Nature's Child

The Star Fish

2012-03-02T02:34:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite stories because it shows how children think and how they develop empathy for others:

Children see the world very differently from adult, but I would argue that isn't always a bad thing. We are so focused on the practical that as adults we often dismiss the ideal in life, and stop trying. Adults are suspicious and distrustful, which often lead to unintentionally hurting the felings of others. The other day, I realised this when I tryied to do a picture blog on innocents, but wound up with a completely unexpected comment from a reader on fetishs. The comment has since been removed, but it made me think about how people see the same thing in so many ways.

Give this poem a read, and see what you think!

Looking Back

2012-02-28T04:24:00.002-08:00

One this blog, I spend a lot of time looking back, looking to a lost world of childhood, when children were more innocent and free in their ways. I try to use picture to convey a message, not just for their own sake. Youth as it was when I grew up is very different from today's world. Play was fun and reflected a simple world. No one imagined the woods or that huge feild could be a place where you had to watch a child. Children had private lives. They say a picture is worth a 1'000 words! Let's test the theory:

Today I'm going to share some paticularly moving (For Me) pictures of vintage childhood. I would love to know if they inspre any memories from my readers. For that reason, I will skip my usual habbit of adding captions and explinations. What do these photos remind you of:

What do these images make you think of?

Nature and Play Go Together

2012-02-25T03:15:00.000-08:00

Nature is a home for child development. It is the place were their senses come alive and children grow the most. Sadly today few American children have a chance to know this amazing living world in their back years. For our children to be healthy, vibrant and strong, it is time to open the door to the living world and allow you child or children discover it for themselves. The living world needs to be seen as a classroom for our young ones. Play has sadly become a four letter word in America. I would like to suggest that play is interchangeable with grow. Ask yourself, would you be concerned about your child having an opportunity to grow?

So how can your child grow through play? That is quite simple. Play is a play for children to try out ideas and concepts. When your son swings in the branches of a tree, he is discovering the abilities of his body. Your son learns what he is and isn't good at. In the same tree, your child is discovering physics. He learns about gravity and weight, balance and strength.

Oh while we're on trees, allow me to point out that children climbing trees also can discover the life that calls the tree home. Animals ranging from birds to chipmunk and squirrels are a part of the environment they will find. If your child sits quietly and watches, he or she will quickly discover how animals make their homes. Some like birds build nest, while others live directly in cavities in the tree like the squirrel. From a tree your child can also look over the the forest and get a bird's eye view of the forest around them . With patience, a tree become a perch for discovering a world of animals they might not often see, because you can't get close. Maybe your and your children want to consider something fun like a tree house, which will not only give your child a fun place to hang out, but also a chance to use their creativity and imagination to make something real. Tree houses can be very simple, or a bit more fancy.

The tree house can give your child a private place of his or her own

In addition to the ability of a tree house to give a fun place for your child or children, it also allows them a semi-private place to feel safe and be themselves. We all need a certain amount of privacy to feel safe and secure. Imagine how it would feel to have someone watching every move you make every single moment of your life. I guarantee you would feel very nervous and insecure, even if you knew the person watching you. Children feel the same way.

Play also serves a social function for children. It helpes them to bond with peers and find a place in the social order. Nature oriented play is one of the most level feilds for children. Unlike sports, children don't have to be the most physical or the biggest to have a chance to suceed at something. While competition is healthy to some degree, so is sucess. Being able to suceed on your own merits is how we develop a sense of self worth and self esteeme. Today, too many people try to build this up in artificial ways that are meaningless becuase every child understands the difference between genuine and false praise. If we allow children to explore thier would through play, they will find their true talents and gifts. It means more to any child to be complimented on something they feel proud of, then to recieve big praises when they feel like they have failed. Think about if, if you had to give a presentation at work and you messed up the most important part of it and everyone knew it, would you feel happy to have someone walk by right afterwards and say "Great Job"? Of couse not. You would probably consider it a sarcastic comment and feel even more disappointed!

Back to the topic in the outdoors there are so many thing for your child to do and places to explore, that a child of any age or ability is sure to find something he or she is good at and feels comfortable with.

For some children cooperative activites such as exploring a river or building a dam are what they are better at, and this is ok. That is the beauty of nature, each of these things has a place. each has it's own lessons to share and teach. The famous educator Maria Montissouri once said "Play is the work of Children". I ask you should we let children suceed in their work?

Where are all the Children Going?

2012-02-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

Growing up, childhood was a time of freedom and innocence! Children ran barefoot, we played in nature and were used to having wildlife around. There was more discipline, but also more mutual respect between children and parents. A child knew their place, but also understood that they were entitle to their own thoughts and feeling. We didn't wear shoe, because WE wanted to be barefoot.

Today it seems like children have less meaningful rights than ever before. Where once a child could walk barefoot to 7-11 with friends on a summer day, today some stores won't even let a child in without an adult, or in groups of more then two. Forget about going barefoot today, most stores will treat a barefoot with more hostility than a shoplifter.

In 30 years, we've gone from this:

To this:

Wait, does that sign say what I think it says? Yes you read that right: No Children Without an Adult Present . Does anyone else see the irony here? Your child will not learn to be responsible for him or her self, because they are never allowed to be on their own. It's like saying you can't sit in the driver's seat of a car until you have a full driver's licence. Children can't learn responsibility if they are never allowed to have any, and yet we scratch our heads and wonder why children today are not as mature.

Could it be that society is suppressing the development of the skills children need to mature????

I would go so far as to say we are taking childhood away from our childre, and then asking why they have problems. Lets look at the so-called "improvements" in education:

1980

2012

The two pictures above are of Kindergarten classroom, these children are all about 5 years old. Do you see the rigid difference in the structure and control we have added to young children's lives in a span of just 32 years. Play and social interaction used to be the basis of early childhood learning, now the program is built mostly on acedemic skills like reading and math. Don't get me wong, it is great to help our children learn and grow. I am an educator, and I value learning. The question I am asking is, are our expectations for our children outpacing their development! There is a real scientific, medically based reason you can't teach a newborn to walk in their first month: The mucles and brain connection that make walking possible are not yet developed!
I am sad to say that America is loosing childhood, and our children are paying for it dearly! We give them less and less, while asking for more and more each day. President Obama's race to the top was a well meant idea, as was President Bush's No Child Left Behind. I applaud BOTH efforts for their sucesses and intentions. However, as an educator, I must sicerely ask at what cost do we make these gains?

Are we ready to distroy our future generation to be modern and get ahead? When three years old imagine a world where they need a gun, and nine year olds look for love in violent street gangs, we have to ask ourself: Is this the price we want to pay for progress?

Childhood really is changing, and not for the better!

Reflections: Camping as a Boy Scout

2012-02-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today I want to share one of my personal memories from childhood. This is from a canoe trip I took in the summer of 1996, with the Venture Crew of Troop 337. We were on the Rapphdan and Rappahannock Rivers in Virginia for about a week. I can't find the photos so this blog entry has no pictures to go with it (Sorry)! Either way, here was my barefoot week on the river:
The 50 mile canoe trip was a scouting trip on the Rapphdan and
Rappahannock rivers. It was from the end of the first full week of July.
Since we were spending the whole week on and near the river, our leaders
let us choose if and when we wanted to wear shoes. Being me, I ditched
my shoes as soon as we got to camp (We had to wear them on the way up
because we stopped at a few stores/restaurants). Once I had my shoes
off, they spent the rest of the week in my tent. I was barefoot 24/7 for
the rest of the week. We would get up every morning in what we were
going to wear for the day (usually swim trunks and a tank top for me).
After taking care of morning camp duties (fetching water, cooking
breakfast, clean up, etc.) We usually had some time to goof off and
relax. During this time I often took short nature hikes, or joked with
friends. The camp was ideal for going barefoot, with soft dirt, or grass
covering the ground in most places (although the bare dirt was usually
slightly damp and chilly in the early morning.) Around 10:00 or 10:30,
a bus would come from the main camp (which belonged to our outfitter) to
pick us up and take us to our starting point for the day.

Once we got to our launch point, we would get our life jackets and
paddles and head to the river bank to get our canoe and tie our gear in.
When everyone was ready, we would launch as a group. A good day on the
river was busy. We did some sight seeing and bird watching, as well as
running some fast exciting rapids. Around 12:00 or 1:00 in the
afternoon, we would stop for lunch. During this time, we also got to do
some swimming and exploring. My favorite lunch stop was always a small
island on the Rapphdan (I don't know if it has a name or not). I love the
experience of being there. It's always teaming with nature (birds, small
animals, some shells, etc.) The ground there also had many different
textures (EX: sand, dirt, grass, clay, gravel, mud, moss) for any
barefooter who prefers natural surfaces to man-made ones, it was like
finding Heaven on Earth! That tiny island was always hard to leave
behind. From there, we would often go for a few more miles before
stopping again around 4:00 in the afternoon for a swim break.

After our swim break, we would head for our pickup point for that day.
It usually wasn't too far away, and we could get there in half an hour
to an hour( depending on our pace). Once we arrived, we would pull the
canoes up on shore and wait for our outfitter to pick us up and take us
back to camp. Once we got back to camp, we would change into dry cloths
and relax until dinner time. Usually we would play games, or just sit
and talk. One night during the week, we would have a special in-camp
movie, up at the main building. During the movie, we had sodas and
snacks and ice cream. Often during this time, others would join me in
going barefoot.

Now you know something about the outdoor world I grew up in that inspired me as child! I will be running a series of these stories on my Blog!

Is Childhood going to be lost in America?

2012-02-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

Usually, I try for a more upbeat theme, but a hot debate I had yesterday about barefoot freedom and other freedoms in the USA sparked a sad note for me. I fear the intollerance, and Fear of law suits will distroy America from the inside out. The sad and hurtful loss of barefoot freedom has been one of the biggest casualties. It seems that our legal system is stacked against the rights of childhood, and in favor of big Money! If we can't change this, childhood as we know and love it will only exist in history books and stories!

HOW SAD WOULD IT BE IF CHILDHOOD AS SOMETHING SPECIAL IN OUR CULTURE WAS LOST FOREVER?

