Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-power-of-nature-to-help-children-heal/5017149/
“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrain of nature �" the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.”Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder
These words, written more than 40 years ago by well-known author and naturalist Rachel Carson in her book, A Sense of Wonder, continue to be important today �" maybe even more so than when they were first written �" because our classrooms and homes are often filled with children who are hurting in one way or another and need the healing influence that a close, personal connection with nature can provide.
First, a word about some of the sadness in children’s lives today:
At a recent early education conference in the Midwest, a Head Start teacher confided that out of 18 children in her class, two-thirds of them have already experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse in their young lives.
Young children are being exposed to violence on television and in video games in a way that no other generation before them has ever experienced. With our “real time” coverage of wars and natural disasters, children see disturbing images in their living rooms practically as they are occurring, leading to a ...