Our Need for Beauty

05/21/2020

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard.
Standing Bear

In the Out of the Box Training Kit, “Beauty in the Lives of Young Children,” Ruth Wilson writes that “beauty is an essential force in our lives, adding zest and joy to the moment. Sensitivity to beauty is also an avenue to wholeness. Early childhood educators can foster children’s aesthetic sensitivity not only by talking about beauty, but by helping children experience it in the incredibly rich and diverse ways beauty can enter our lives.”

One way beauty can enter everyone’s lives, especially in the challenging time we all find ourselves in, is through connections with nature. According to a post on the University of Minnesota’s website: “Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.”

Source: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing

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