Imagibe a world where the things that shape us are controlled and we never have a place to discover our own talents and passions in life. I want you to SERIOUSLY Consider the following, because I fear this could be the future we make for our children if things do Not change:

Banned Activites:

Climbing a Tree

Don't laugh! It really could happen,and here is why:

Safety: Climbing a tree involves real risk of falls. Concussions are sold to us a a major danger for children. Also, with more and more public property, trees will end up in places where adults will say "You can't play here, because I don't want to be sued". Think it can't happen? Go find me a newer playground that still has monkey bars, a jungle gym, or one of those things that spins. Guess why you can't find them?

Playing in a river or stream

If you spotted the "Water Hazard" Give yourself a prize! The moment you mention water, someone is going to say Drowning risk! Also, if a child were to slip and hit his or her head on a rock, we are now looking serious injury. More and more parks already have "No Swiiming" and/or "No Wading" Signs. How long before only the beach allows a child to go in the water?

Skipping Stones

God forbid, how could you let a child throw rocks! Do I really need to explaing what Could happen, if that rock goes the wrong way? We already have had lawsuits over children throwing rocks! One day this will only exist in storys told by grandparents, like the old tail about the long walk to school in the snow that most of us had heard of but don't really believe anyway.

They're fast, they're Fun, but oh are they dangerous! In some places this boy would already be breaking the law, because he is not wearing a helment. Also, bikes are being banned from trails because of fall hazards anmd risk to hikers. In many cities you aren't supposed to ride in the sidewalk because you might run into someone. No sensible parent would let their eight-year-old ride his or her bicycle in traffic, because of the obvious risks. So if you can't use the street, the sidewalk, or the trail in your local park, what is left? I don't know about you, but my yard isn't big enough to ride a bike in. The same is ture for the skateboard.

When was the last time you've seen a skateboard park? Years ago I lived near one in Landsdown, but that park is long gone now because of safety and crime issues. If you try to ride a skateboard on a sidewalk, even as a young child, the police will usually stop you and say something about safety in a high traffic area. It is good to be safe, but I think we're are overdoing it!

How about overdone health while we're at it:

What about the famed Ice Cream Man? Hopefully not, but with the constent push to make everything and anything healthier, will this tradition of summer survive? Also, are we going to let our children go that close to the street?

Swim Holes:

For the most part, the old backwoods summer swimming hole is already gone! No one is willing to risk letting their child swim in a natural river or stream with a current. The mear idea of even allowing a child to walk into the woods barefoot already scares some folks. what this child is doing is a huge no-no. After I found the image, I realised this boy is *GASP* Skinny Dipping. With a world that we imagine to be full of dangerous creature and the local pedophiles waiting behind every bush and under every rock, the mear thought of allowing a child to be nude outside of a bathtub is enough to elicit accusation of "Child Neglect" and "Child Endangerment". Soon we'll be bread to fear allowing a child to undress at the doctor's office for a physical. When you have to push things like this on you child every waking hour of their life, how can a child truely be "innocent"?

Folks, we may be seeing the end of innocence in our society! If this goes away, what will it mean to be a child in 21st Century America?

Bare Feet Enhance Childhood!

2012-02-14T04:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever roamed a field or the woods barefoot as a child? I'll bet you have! Do you remember how wonderful it felt with the cold dirt or the soft moss under your feet. I grew up this way, spending the vast majority of my time going barefoot in nature. Every child should know this joy. Bare feet unfortunately are often looked down in the US, despite the fact that going barefoot has a long, proud, rich history that lasted up to the late 1960's.

Sadly, today this classic part of childhood is attacked and despised, even though we know it is good for a child. The reality is it is our children that are losing. Some people may argue that it's no big deal. I say it is a huge deal! Let me show you what going barefoot gives your child:

First of all, there is the wonder and joy of sensation. The world is alive with countless textures,and sufaces that enrich our existance. Think about the envigurating feel of frost and snow. The sharp cold seems to recharge you. In moderation it doesn't hurt anything.

There are also the textures of summer when the world is alive and growing around your child. Grass is soft and sometimes a bit itchy. Then there is the refresing feel of a warm summer or cool autumn breeze on you skin. For a child playing in the grass, that first time walking through the grass in the early morning and experiencing the dew on your feet is invigerating. Mud may seem icky and messy to the prim and proper adult, but for a child the sensation is magical. It invigorates and lifts the human spirit and reminds us we are a part of the natural world. Life is about enjoyment and satisfaction.

Even closer to home a barefoot child can step into the world of nature. They feel a part of the life around them. When you play with a pet, that animal can climb on and roll around with you. Animal use sent more than people do, so going barefoot helps them get to know you and become familar with your unique scent. Please note, the hamn body has a natural scent even when kept clean. Think of it like an orange, even when it is ripe and jucie and ready to eat, you can recognize the smell of orange.

Some Comic Relief: A Child's Perspective

2012-02-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Why Can't a child want to go barefoot?

2012-02-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

Going barefoot is one of my favorite things in life. I have treasured being barefoot since I was a boy. However, if you read the popular culture today, barefoot children are almost always cast in a negative light. The media seems to think it's some horrible circumstance ruining the lives. There is a practical Oh My Gosh that child is barefoot! Quick, we have to rescue the poor mistreated child!

WHY! What on earth is wrong with being barefoot? It isn't dangerous! There is a massive army of germs hunting your barefoot child to kill it. Can we quit with the hypochondria already? Here let me show you some examples I have found (These are all picture and comments quoted from the internet:

Local driver Ralph Carnes needs to buy his kids some shoes

Really! They look fine to me.

NO PROTECTION: It is not uncommon to see school children
walking without footwear, leaving
them vulnerable to infections

Doesn't anyone get that these children are used to this. their feet are tought and well protected from danger.

Over 300 million children around the world are without shoes.

True, but how many of them need shoes? Over 800 million people are without a private jet. Simpally not having something does not make you bad off. the question is, "Do you really need X" If you don't have something and do not need it, the fact that you don't have it is irrelivent!

Some children walk to school barefoot.

True! Am I supposed to feel sorry for them? Again, why would this be a bad thing. These girls don't have coats either, but they live in a warm place.

Can people stop steriotyping bare feet as bad. This is just not true. As Americans, we often force our cultural values on others and wonder why they feel offended by our manner. Can we try not being judgemental for a change????

Is PLAY becoming the next Four Letter Word?

2012-02-07T03:09:00.000-08:00

Play is an essential part of how children learn and develop. However, the sad truth is the US seems aimed to ban this critical learning tool from school. The real problem is that it is fundimentally misunderstood by the majority of parents, educators, and policy makers alike. The prevailing thinking suggests it is purely recreational in nature and takes away from learning. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Play for children is in fact Active Learning, which unlike a lecture, requires a child to take a lead role in what he or she is learning. Pedatricians are now finding that the lack of play is affecting children's health and development. Our policies are hurting the very people they were intended to help. According to a long term study by The American Academy of Pediatrics, Three-Fours of American preschoolers are in classroom setting for most of their day. These setting do not provide enough physical activity to promote health and physical development. Using a sample of nine focus groups, the study found that

injury and school-readiness concerns may inhibit children’s physical activity in child care. Fixed playground equipment that meets licensing codes is unchallenging and uninteresting to children. Centers may cut time and space for gross motor play to address concerns about school readiness.

In a nutshell, we are turning our children off from phyisical activity at a very eary age and teaching them the habits that later in life contribue to health problems like obeasity and early diabeties. If children's health and wellbeing are really a priority to us, it is time to rethink our educational and childcare policies. Using focus groups, researchers consistently found that many young children spend so much of their time in day care that this might be the only reasonable time in their day for them to get any execize at all. Many of these programs are shifting over to the preschool model where their purpose is to prepare children for the acidemics of school. This mean that children spend 4-5 hours sitting and focusing on quiet acidemic activites with little oppertunity to move around or interact with others. A second concern is that many of these child care providers feel pressured to always rule on the side of safety. Now keeping children safe is inportant, but if it limits their ability to develop and promotes health problems later, it is not achieveing the desired results. For example, some parents were so worried about even the most minor injury to their child that they asked child care providers to keep the child away from vigorous activites such as running, climbing and swinging because of the risk of injury. Adding to this are very strct licencing code that often limit and discourage children from being active. Play equipment like monkey bars, swings, and see-saws are disappearing from the landscape in the name of safety. Teachers and care provders have noted that this easy mastered play equipment left behind quickly looses children's intrest, or invites unsafe behavior such as walking up slides and jumping from anything with a little hight to it, which were never intended. This Misuse of equipment leads to injuries and further restrictions on oppertunity to be active.

A second major isse is the decline in funding for preschool setting is limiting the option teachers can provide. Razor thin budges make buying the latest in safe climbing equipment a "non-option" for many schools and centers. Add to this that parent often don't seem to value physical activity and are happy to let their child "sit around". When there are very limited funds and parents go out of their way to set other priorities, there is no meaningful incentive to encourage children to get active and play.

With issue like this, how are child supposed to stay healthy? We want our children to do something but it seems like the moment thy get up our first words to them are "Don't do that!" or "don't go there!" or "That's not safe"! Don't get me wrong, I am a stauch advocate for child safety, but anything can go too far. It is long past time to bring back play in children's lives!

(Some ideas barrowed from: DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-2102; originally published online January 4, 2012; 2012;129;265Pediatrics and Brian E. Saelens, Kristen A. Copeland, Susan N. Sherman, Cassandra A. Kendeigh, Heidi J. Kalkwarfin Child Care Centers Societal Values and Policies May Curtail Preschool Children's Physical Activity
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/2/265.full.htmllocated on the World Wide Web at:
The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/2/265.full.pdf+html)

Also, thanks to friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast of Ahcuah for bringing this great article to my attention.

The Joy of Animals!

2012-02-06T03:41:00.000-08:00

All my life, I have loved being around animals of every shape and size. There is just something captivating about watching another living creature, one so different for you, and yet, so similar. Animal babies are often so playful and adventurous that they remind of our own children. Whether it is something big like a deer, or tiny like a sparrow, life enchants us in a way that is hard to explain. For children that live in the country, where farms are more common, contact with animals is easier and more common. The first encounter many children have with a live animal is the family pet. Most of us remember our first pet. Often families have more than one pet, giving a child or childern a chance to discover that like people, animals are individuals, each with his or her own personallity:

Mine was black and white dog name Holly, becuase mom and dad gave her to me for Christmas when I was about four years old. She was always so hyper, and got into everything. Often I stuggled to keep up, but I loved her so much. For a child having a pet also teaches a sense of responsibility and compassion. Most people don't realizes it, but our pets have an innate sense of enpathy and compassion. I know my dog had an awareness of my disability, and could tell when I was unable to do something.

