There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.
– Rachel Carson

An online article on the Child Mind Institute website, “Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature,” explains how time in the natural world is good for our brains:

“According to the Attention Restoration Theory, urban environments require what’s called directed attention, which forces us to ignore distractions and exhausts our brains. In natural environments, we practice an effortless type of attention known as soft fascination that creates feelings of pleasure, not fatigue.”

Ann Pelo’s beautiful book, The Goodness of Rain now back in stock on the Exchange website, offers inspiration to educators for spending time in nature that can nurture child and adult alike. Pelo describes and encourages:

…delighting in discovery and adventure.
…developing dispositions and skills for being in the out-of-doors.
…learning when to speak and when to be still.
…knowing joy, grief, reverence, astonishment, and gladness.
…embracing the comradeship of fellow explorers.