There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes
“When my kids were little, getting outside was easy but now, when they’re older, it’s hard to get them engaged in outdoor pursuits. I don’t know what to do – it’s almost like starting over again.” Sounds familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Almost on a weekly basis, I’m contacted by parents who are at a loss for how to… Read More
When I lived in Indiana, a curious thing happened every year around the time when the Thanksgiving turkey was in the books and the morning frost began to drape the neatly mowed small-town lawns. The drop in temperature and gradual loss of daylight seemed to signal that it was time for outdoor activities to come to a close and long-term… Read More
As I was lazily browsing my Facebook feed last night, a heated thread about an elementary school in Indiana caught my attention. The school has opened again after closing because of Covid-19 last spring, but is subject to severe restrictions put forth by the state. As a consequence, the playground equipment has been shut down and the children now must… Read More
When we think of learning, our mind immediately tends to conjure up images of classrooms, desks and text books. After all, school is the epitome of learning and an institution that most of us send our kids to in order to gain essential skills. But historically speaking, schools are a new phenomenon. For hundreds of thousands of years, in hunter-gatherer… Read More
A few years ago, I got talking to a prominent researcher at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana about the Scandinavian attitude to outdoor play and nature connection. I told her about our commitment to dressing kids for the weather and getting them outside every day, as well as our obsession with friluftsliv (topics which are all covered in detail in… Read More
