Nature Nourishes and Heals

02/08/2006

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.
Mother Teresa

In his best-selling Exchange book, Caring Spaces, Learning Places, Children’s Environments That Work, Jim Greenman made this observation about the importance of nature…

“Human beings evolved outdoors. Our bodies need sunlight and fresh air. Our minds need the experience and challenges that nature presents. Our souls need the day to day appreciation for the miracle of the world and all its complexity. Without a deep sense of awe at the vastness and majesty or the natural world that humbles us, and a simultaneous ennobling sense that we are intrinsically a part of that world, we are diminished.

“Early care and education programs can help to bring nature back into the forefront of children’s lives by accepting the responsibility for incorporating the natural world into the design of their outdoor settings.”

To learn more about, and purchase, Caring Spaces, go to http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/953

Learn how early childhood professionals and environmentalists around the world are reconnecting young children with nature at our Working Forum on Nature Education for Young Children. For details, go to http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/952

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.