For children who may live in the country, a farm expands their experience to animals they wouldn't normally see. Animals like chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, and horses bring all new experiences and inteactions for a child to learn from.

There is also the wonder of wildlife that roams the forest and feilds near our home. I feel every child should have an oppertunity to experience a wold full of animals. There are some important rules to remember about being around wild life:

Don't Touch- Animal babies look so cute and soft, but it is important that your child knows not to touch any wild animal. Some animals carry illnesses like rabies that can make a person very sick. Also, many animals will abandon young if they have a human scent on them.
Stay Back- Not everything is friendly, some animal will scratch or bite. If an amil feels cornered, it may attack in self-defense.
Be Quiet- Many animals are shy and will or fly away of you are loud and noisy.
Take it Slow- Animals are often startled by sudden movement.

There are a few exceptions, like picking up a fog, or catching fireflies. These magical experiencs can provide a child with hours of joy and wonder.

However they do it, being around animals will give your child a magical learning experience that will last a life time.

Barefoot Parenting

2012-02-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

Growing up, I was always barefoot outside of school, I love the free spirited, quiet, nature oriented way of living. For a child barefooter, it is important to have support in the early years. In my opinion the best thing a parent can do is to lead by example. In today's time when children in the US are constantly bombarded with anti-barefoot bias, it is important for your child to have a positive barefoot role model in his or her life. By going barefoot along with your child you are teaching them that bare feet are acceptable and respectable.

Here is a dad being a role model for his son

Many times I have spoken to the health advantages of going barefoot. If you want you child or children to learn and accept this, you as a mom or dad need to let them see you going barefoot. Children learn from copying their parents, because they see you as the authority on what is right and wrong. When you live barefoot, and show them that it is normal, your child or children will accept going barefoot for themselves and are likely to take it up without being asked to. They won't feel the need to ask you if it is OK, because you will show them the answer by what you do.

Also by being willing to step outside of the norms, you show your child the most important thing you can teach him or her: It is OK to be different. Remember that you are a role model for your child are children. They look to mommy and Daddy to see what to do and how to do it. If you watch your child play, you will see that their idea of pretend is copying what they see you doing. If mommy wears high heels, your little girl will want them. If daddy is always barefoot, you young son will want to have bare feet like his daddy. In that young child's mind, mommy and daddy are the ideal "Big People", and what he or she should strive to be in life. Why do you think your toddler tries on your clothes. They want to try being "Big"!

Mom playing with her little girl

If you really want your child to develop a love for barefoot freedom, you need to let them see you going barefoot and enjoying the freedom. Just like the barefoot living, you need to enjoy nature on your own terms so that they learn it is OK. Take them outside for barefoot walks when the weather is nice. Make time to run and play from time to time and step into their world. Share your passion with them and let them share their passions with you. Give them a chance to take the lead and learn from them. Understanding your child's feelings will bring you closer. Relationships are not automatic, they must be built and nurtured over time. A child that know mom or dad or both mom and dad feel connected to nature and enjoy feeling the earth under their feet, feels secure with barefoot freedom. They will take their cue from you:

Everyone has heard the expressions "He takes after his daddy" , "She's a momma's girl" , "He's his mom's boy" or "she is the image of her daddy". These common terms often relate to personality traits that a child takes on from their parent. Also having an adult role model helps a child keep these healthy habits into the teen years. Children naturally want to be more adult like as they grow older, one of the main reason why many teens don't go barefoot is because they feel they are too old and too mature to run around without shoes. However, if mom and dad are always barefoot, bare feet do not seem childish at all. Remember a young person's perception of maturity is based on what the adult in their life are doing, and what they consider mature.

Mom and teen daughter running barefoot

If mom and dad think highly of going barefoot, it is more likely that a child will look at bare feet as a positive thing. They will see it as the natural way of living, and will take joy in being free of troublesome footwear.

Should we let children run wild?

2012-02-02T02:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a strange story that I couldn't help but share. To be honest, I don't know how I feel about this one. It is just so out there. I believe children need some freedom to develop and that society has gotten overly restrictive. However, this really makes you ask, Have some gone much too far?
In Yesterday's issue of The Independent, was an article called Should We Let Children Run Wild? This is from that article:

A few years ago I found a small, cold, barefoot child on Hampstead Heath early on a Sunday morning. It was a forlorn sight, as he picked his way across the gravel path, and other dog walkers turned to look at him because it was so unusual to see such a small child alone. I decided to go up to him and saw that he was wet and shivering and had obviously been swimming in the pond.
After I had convinced him to zip up his jacket, he told me he was six years old, nearly seven, and he was not lost and that his parents had gone on ahead. I didn't want to leave him and he agreed to my accompanying him home. I was expecting huge relief from his parents and perhaps a little anger – "Where were you? We've been so worried!" – so was surprised to be told by his father that it was none of my business and that "we were just ahead and he is allowed to wander home freely". I worried about him to my friends and thought it interesting that while most of them thought I was being ridiculously overanxious, others encouraged me to call the police, one person saying that "the middle-classes think they can get away with any sort of treatment of their children without the social services getting involved".
I convinced myself that allowing him to make the short walk home on his own wasn't a sign of neglect, but the incident stayed with me (and inspired a novel I've written, which opens with the finding of a child). I thought a great deal about my own attitudes towards my children's freedom and protection, and about our attitude in general and in both cases there seems to be a great deal of confusion and tension. A report earlier this month from the charity Play England said that one in five children never goes out to play, and that a third have never climbed a tree or built a den and one in 10 cannot ride a bike. Compounded by recent results from the Children's Society's Good Childhood report, saying that half a million UK children from eight to 16 had a "low sense of well-being", government ministers and journalists were quick to blame over-protective parents who "cotton-wool wrap" their children, keeping them inside and glued to a screen rather than letting them play outdoors.

Give the whole article a read and pleas share your thought! I am debating with myself on when does freedom become neglect. Child welfare is a major issue to me, but I do not have the answer for this one. Please let me know, what do you think?

Reading can be Fun if you let children do it their way

2012-01-30T03:22:00.000-08:00

Children at a Library

Notice anything unusual in this public library? If you said the children are barefoot, you get the prize!!!!

As an avid reader, I know that reading is something I do to relax, unwind and enjoy myself, as do most people. Children especially take to reading things they enjoy, like comics or children's magazines. They often look for a quiet place to relax, sometimes sitting or lying on the floor so they can engage in the story they are reading. Are bare feet not one of the most relaxing things in the world? Think about they are never too tight or hot and sweaty, making them ideal for comfort. If we made libraries more child-friendly, maybe reading would draw in the young curious minds. What would be the harm in allowing children to visit libraries and bookstore in their bare feet if they choose?

School library on barefoot day

I say it is time we open these places of learning and knowledge to barefoot children and invite them to explore and discover the wonders of reading on their own terms. People say children usually don't like to read, I say that because adults are going about it all wrong! We need to make reading more engaging for our children by building a more diverse selection for them and letting them come to it on their own terms. Diversity needs to be more realistic, and not from an ethnocentric view point. Yes, I said ethnocentric! Too many children's books in America are written strictly from an American view point. We can share our values without hiding the feeling of others from our children! For example, often books on Native Americans focus either on times of long ago, or only the aspects of Native American culture that seem "exotic" to the mainstream American child. What about daily life? I'm Cheyenne, and no I don't walk around in a dance outfit covered in feathers. I usually wear jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap. Don't get me wrong, I think it is good to share something about cultural celebrations and customs with children, but I do not see why we can not give them a realistic look at modern life. This is the 21st century, Inuits (Eskimos) do like in Igloos, they live in houses with heat, TV's, microwaves, and computers like the rest of us. I have never lived in a teepee, but we still use them for church and other special things.

Let's open the world of learning to our children by respecting them. Make libraries more child friendly, and give them real diversity, not just what was 200 years ago. Maybe when the barefoot boy sitting in the corner of the library reading a realistic book becomes the norm, we'll have an answer to some of our educational challenges!

How Parent Attitudes shape children

2012-01-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

No one is denying that children in America do not go barefoot nearly as much as they once did. I am willing to assert that the main reason is none other than parental attitudes. Like it or not parents make the rules and set the values for the home. At one time, barefoot children were respected. For boys especially, walking barefoot was seen as tough, manly healthy. It was common for a parent to tell a child they didn't need shoes. Many parents never considered sandals for children, because they expected them to go barefoot in warmer weather. Sadly today, many parents have taken the opposite point of view. I found a parent site called Mom 2 Mom, where they ask mothers different question about their views on parenting. Allow me to share with you what some moms have to say about allowing their children to go barefoot:

My son does a compromise -- he takes his shoes off, but leaves his socks on when playing outside. I don't approve since I have to wash the dirty socks, but at least his feet are covered. If I see him take his shoes off, though, he must put them back on. I'm a firm believer in shoes. The South probably lost the war because outhouse hygiene wasn't up to par and people got hookworm from feces-laden sand. This problem wasn't cleared up in NC until the Rockefeller foundation educated rural people in the Eastern part of the state -- in the 30s! Makes you think again about shoes

My kids have to wear shoes because I have to wear shoes. I'm too afraid I'll step on something either painful or just plain gross when I'm outside.

Here are some that are pro-barefoot:

well, this is a tough one for me, because I hate shoes and love to be barefoot myself! We also grew up in Florida, and were always barefoot. In interest of full disclosure, I did step on some broken glass one time when I was 8, that required 11 stitches in my big toe. But it didn't stop me. So I'm pretty relaxed about my kids taking off shoes and it's something that tends not to be on my radar.

The point is that parents have a major influence not only on what children do but the ideas they grow up with. If parents look down on going barefoot and constantly portray it as a bad thing, the child will most likely pick up this view over time. These children are often the ones who have to flaunt the latest fashion footwear. Very young children do not have a sense of fashion, but parents do. Most of us who are lifelong barefooters have heard the lines: "Where are your shoes?" or "Go put something on your feet!" Think about it, what do you expect that to do to a child's concept of going barefoot?

