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Why aren't there any kids at the park?

11/22/2011

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Why aren't there any kids at the park?

11/22/2011

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It rained again last night! I hope your kids get to play in the mud today. We had a wonderful play in the mud day at The Inside Outside School recently. It was as exciting as the occasional snow has come to be for children in Texas.
I get messages from John Chilkotowsky via natureskills.com on a regular basis. This morning I read,
"Several years ago I took a weekend walk in a
wooded neighborhood park. I was enjoying the
summer sun and the birdsong. All was well -- until
I realized that I didn't see even one kid playing
in the park.
Where were all the kids?
In case your childhood was different than mine,
please let me explain the term "dirt bomb fight".
My friends and I would go to a nearby freshly
plowed field. We'd choose teams like proper
sportsmen, before chasing and pelting each other
with clods of dirt. Simple, huh?
We did this again and again. Barring the chaos
that ensued when an errant rock was at the center
of a dirt bomb, we went home dirty, happy, and
closer friends than when we entered the field.
Regardless of the specific form, every day we were
immersed in some kind of play with the natural
world. When I'd share stories with friends from
other neighborhoods, they had similar experiences.
However, we're now in the middle of an epidemic
of disconnection from nature. Over the past several decades, children are
spending less and less time outdoors. At the same
time there has been a doubling of the childhood
obesity rate, as well as increases in attention deficit
disorders, depression, and other health issues.
So what happened?
Some common reasons given for why 93% of kids'
time today is spent indoors:
the rise of electronic entertainment for kids
media fixation on "stranger danger" risks
reduced access to natural places
reduced time allowed for unstructured outdoor nature play,"
There was more to the posting, but it gives me fresh resolve to persist in offering Nature Literacy time each day at our school. The kids go hot and cold over being in the woods for an hour. Last week they were cold, thinking about their video games waiting for them at home. It was a transition time when the game they have been playing with such passion for months has gotten old and nothing quite as absorbing has occured to them yet. Imagination, like a seed in the soil, is gathering momentum for the big germination celebration, and there is a time of waiting for that. It is hard to wait, and it is hard for me to bear their discomfort with this time in the woods when I know how precious and valuable it is. I can hold this discomfort with them.

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Why?

11/11/2011

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The Inside Outside School students are down in the woods right now. They are outside and free to imagine they are hunting, evading the enemy, getting ready to meet the Queen, lost children who have to take care of themselves. Imagination and unstructured outdoor play are two answers to why we have Nature Literacy time built into our daily schedule. The Healthy Kids Outdoor Act has been proposed by Rep. Ron Kind and Senator Mark Udall. You can follow this link to learn more about it. http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2011/11/guest-post-by-rep-ron-kind-d-wi-why-the-healthy-kids-outdoors-act-is-important/ In the article it says that a study "found that the most direct route to caring about environmental stewardship as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11." That is what I believe. When you read about the background of most major environmentalist and naturalists, you find a common denominator, free time in the woods as children. They didn't get into it by studying global warming and endangered species. If you don't love something, why would you try to save it? As for imagination, we got that going on as well. It is one of the 7 dimensions of Human Greatness (Lynn Stoddard) that our school is committed to. People are getting on board with this as well, trying to figure out what to do to put imagination back into school. Here is another great link to follow: http://www.good.is/post/imagination-summit-discusses-creativity-in-schools/ If you click down below after reading it, you can find a video clip of Ken Robinson talking about the radical change needed in education. We know all about the radical change needed and we are creating a model that makes sense. Come check us out!

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