Parents often bend to fashion and social pressure to make their family look respectable. They want to be seen by other as good parents. This is only natural, but it does lead many parents to take on a rather anti-barefoot outlook, which they then impress upon their children. The sad truth is that most parents wish to be seen as having the resources to take care of their children, so they are happy wasting money to get their child or children shoes for every occasion including play and making the child wear them. No offense to any ethnic group, but this is especially common in the African-American community. Proper appearance is everything. Adults often see bare feet as a symbol of poverty, and fear having their family seen as poor. My friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast of Ahcuah did a great job explaining the reason in his blog Bare Feet in Scandinavia. Here is what Bob had to say on the issue:

One of the purposes of fashion is to flaunt wealth, and going barefoot is way too inexpensive to do that effectively.

Bob is exactly right. You don't need a penny to have bare feet, they are free! Parents fear the idea that another parent might think they are too poor to properly dress their children. Therefore they often will by "play shoes" for their children and have them wear them. The intended message being: "Look, I can afford to buy my child shoes he or she can ruin playing, and another pair for school".

It is a silly idea to spend money on shoes just for your child to get dirty in. Not to mention that being cooped up in shoes all day is harming that child's feet, which are still growing. The concept that some how shoes add to your wealth is pure nonsense. Shoelessness is cast as the image of poverty, even though bare feet do not make a child poor anymore than shoes make a child wealthy. Lets look at this logically:

These children are getting shoes from TOMS.
Do you really think the boy in the red shoes
(left) is any richer than the barefoot child (right)

Despite the obvious absurdity that just putting on shoes makes you wealthier, people still associate bare feet with poverty. It simply creates an illusion of something that is not true. No parent wants others to think that they are unable to care for their children, so they feel a need to put shoes on their child or children. Never mind that it is not healthy for your child to be in shoes all the time, and that bare feet are the best thing for them. It is the illusion and perception of others that matters.

Connecting to Wild Animals

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have always loved being around animals in the wild. There is just something magical about close encounters with wild animals. If you sit back and quietly watch them you will quickly discover that each has its own personality. Some are shy and quiet, avoiding people whenever they can, others are outgoing and curious. Let me share with you a few of my favorite encounters and their stories:

I saw this beaver while hiking with my brother Dave along the creek in the Daniels area of Patapsco State Park. We actually stopped and watched him for about five minutes or so while he worked on his lodge nearby. This was during the time he was on the surface. As we continued hiking, we spotted this about two yards up on the bank:

The wood in the cut was still damp and slightly sticky
suggesting it had been cut less than an hour before
we saw it.

It was clear that he was in the middle of working either on his dam and his home lodge. Unfortunately something startled the beaver and he quickly disappeared beneath the water, so we didn't get to see him working. As you can tell from the photo the tree was almost down, suggesting that something interrupted the beaver while he was working.

This is the goose that followed around for about half an hour, even though we were not feeding him. Considering that he was wild, his interest in me and my brother was quite surprising. He seemed genuinely interested in the two of us. He was quiet amusing to watch and study, as he had no fear or reservation about being around us at all.

I found this beautiful moth sunning itself on the path. If you look near the back, you can see the beautiful blue false eye spots just ahead of his tail. These are meant to fool birds and other predators so they won't eat this guy. Sadly my camera phone doesn't do his beautiful color justice. He was much brighter in reality.

The Magic of a Kite

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

I remember the magic of playing with a kite as a boy. There is no experience in the world like sitting on the floor and building something, then taking it out to a field and watching it fly on a windy day. Who could forget watching their magnificent creation sailing on the wind, dancing in the sky high above as the air currents shift. It is active, yet relaxing in a way that could draw any child.

A kite can be simple and cheap, or elaborate and colorful! Children of every culture around the world play with kites. Here is an example of a makeshift one:

Of course, at the same time there is no reason a kite cannot be elaborate and colorful, with almost any shape. Their beauty and wonder is legendary, enchanting the child and adult alike as they dance in the sky high above.

Who doesn't see the magic in these simple toys? In addition to the fun, a kit gives a child the chance to run free, to dream! What could feel better than running barefoot through the grass with a kite in hand. Kites exist in all cultures. Here are to boys in Asia playing with a variation of this clasic toy:

It looks very different from the ones we have in the US, but it is a kite. Clearly the boys are enjoying themselves running and playing. Just watch this video and see if it doesn't bring back memories:

The Barefoot Child- The child God made

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry the video is sideways, I didn't make it and I could not download and edit it. I want people to listen to this girl as she does a great job explaining why going barefoot is much better than wearing shoes:

She references a lot of the work from The Barefoot Book by Dr. Daniel Howell in her speech and points out that we are intended from nature to be barefoot. She also points out the down sides of the USA's unofficial social rule forcing people to wear shoes.

As a life long barefooter and a firm believer in nature-oriented living, I wanted to use this video to lead off today's blog on the barefoot child. Yes I am a person of deep spiritual faith, but I don't intend to dwell on that here. In my life barefoot living has been a key part of how I live since I was a baby. Growing up I spent the bulk of my time this way, and still do today. From nature children long to be barefoot and free, it is western society that slowly robs a child of this natural love to feel the earth under his feet. We teach that innocent trusting child that it is somehow bad to feel the grass between her toes. A child in America who rejects these twisted social ideas becomes an unofficial social outcast, ridiculed in school and chased from stores. Constantly hearing that he or she is "immature" and must "grow up". Now I ask Why? Why do we believe this?

Is America not supposed to be the "Land of the Free" where you have a right to be an individual? Once long ago, American children were barefoot most of the time. Today, we even hide that from our young ones. This past Monday, my friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast wrote a piece called The Disenyfication of Huckleberry Finn. I applaud him for doing a great job shining a spotlight on the problem. Now I'm ready to dig a bit deeper into the bigger issue. We are, as a society, lying to our children and denying them the right to make an informed decision about their own lives and their bodies.

I know from my own experiences as a barefoot boy with a disability what it is like to be told I need to have shoes to go somewhere, and that what I was doing was unhealthy. Now they teach young children that the best thing for them is a good pair of tennis shoes. Why? There is no proof of that! In fact the evidence says the opposite! Children are meant to be barefoot. Only the bare foot can twist and bend as nature intended it to. Few people even realize how healthy feet should look. Here are two youngsters from a culture that does not use shoes:

Photo courtesy of Dr. Gangemi.com

Feet are from nature wide, straight and strong, because they support the weight of the whole body. The skin of the soles is by far the thickest, most resilient skin on the entire body, because it was meant to constantly rub against that ground as we walk or run. Ironically, the soles of you child's feet a better protected than their hands, but nobody wears protected gloves all day when they are outside of their home. It is time to change our thinking on American culture and bare feet. Let's bring back the barefoot child!

Bare Feet, Tall Grass, and Model Airplanes- Oh Yea!

2012-01-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

As a boy, I lived only a few blocks from Southwest Area Park. SWAP as we called it was mostly deep woods and open fields, with a stream and a mini wetland area. The part was an open nature range full of birds, insects, and a few other small animals. Is it any wonder that I spent many summer days wandering through the park. Unlike many parks, this one had almost no pavement except for the main road in. Once inside the park, the ground was grass, sand, or bare dirt, ideal for walking barefoot. I love the park because it is nice and quiet, and is the ideal place to go looking for wildlife. Let me show you a few of the inhabitants of the park. These are some of the critters that drew me as a child.

One of the flock of Black Ducks living in the marsh

A Kit Fox (This little guy is cute)

I saw various animals like these so often as a boy that I would enter the park expecting to see them several times on any given day. Hiking along the edge of the marsh, just far enough in to get my ankles wet (littleraly), it was common to spot nests hidden among the reeds if you knew were to look. As they were built out of local materials, and camouflaged, ground nests are often hard to spot in the marsh, even if you know what to look for and where to look. Occasionally, in the late spring you could even find broken egg shells from the year's brudes in the reeds nearby. I never got the chance personally to see a brude in the nest up close.

Most of the really good areas I loved to visit had grass that was knee deep or higher if they weren't in the woods or marsh. SWAP is also home to lots and lots of bamboo. There is one area near the model airstrip that is a field of it. I often loved to play with the bamboo and use thicker peices as a walking stick. mixed into the bamboo was a lot of thinner reeds that were home to a lot of different ground dwelling birds.

I seen this little guy many times on summer and early fall afternoons

Walking through these high reeds was always an adventure for me. I was drawn in by the wild life that lived there, but I quickly learned that the edges are a bit sharp, and require great patience and care from a barefoot boy with cerebral palsy to avoid stabbing my bare soles, which were slightly softened by walking in the water. It was worth it though, as the thick reeds were home to some of the pritteist wildlife in the whole park. In the summertime, the tall grass would make my legs itch, but that was ok. I find that the feel of the thick, gooy mud in the masrh is stickier than the mud you usually find in you back yard, however, it is also slightly warm in the summertime and seems to nurish and sooth the soles of your bare feet. For a seasoned barefooter that loves the outdoors, you couldn't ask for more from marsh mud. However, I have heard from many that it seems to suck shoes from people's feet. Why not just do the sensable thing and walk through it in bare feet? Going barefoot has always worked great for me. Below is a picture of what most of the marsh in Southwest Area Park looks like:

In this are, why would a child wear shoes? Bare feet just make more sense. As hard as it was to get into the marsh, it was home to some of the most amazing plants and animals anywhere in the park. I don't even know anymore how many hours I spent wandering through this area. I would often get there some time in the morning, and stay until around sunset. The main thing I found here was insect, lots of them. Everything from butterflies, beatles, and dragonflies, to pond skaters and mosquetios. The trick was to watch out for turltes buried in the mud. even though they usually avoid people, if they feel in danger, the can hurt you with their beaks.

In addition to the wonderful nature, SWAP has a model airstrip where many people fly RC aricraft of every shape and size. I have a secondary hobby of airplanes, so I would often go up to the airstrip when my legs were hurting and I couldn't hike. There I would lie in the grass watching the birds fly and enjoying the model airplanes. Here is a photo of the model airplane club courtasy of the Baltimore Sun:

I loved to sit in the grass with my lunch watching these guys fly their planes when I am not able to hike. I also go to their annual model airshow in the late summer/ early fall. The flying these guys do is amazing.

Writing What You Know

2012-01-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

In the world of professional writing, we have a saying "Write about what you know!" Yes, I am a real author, my forth children's book will be coming out this fall. In writing about what I know, I chose to pull my heritage and personal experiences. My basic themes for the series are Cheyenne culture, I am Cheyenne, nature and the outdoors, disabilities and barefoot living. Each of these things is in some way central to my life and experiences. I have cerebral palsy as some of my readers know, and I have spent years working with children who have CP, so again it is something I understand well from many angles.

Nature seems to bring a healing and a sense of wellness to many children. I discovered this years ago as a child. You have read many times on this blog about how I used to wander barefoot in the woods for hours, watching animals and exploring the plant that grew near my home. I love the slow simple life, where I can reflect and have time to pray.

This is me in Robert E. Lee Park
(sorry about the poor quality, it was taken with a camera phone)

Yes, I still roam barefoot around the woods, usually with my brother Dave. For me it is a spiritual and very personal journey that dates back to my childhood. Today I share a lot of what I have learned with children through a series of books called The Mystery Kids, that centers around the life of a young Cheyenne boy named Joey Red Wolf who is trying to learn his grandfather's ways in the hopes of becoming a medicine man. Joey has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

What Ever happened to this Image of Boyhood?

2012-01-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Once this was the Quintessential picture of boyhood: T-Shirts, Overalls and Bare Feet! It comes from a time when children were free to live a life in touch with nature. They were rugged and looked forward to every moment they could be outdoors. Forests and fields, not metal playgrounds were the place where youngsters gathered to play. I remember those days well. We could run barefoot down a trail in the back woods without flinching, our soles felt like toughened leather. Man I miss those days.

Boy Scout and Bare Feet 2 - Memories of an Eagle Scout

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

Last time I posted on scouts going barefoot, my post was very general. Today I wish to reflect on my experience as a boy scout with bare feet. Am I claiming I never wore shoes - No not in the least! However I did have many experiences with going barefoot in scouts as a boy. The most common time where we had the chance to go barefoot was around camp when we were not in uniform. I did this all year around, but it was easies in the spring summer when it was warmer. It was always a welcome relief to ditch the hiking boots for bare feet and feet the earth beneath my feet. The few times when I was allowed to go hiking barefoot, I quickly learned that I was much more steady and my legs didn't tire as quickly while hiking.

As a boy of Native American heritage, I found that going barefoot seemed to fit best with my beliefs and how I choose to worship and honor the Great Spirit. Often on camp out I would hike barefoot a short distance from the camp site and sit alone in a field or a small forest clearing looking up at the night sky. It created the ideal setting to reflect and pray. I personally feel like being close to nature brings me closer with the Great Spirit, so sitting alone barefoot in the grass or in the woods, looking up at the sky seems an ideal place for morning or evening prayers. Reverence and faith are basics of the Boy Scout oath and law, but they are also very personal aspects of one's life. The wonder of Creation reminds us just how small we really are.

Summer was the best time to go barefoot on campouts, especially when we would go canoeing for a week in eastern Virginia on the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers. Since the entire week was spent on and along the coast of the river, the leaders had no problem with allowing us to go barefoot full time while we were there. Over the years I managed over 150 miles by canoe. Unlike most outing the canoe trip was one of our most nature based outing, with a week in the backwoods and cooking on the open fire every night.

These aren't my troop, but they are the exact same type of canoes we had

On the first day our outfitter would take us up stream and we would put in. From there we would paddle along until some time between noon and 1PM, when we would pull up on shore and stop for lunch and a swim break. Aftet lunch we would put in again and head down stream, stopping for a swim break somewhere around mid-afternoon for about 1/2 an hour or so. After that we would continue on to our pre-schedualed stop for that day. We did just a bit over 50 miles over the couse of five days. Since it was all outdoors in the woods and around the water, I went barefoot for the entire trip. In the evening, the patrol would gather around the camp fire where we would cook and eat. The eveings were always a lot of fun as we swapped stories of the day's adventures and joked around. In this environment, most guys wore little more than shorts and a t-shirt. Sometimes we exchanged stories with guys from other troops that were canoeing the same river. On the very last day, we hent for ice cream and a movie to celebrate having completed the 50 miles. Ice Cream night, as we called it was in camp fun and entertainment until 11PM.

Hitting the Trail

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I love to hit the trail in the woods with my brother. For a nature lover, there is nothing like a natural trail thought the woods. Trails are home to animal and plants of every kind imaginable. Often I hike in the woods with my brother Dave, who is a much of an outdoors man as I am. The greatest wonder of going deep into the woods away from the normal trail, that is where you will discover the real wonders of nature. Along the way, you can find all kind of amazing things. Today I will share with you some of my favorite personal finds from outings with my brother. Each tells a unique story:

A Blue heron fishing

The amazing thing is how close we got with the canoe without spooking him. I really expect the heron to fly away, but he didn't. We stayed for about 20 minutes watching him fish, and he seemed to ignore our presence completely, as you can see by how close I was when I took the picture.

This next photo we found on a canoe trip. It was a nearly complete deer skeleton lying by the water's edge. My brother still has the skull in his collection. It is hard to tell from this photo, but from a close examination of the bones, I would estimate the deer was a doe between 2 years and 30 months of age at the time it died. It took up about 15 minutes to get to it and check it out.

This is only part of what we found, the bones were scattered, and had marks suggesting scavengers had been there

We found this in Robert E. Lee park in Pikesville, not far from my brother's home. Some bits not in the photo had to be dug out of the rather gritty mud here. Does have a slightly slimmer build and a smoother skull, while even young males had slight bumps where the antlers grow from once they reach maturity. Based on these facts, I was able to determine that this was indeed a doe. It is amazing how light the bones were.

Marsh edge

This is the edge of the marsh, you really can't see it until you get closer to the bend. The woods in this area were quite thick and it took some effort on my part to hike once we landed on the shore. It's not all trees like it appears to be, there is a lot of ground cover and thick brush in this area. I would guess it took about an hour and a half to get through and check everything out. I had limited memory left in my camera, so I couldn't do a lot more photos on that trek. However, the soft, slightly spongy ground felt wonderful under my bare soles.

This is what I go out in the woods for!

Why Play Outdoors!

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

You might be surprised at just what all being outside offers a child. Developmentally the outdoors is the perfect place for you child to play and learn. Parent and Child Magazine by Scholastic Publishing has a great article called Why Play Outdoors? that I would like to share with you this morning. Here is a sneak peek:

Get outside! Your child will not only build her physical prowess, she'll boost social skills too.

Through physical play outdoors, your child develops confidence in herself as she sees her skills grow: "Watch me climb the monkey bars, look how high I can swing. Watch me, watch me!" A child who is initially reluctant to go down the tall slide feels a great deal of personal pride when he finally musters up the courage to do so.
This self-confidence can translate into social confidence: Children who feel good about their physical abilities tend to view themselves more positively in general. This generalized feeling of competence finds expression easily as children approach other children to play, offer suggestions for solving problems or conflicts that arise during play, and negotiate their way through play episodes that change tone, content, and direction.
Keep in mind that opportunities for social growth can occur even when there are conflicts. Some disagreements are inevitable as children interact, play out various themes, and compete for the same play equipment. However, providing these outdoor opportunities for learning social skills (such as sharing, using language, including others in play, turn taking, developing play "manners"), we can help our children become more socially confident as they approach new play situations.

I found this by accident and really wanted to share it with everyone.

The Nature Boy: Childhood Freedom

2012-01-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

The true original nature boy is my image of childhood freedom at it's best! I used to be nature boy when I was younger, and I had friends who were. Sadly today, this is not as common as it once was. The true nature boy values the living world around him, and years to be a part of it. Going barefoot become a little more than an extension of this love of freedom. I enjoyed the woods as a child because it nurtured my soul in a way no man-made place could. There is something magical about seeing animals in the wild or listening to the birds sing in the trees. Every season is a new adventure full of wonder and discovery.

Can you remember walks like this on a summer day? My memories are filled with them. I love spots like this, there was always so much to see and do. There was a path similar to this one not far from my childhood home where I went to collect leaves, and rocks to play with and study when I got home. I first discovered my love of science exploring a place like this on a summer afternoon. I wanted to know why there were so many different kinds of leaves and rocks in one place. It was through this sense of wonder that I turned to books, by day I explored the woods discovering new things and collecting samples, at night I sat in my room trying to learn from books about all of the amazing things I brought back from my adventures! It seems like the world held endless wonder waiting to be uncovered by me and the few friends I brought along.

Ah that's more like it

Isn't this a beautiful place? As a boy, this was my idea of the perfect playground. A wonderful place to run free and play. The mix of dirt and leaves that cover the ground call out to me even now. Experiencing a place like this is always a delight to the senses. I feel like a child can't fully experience this world of delight until he or she has run through it with bare feet. Trying to experience the living world of the forest in shoes, is like trying to get the full experience of an IMAX movie while wearing earmuffs! Impossible!

Spirit of a Time Long Gone

2012-01-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

Some have wondered how I became a barefooter. I say it was always in me, like the Cheyenne heritage that flows through my veins. Even as a very young boy, long before I understood different cultures, I felt it call to me. Spirituality is a unique thing, and I first discovered it for myself, sitting barefoot in the grass on a warm day long ago. As I felt the earth under my feet, something deep inside awaken. You can tell me anything you want about science, but I know I felt something special that day. The touch of the earth on my bare soles, and the sweet warm wind blowing in my face, it was there that I felt alive. I knew I was a part of something much bigger than the world I could see, and hear. My mind wandered to a time long past, a wold different from today. In addition, going barefoot was an escape from the unwelcome confines of a world that seemed to want something of me that I wasn't.

It is not me, but this boy from Lame Deer is strangely
reminiscent of how I spent most of my boyhood, playing
outside in Jeans, a t-shirt and bare feet.

Nature is what drew me outdoors. I would walk right past the playground and not look back; I wanted to be in nature, wandering down a trail in the deep woods, or playing in a creek, or sitting under a tree. Over the time I have had this blog, I have woven many of my favorite experiences into the things I share and the points of view I present. I learned the calls of birds, and where the squirrels had their nests. I would wander by the stream looking for crayfish, and pond skaters on the water. I wish I had had a camera back then so I could share with you the amazing things I found and saw in the woods.

Even now, I still roam the woods and fields looking for life outdoors. Let me share with you a few photos from hikes I have taken with my brother Dave in a local park:

A blue heroin

Here he is again fishing

This is what I do with my own time, when I'm not working on the computer. Most of my childhood was spent looking for things like this, or gathering rocks and other unusual things from nature that drew me. This is a world that echos of a time long gone. Generations ago, children among my people grew up this way. Young boys roamed the plains and forest playing and learning from the world around them. The elders use to say a child should feel the earth between his toes, and let it touch his soles. Mother Earth is a living entity from which all life grows.

Barefoot in the Snow- Give it a go!

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Can your child really go barefoot in the snow and stay healthy, of course they can! Cold does not make you sick, that an old myth. The trick to success is a combination of dressing the rest of your body warmly and maintaining good circulation in your legs and feet. As a boy I often went to play in the snow barefoot. As long as your feet do not become numb and loose feeling they will be fine. If you can tolerate the cold, you might not even need thick layers, as these youngsters prove:

So, why go barefoot in the snow?

I think the answer is for the same reason any child would want to go barefoot, to feel free, and young. It's a chance to discover nature on their own terms and find what they like. Perhaps this might be a good time for the first time to share a back story.

Around 1991-92 when I was still in elementary school, I decided to give going barefoot in the snow a try for the first time. Up til then, I tended to stay out of the snow because I'm cold sensitive. This day, it began to snow somewhere around 9:30 or 10 in the morning. I was at school and my mom was working. The slow fall caused school to close early that day, so I walked home with my best friend David. Not having a key to my house, we went to his. Inside I ditched my heavy winter coat, hat, gloves, boots and socks. For a little while, we just sat in the living room playing a board game and chatting about the day. Soon David suggested we go out side for a while and play. For a moment I was hesitant, as I was glad to be free from those awful boots, but then he suggested trying it barefoot. I should point out that I have been a barefooter all of my life, but I have a disability that makes me very sensitive to the cold. Anyway I agreed to give barefooting in the snow a try.

Boy, let me tell you about a magical experience! At first it was the weirdest feeling of my life, the cold crunch of snow under my feet and the wetness of the snow melting on my bare skin. However, after a few minutes it felt comfortable. Before I knew it we were out there playing like any other boys, having snowball fights, digging a snow cave, and building a snowman. It was easy to forget we were barefoot. That day I discovered that a child really could play in the snow barefoot and have a great time.

Sadly, I have no photos of that day, even for my own personal memories. However, I would advise any parent to allow your child to give barefooting in the snow a try. This is the first time I have ever ventured to share a personal story from my own life on this blog.

Way to Go: North Huntington Beach Community Nursery School Gets it Right!

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

North Huntington Beach Community Nursery School is a parent-participation preschool, part of the National Council of Parent Participation Preschools. Parent-participation preschools, sometimes called “co-ops,” are unique early childhood learning environments that give parents a chance to be involved in their child’s first school experience and become part of a diverse community of families. They are Located in Huntington Beach, California. Unlike most early childhood education programs in America, these folks are out to teach children that going barefoot is a GOOD thing. Finally, American children being encouraged to go barefoot in school instead of wearing shoes. Here is a picture from their program:

If you think this is a fluke, you'll want to read what they said about bare feet on their website. They have a heartwarming piece they call BARE FEET: BEAUTY AND REASON that you will want to read. I will give you a small sample of what they have to say about barefoot children:

A barefoot child at play is one of the most iconic images of childhood. Apparently it has become a symbol of our school as well. Many parents have told me that they were drawn to our school based on the pictures they saw on our website of the children running around barefoot—and that was true of both Jalene and me as well. But beyond the beauty of that image, there are many reasons that children should toss their shoes aside when at play.

The first is sheer pleasure. It feels good to shed your shoes and feel the grass—or the mud or sand or water—beneath your feet. When they leave preschool most of our children will not have a choice about shoes on or off. They will spend their entire school day on linoleum or asphalt.
Bare feet are needed for improved balance and flexibility. Shoes prevent children from feeling the ground beneath their feet, and this may cause stumbles or bumps as they look at the ground rather than where they are going (even more so in a natural setting such as our yard). Playing in such a natural and varied terrain helps children build physical strength and flexibility, encourages exploration that leads to increased mobility, and provides challenge and risk that builds confidence and a sense of mastery. However, much of this kind of play—the climbing, balancing and jumping—is much better done in bare feet. Some shoes are fine for long walks but not climbing. Some, like Crocs, are great for puddles but aren’t secure enough for running. Bare feet are ever-versatile and therefore best for play.

As I do not wish to take away from the work of North Huntington Beach Nursery School, and would encourage anyone who might live in the area and have young children to explore this place for themselves, I will end by encouraging you to click on the link above and read the article for yourself. If you are a parent of a young child, you may wish to explore their website for yourself and see if it might be right for your child. The main web page can be found at: http://nhbcns.org/

A Little Humor from a child's point of Veiw

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

I thought you All might like this Dennis the Menace Comic. It once again shows how children think very different from adults. Have Fun:

Children of the Elephant Culture- Mahouts

2012-01-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Most people have heard of the Mahout- India's traditional elephant handlers. Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the 'family business' when he is assigned an elephant early in its life and they would be attached to each other throughout the elephant's life. Elephant training has traditionally been a family heritage passed down through the generations. In addition to being trained early in life to work with elephants, these children are brought up as barefooters, many do not even have shoes. They live a simple life together with their elephant, working, playing, eating and sleeping together as a team from the time they are both little. As the boy learns his place, so does his elephant.

The young Mahout is on the left

For both boy and elephant there are many lessons to learn. Among them is absolute trust for one another, the Mahout must learn not only how to care for and guide his elephant, but how to listen and read the elephant's reactions which may warn of danger while they are working. From an early age the boy becomes an expert in the care and handling of an elephant. The elephant is viewed as a member of the family, and treated with great respect and affection.

Learning the ropes

The Website Elephant Jungle Patrol, had this to say about the Mahouts and their elephants:

The mahouts are interesting people. They take pride in their job and always put their elephant in the first place. For them it is more important that the elephants are fed than themselves. Normally the Mahouts handle one elephant each, but they are also able to handle each others elephants. The Mahouts are all members of the Tangkahan Conservation Response Unit (CRU).
If you join the Elephant Jungle Patrol you will get to know several of them. Some of them have been mahouts for many years, for example Cece, Budiman, Sudiono, Kliwon, Suparman, Abdullah, and Katio.
They have worked with elephants as long as 13 to 22 years. They are themselves between 32 and 42 years old. The jobs as mahouts have given them many experiences.

The children have to master the art of working with an animal and devote most of their time to learning and practicing these crucial life skills from a very early age. Just look at this group as they practice handing their elephants around both other people and other elephants:

Simple skills like having the elephant pick up and carry items from place to place are developed very early in the training. It is quite common to see a very small child using an elephant to carry out simple chores so that the skill and trust develop early in life.

Learning to fetch water

Notice how young both the elephant and riders are. This is normal for the elephants and Mahouts to work closely so early in life. Barefoot living is traditional for these people. Many of them say that the art of guiding an elephant is about having a soft touch, like giving it a massage with your feet. They develop a very deep personal bond with the individual elephant that will be their partner throughout their working life as an adult.

Boy Scouts and Bare Feet

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

One of the great mysteries of the Boy Scouts is why they seemed to have such a public destine for bare feet, when clearly it fits ideally into their heritage and beliefs. As an Eagle Scout, I have years of experience in the program and know first hand what our values in scouting were meant to be. Activities like barefoot hiking fit in ideally with the scouting ethic of leave no trace. I have previously discussed the benefits of Barefoot Hiking back in August, so I won't do a full repeat here. Below is the outdoor code, to which every scout subscribes:

As an American, I will do my best to -
Be clean in my outdoor manners.
I will treat the outdoors as a heritage.
I will take care of it for myself and others
I will keep my trash and garbage out of lakes, streams, fields, woods, and roadways.
Be careful with fire.I will prevent wildfire.
I will build my fires only where they are appropriate.
When I have finished using a fire, I will make sure it is cold out.
I will leave a clean fire ring, or remove all evidence of my fire.
Be considerate in the outdoors.I will treat public and private property with respect.
I will use low-impact methods of hiking and camping.
and
Be conservation mindedI will learn how to practice good conservation of soil, waters, forests, minerals, grasslands, wildlife, and energy.
I will urge others to do the same.

We are supposed to use low impact hiking methods to the best of our ability. What, I ask you is lower impact that barefoot hiking? You would think this would be highly encourages, but for the most part, the opposite seems true in most scouting units. However, you occasionally do see scouts barefoot on outing, but again this is quite rare.

Here is a group of scouts crossing a river with bare feet

Scouting also values physical fitness and strength to the best of ones ability. It is well proven that going barefoot strengthens the feet and legs. Dr. Simon J. Wilker D.S.C. (Doctor of Surgical Chiropody) in his book Take Off Your Shoes and Walk, had this to say about bare feet:

. . . It is not enough that children's feet be free from deforming shoes - foot health also depends upon going barefoot in order to develop agility and strength in the feet . . .

I see no good reason to disregard this sound advice from a medical doctor. Yes scouts can safely engage in all of their outdoor activities in their bare feet if they wanted to. I have photos that show it being done:

Barefoot camping, no problem (That a cub scout den flag off to the right in the background)

Scouts in India go barefoot as you can see in the picture below. Even in uniform it looks very formal and proper:

There is no good reason why scouts can not or even should not go barefoot! I think bring bare feet into the scouting program would encourage boys to develop more environmental awareness and respect for the outdoors. Here are some more photos of scouts barefoot in the outdoors, borrowed from a set on Flickr :

whittling

Making Breakfast (No Shoes, No Shirt, Good Service)

Learning knots

Camping in fact is an ideal time for scouts to go about their business in bare feet as you can clearly see from these picture of scouts in camp. Around camp where you are in and out of tents and want to keep your gear in good shape, going barefoot is actually ideal.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your Family!

2011-12-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are a special time for family! A time of Great Love and Joy. I will be taking time off from Blogging to enjoy this special holiday. From my family to your, may the holiday season be filled with love, joy, peace and wonder, weather you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or something else entirely!

So whatever you celebrate, and however you celebrate it, may this be a time a joy and love for you and your family that will carry into the new year!

I'll pick up again around or after the New Year!

Why Not Let Them Go Barefoot?

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't put them in thick mittens in warm weather, Would you?

So why not let them go Barefoot?

I am of the mind that a child's senses are design to be used! I am also a firm believer that bare feet and the best way to experience nature. The living world is full of countless sights , sounds, smells, and textures waiting to be discovered by our children as they grow and learn. For a child to wear shoes in the woods is about as silly as letting them wear earmuffs in school. Yes they can still learn in shoes, just like children who can not hear can still learn in school. Still, why put a barrier there that your child does not need?

On many occasions I have posted about how bare feet are healthier for a child and how they aid in the physical development. Now let's take a closer look at the emotional development and the emotional and spiritual connection to nature that going barefoot affords your child. For a child that is passionate about nature and the outdoors, the sensation they get from running and playing in their bare feet adds a special dimention to the living world. Your son or daughter will come to treasure nature and look forward to favorite places. Maybe it will be the soft feel of moss, or the tickle of grass between their toes that makes you child feel happy and free.

For another child it might be the mix of bare dirt, moss and/ pine needles covering the forest floor on their favorite trail that gets them running out the door.

Whatever it is, that special something will make him or her feel like a part of this wonderful living world. Instead of just trodding along in meaningless ground, bare feet will allow them to develop a sense of their world in a whole new dimention. Watch your child play barefoot in nature, and you will find that they develop a deep sense of emotional wellness. The freedom to streach their toes and touch the earth will encourage them to explore and enrich their sense of self. Bare feet for a nature-oriented child really are about freedom and connection. Connection to the living world through physical touch, simular to how you bond with an infant by holding the child in your arms and letting him or her get to know the touch of your hands. Children who go barefoot know the touch of nature in the same way. When they climb a tree they feel the roughness or smoothness of its bark on their soles. In addition to the countless health benefits of going barefoot, how could anyone not want to let their child feel connected to nature and discover it joys and hidden treasures?

What Children Learn When they Play!

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

If you think play is not that important to your child, think again! Play is the primary method by which children learn. As a professional educator, I can attest to the truth in this information. See play is the way a child naturally explores their world and comes to understand him or her self and others.When your child is left to him or herself to "Find something to do", what your child is really doing is learning how to competently make their own choices, and anticipate the results. This is how we as adults develop the skills to make wise decisions.
Marian Edelman Borden is a professional writer and Journalist. A frequent contributor to magazines featuring early childhood education, her articles have appeared in American Baby, Healthy Kids, Parenting, Barney Family, Sesame Street, and the New York Times. She is also the author of In Addition to Tuition (Facts On File, 1996). Ms. Borden lives in Larchmont, New York. Ms. Borden has put together a very interesting analysis of what a child learns from different. I would like to share that with you here on my blog, this is quoted from What Children are Learning When they Play:

Circle Time

Generally teachers begin this group time with a specific topic for discussion. It may be a topic related to a project the class is working on, or it may focus on a specific skill. For example, in the beginning of the year, the teacher may play games to help the children learn the names of each of their classmates. Students may also use the time for "show and tell." Teachers often also include music appreciation, group sings, and creative movement during circle time.
Some teachers hold circle time first thing in the morning as a way of organizing the class and the morning activities.
What's Learned These "chats" are an opportunity for the youngsters to learn how to organize their thoughts. As they talk about their experiences, children learn how to tell a story with a beginning, middle,and end. When a child learns the words to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," this is an important part of a child's informal education. This is "shared knowledge"--that is information that society assumes you know. For example, other children assume you know the words to familiar folk songs.

Music Appreciation/Creative Movement

Children enjoy both listening to music and making their own. Whether it's a group sing-along, marching in a percussion band, playing a triangle, or making up new lyrics to old favorite tunes, music is the universal language. Creative movement, learning to move your body through space, in time to the music or while pretending to be a falling leaf, is a creative way to tap into a child's imagination and artistic side.
What's Learned Music helps children connect the outer world of movement and sound with the inner world of feelings and observations. Playing games or moving to music is a powerful first experience in the artistic process. Children learn music the same way they learn language--by listening and imitating.
Finger play promotes language development, fine-motor skills, and coordination, as well as self-esteem. Young children are proud when they sing a song and can do the accompanying finger movements.
Listening to music also teaches important prereading skills. As youngsters use small drums or other percussion instruments (homemade or store-bought), they can play the rhythmic pattern of words. They can learn to hear the differences between fast and slow, loud and soft, one at a time and together, etc. When they try new instruments, they notice how each variation changes the music.
Creative movement expands a child's imagination. It's also a fun method of physical fitness--an important goal of child development.

Art Projects

Some art projects are part of a theme that the class is studying. For example, as part of the seasons' curriculum, the children might gather pine cones, leaves, and acorns during a fall nature walk. They will later use them in art projects, such as to make leaf rubbings, to assemble in collages, or to use as decorations for picture frames.
A good art corner will be stocked with materials that can be used in a variety of ways for projects. There should also be easels for painting individually (although sometimes two children will work at the same easel to create a painting together).
What's Learned A good art project teaches a child that his creativity is limited only by his own imagination. By transforming everyday objects, such as empty paper towel rolls and egg cartons into sculptures, imaginary bugs, or spyglasses, a child discovers that he can create a world of play.
Using materials in an art project reinforces and expands on the information a child has already learned in other contexts. For example, let's assume that the art project of the day is to make rubbings of leaves collected during a nature walk the day before. If from a pile on the table, the child selects a dry leaf that crumbles easily, the youngster learns, in a concrete way, about life cycles in nature. Through trial and error, just like the scientist in a lab, the student might find that green leaves or shiny leaves hold up better for this art project.
Another art project might have the youngsters create a fall mural by pasting leaves, pine cones, and acorns on a large roll of paper. They might organize the project by sorting and classifying the leaves, by color, shape, and size. These are prereading and premath skills--as well as fun. In this same project, the group also learns social skills such as cooperative and group dynamics. Do the three-year-olds know this as they happily create a fall mural--probably not, but their teachers certainly do.
Art projects are also excellent for developing a child's fine-motor skills. It takes small-muscle control in order to manipulate clay, cut with scissors, paint with a brush, and color with markers or crayons. As these skills are practiced, they help a child gain mastery to cut with a knife, button his own shirt, and print his name.
Art projects build a child's self-esteem. The finished product, on display on the refrigerator, validates a child's sense of worth. It's another opportunity for a child to say "I can do it!"
The process, not the product, is the most important element of preschool art projects.

Outdoor Play

Running, swinging, climbing, jumping, hopping, biking, digging in the sand--outdoor fun is one of the favorite parts of any young child's day. A good preschool playground will have enough space and sturdy equipment that a child can use his imagination while exercising. For example, the jungle gym structure might have connecting slides, firefighter poles to shimmy down and then inch up, tunnels to crawl through, a swinging bridge that connects one side of the apparatus to the other. A child will use multiple skills and create dozens of scenarios as he plays on this one structure. There should be equipment for digging, hauling, building, and riding.
What's Learned Outdoor play refines a child's gross-motor (large-muscle) skills. The cross-lateral movement (right arm/left leg and vice versa) involved is critical to a child's later success in reading and writing. Playground time is also an opportunity to explore and manipulate a different environment.
Youngsters also love outdoor play because they can let loose their imaginations while getting physical. They can turn the jungle gym into a rocket ship, a castle, a firehouse--anything they choose.

Cooking

Children enjoy cooking. Sometimes they like the product, but even if they don't, they always appreciate the process. It's fun to do something that is a grown-up activity--and discover that kids can do it too!
Preschools often tie cooking projects to other themes the class is working on. For example, in the fall, a class may take a pumpkin and use it in a variety of ways. For a large pumpkin, the class may first decorate it with markers and use the pumpkin as a centerpiece on the classroom table. Later, the teacher will cut open the pumpkin and the students can estimate how many seeds are in the pumpkin. Later the class can count the seeds and compare the total to the estimates. The class can also roast the pumpkin seeds for snack, and finally bake pumpkin bread.
What's Learned Since cooking is a basic life skill, it fosters a child's sense of competence and independence when he can do it. Math skills are also an important part of the process as the cook needs to count and measure the ingredients. Cooking also refines small-motor skills as a child stirs, dices, and adds ingredients. It also teaches about nutrition-foods that are good for you and help you grow.
A child also discovers how things change if you alter the environment: liquid batter becomes a cake when baked; juice cups become Popsicles when frozen. Cooking also helps a child's reasoning ability. He learns cause and effect. "If I don't put the juice cups in the freezer, they won't become Popsicle."

Snack Time

What do you remember as the highlight of your own school day--lunch time and recess? It's not all that different for preschoolers.
Snack time is an important part of the preschool experience. Whether the food is provided by the school, or on a rotating basis by the parents, or cooked by the students themselves, snack time--just like mealtime in your own home--is an opportunity to "break bread," share, and communicate. The snack is usually simple, crackers or a piece of fruit and juice.
Snack time can also be an opportunity for children to try new foods. One little boy brought in the usual graham crackers and apple juice for the class snack, but also brought in his personal favorite green olives. Surprisingly, several of the children were willing to taste the new delicacy!
What's Learned Snack time is an opportunity for a child to learn social skills as she chats with her friend in the seat next to her. Passing out the snack and distributing a napkin and cup to each child teaches one-to-one correspondence and counting skills. Pouring the juice from a small pitcher to an individual cup requires small-motor control. Cleanup time after snack is another educational opportunity. Again, a child's sense of competence and independence are reinforced. Snack time is also an opportunity for a child to associate mealtime with pleasant feelings.

Free-Play Activities

Free play sounds vague, but is very much a planned activity. The child has the freedom to choose among many different activities,

Building with Blocks
There's so much going on in the block corner that it's easy to understand why it is often the most popular area in the preschool classroom. It can also become the focus of incredible territorial struggles. Sometimes groups of children begin to act as if they own the space. Often boys dominate the area, making it difficult for girls (or boys who aren't members of the block clique) to enter. One study suggests that if a teacher positions herself in the block corner for part of the day, girls are more likely to enter and use the area.
Building with blocks is lots of fun--and it teaches many skills that children will use later. One study indicates that many of the concepts learned from block building are the foundation for more advanced science comprehension. For example, a child learns about gravity, stability, weight, balance, and systems from building with blocks. Through trial and error, she learns inductive thinking, discovery, the properties of matter, and the interaction of forces. One researcher suggested that one reason you see fewer girls in advanced placement physics classes in high school is because they are excluded (intentionally or unintentionally) from many of the "play" activities that build scientific framework.
What's Learned Blocks help children learn scientific, mathematical, art, social studies, and language concepts; use small-motor skills; and foster competence and self-esteem. Building with blocks also teaches life skills. Just putting away your groceries in the cupboard is using the same concepts of spatial relations, stability, and balance that you learned in the block corner.
Besides the scientific concepts discussed in the previous paragraph, blocks also are important in developing math skills. A child learns about depth, width, height, length, measurement, volume, area, classification, shape, symmetry, mapping, equality (same as), and inequality (more than, less than)--all from building with blocks.
Building with blocks also teaches art concepts such as patterns, symmetry, and balance. A child learns about symbolic representation, interdependence of people, mapping, grids, patterns, people and their work. A child gains pre-reading skills such as shape recognition, differentiation of shapes, size relations. Language is enhanced as children talk about how to build, what they built, what is its function or ask questions about concepts or directions. And dramatic play is also a part of block building as children create stories to go along with their constructions.
Finally, building with blocks fosters a feeling of competence, teaches cooperation and respect for the work of others, encourages autonomy and initiative.
It's not just building with blocks that is educational--so is cleanup. Sorting and storing blocks teaches classification and one-to-one correspondence, which are important math skills.

Dramatic Play
The housekeeping/dress-up corner should be stocked with play items and props that encourage young children to play make-believe. Look for pots and pans, stuffed animals, dolls (soft, unbreakable, washable, and multi-ethnic), toy telephones, hats, purses and tote bags, unbreakable tea sets, doll beds and carriages.
What's Learned Playing make-believe lets a child bring the complicated grown-up world down to size. Research demonstrates that children who are active in pretend play are usually more joyful and cooperative, more willing to share and take turns, and have larger vocabularies than children who are less imaginative.
Imaginative play helps youngsters to concentrate, to be attentive, and to use self-control. Think about how a child develops a game of supermarket. He must first set up the counter, put out the pretend cans of food, invite friends to shop, use the "cash register," and bag the groceries. All of these actions help a child to learn about sequential acts. He also has a story or script in mind that helps him to perform each of these steps in a logical and orderly way.
When children pretend they also learn to be flexible, substituting objects for those they do not have. For example, a child will use an empty paper towel roll for a telescope.
Through imaginative play, children learn empathy for others. Children will often act out a whole range of emotions when playing pretend, offering sympathy for a stuffed "doggie" that is hurt or for a doll that fell off a chair. We watch them scold a puppet for being naughty or tell a doll how proud they are because she used the potty.
Dramatic play encourages children to think abstractly, which is an important prereading skill. Children come to understand that words represent ideas.

Manipulative Toys
Children enjoy playing with a variety of toys that helps develop their fine-motor control. These toys include Legos, Bristle Blocks, Play-Doh, Peg-Boards, large beads to thread, and stacking and nesting materials.
What's Learned Manipulative toys help develop a child's fine-motor skills, which is a precursor to being able to write. Often these toys are also used in fantasy play. The beads that are strung become the necklace for the "queen" to wear. The Play-Doh creations include cookies for the impromptu "tea party."

Cooperative Play
During the preschool day, you should see children who are playing by themselves, but you should also see cooperative play, small groups or even the class as a whole working on a project. The amount of cooperative play increases as the children grow older. Some of this play may be child initiated, and some may be teacher directed.
What's Learned Working together, whether it's on a block building or planning a tea party, helps children to learn to respect the ideas of others. They develop their social skills, and social competence is an underlying goal of early childhood education. Children in cooperative play learn to contribute to joint efforts. They also learn how to problem solve by working together to find a solution.

Sand/Water Table
Sometimes the rubber basin is filled with sand (some schools use rice or grits, which are less likely to get into a preschooler's eyes), and it's almost an indoor mini-playground. Even children who don't ordinarily dig in the sand at the beach will find it fun to measure, sift, and pour the sand from one container to another. When it's filled with water, the basin becomes a doll bathtub or a sink for toy china.
What's Learned A child has a practical math lesson in fractions when she pours a cup full of sand into a two-cup container. It explains the concept faster and more clearly than a detailed discussion or drawing. Her fine-motor skills are also being developed as she washes a tea set or maneuvers a cup full of sand into a sifter. Her eye-hand coordination is helped.
As anyone who has sat on a beach knows, sand and water play is soothing. It encourages children to explore and learn about cause and effect. (For example, what happens if I put a sponge in the water? What happens if I then squeeze the sponge?).
There is no right or wrong way to play with sand and water (except to throw it out of the basin), so each child experiences success.

Puzzles

The classroom should have puzzles that vary in complexity, five-piece puzzles, as well as 12-piece puzzles, and puzzles made of different materials. You should also find puzzles that interlock and those that have individual slots for pieces (for example, a five-piece puzzle of five individual animals).
What's Learned Puzzles require abstract thinking: the ability to see a space and envision what belongs there. Puzzles also require fine-motor control in order to place the pieces into place. Having puzzles for varied skill levels permits children at all stages of development to experience success.

Books

The book corner should have books reflecting a range of levels. There should be simple board books, as well as picture books with a story line. The area should be comfortable, carpeted, and perhaps lined with pillows. It should be a place where a young child can go and look through books by himself--as well as a meeting place for story time for the class.
What's Learned Children learn language skills from books. Whether they are looking at a book individually, or being read to as part of a group, when you make books a part of a young child's day you set the stage for a lifelong interest in reading.

I am going to add some things of my own to this list based on my experiences as an educator working with children.

Nature Play

Playing in nature is the one place where your child develops many skills at the same time. In nature, a child discoverers their senses and the amazing living world. Birds, bugs, butterflies, squirrels, chipmunks and other wild life give a child their first glimpse of diversity on an large scale. Long before your child is old enough to understand the differences in human culture, they can tell how a bunny is different from a bird and how both are different from a tree. Through this experience, a child is developing an appreciation for how differences all have an important place in our world. As he or she gets older, this can lay the foundation for understanding people of different cultures and individual people. The world of nature teaches your child to use his or her senses and recognize how flowers are similar and different from each other. Nature is also a world full of science, such as how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, or how a seed grows into a plant. Watching rivers and small waterfalls can allow a child to observe to law of gravity at work.

Bikes/ Skateboard/Scooters

These toys teach children about motion, balance, and coordination. They also help a child develop his or her body and physical skills. It also takes planning to control these toys and make them go where you want them to go.

Go Green, Go Barefoot!

2011-12-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

I want to share with you a very interesting piece on the barefoot friendly culture of Japan as compared to US anti-barefoot ideas. The Article Go Green, Go Barefoot can be found by clicking the in text link. The results are quite interesting and speak for themselves:

The southern islands of Japan resemble Florida in weather and lifestyle. Warmer and more casual than the big cities of Tokyo or Osaka, the city of Kumamoto was a time capsule when I moved there. One of the traditions is the children attend school barefoot. I was amused by this at first, and as a teacher I was required to take my shoes off too. I got use to it.
One of the local medical doctors explained to me that the shoe companies suggested the schools should modernize and force the kids should wear "inside shoes". It is custom to remove your shoes in all homes and some other buildings. Some gyms have you remove your shoes and put on a different pair that is only worn inside. Therefore the filth of the street is not transferred to the floor. One of the things Japanese mothers find disgusting is to watch the American actor kids lying on their bed wearing shoes in our movies. The mother's cringe when they see an American Kid jump on his bed with shoes on and wonder how an American mother can allow their children to pollute their bed with the filth of the outside streets, bathrooms and public places.
The idea of moving to wearing shoes in school led to a rebellion.They felt barefoot kids were healthier kids. A comparison study was done between schools that used inside shoes verse schools where the children attended school and played barefoot.
It should be noted that the playground in the schools had a soft sandy soil that was created to stimulate the soles of the children's feet. The idea was if the feet were strong the ankles were strong, then the knees were strong all the way up to the head. The school's playground toys (Jungle Gyms) had toe and finger holds to help strengthen the body. Schools have a hands free foot washing station for when they returned to classroom. Since the feet were open to air there was little to no occurrence of foot fungus. Something thought of as a foreign disease. To grow fungus you need a moist dark warm place such as a shoe. It should also be noted that in the bathrooms separate sandals used only in the bathroom were placed. Japanese are famous for being a clean people. The hand washing rate after restroom use is near 100% as compared to the US being less than fifty percent.
The result of the study was the barefoot kids had higher grades, much lower absenteeism, less frequency of colds, and enjoyed school more. Also vandalism was much lower. It seems barefoot kids don't break things. Japanese kids are required to clean their own schools. They learn team work, discipline, cleanliness, personal space responsibility and it reduces janitorial fees. Imagine all the money we could save in US schools if we did this. In US democratic schools, where students make the rules, they universally vote barefoot school attendance is permissible.
You may have been noticing many articles the benefits of not wearing shoes ir using barefoot technology shoes. One post surgical knee study found that those going shoeless verse wearing sports shoes found the barefoot patients did much better. It seems the shoes angled the ten percent forward causing the faulty healing.
Another study over seas took hundreds of British and had them half of them put their feet in ice water and the other half in an empty bucket. It seems a higher percentage of iced feet people caught colds. This seems to be true of people those wearing shoes and then having a chill but if ones normal state is barefoot they seem to be healthier.
Studies of cultures that never wear or have worn shoes have found no foot problems outside congenital and injuries. It seems there is less jarring of the back and less back problems with those raised barefoot. I often ask my older patients with good backs if they went barefoot as a youth and they often respond "Yes, we were poor" or "I never liked shoes".
More and more research is pointing that shoes that mimic walking barefoot are better for the body. Running shoes and barefoot friendly shoes are very popular. Changing shoes or shoe style often can cause some foot discomfort as the foot can not decide what to do. Changing to a "barefoot" style shoe without conditioning can lead to injury.
Although in an ideal world it is paved in grass, the reality is we were not made to walk on concrete all day long. However, allowing your children's feet and our own to breath and spread out more can not hurt. More and more studies are alluding that natural or bare is better. Obviously, there are social restrictions but more and more companies are coming out with barefoot technology shoes. In the future all shoes may tend to engineered this way.

Pay close attention to the difference in cultural views, as the Japanese people are considered very clean even by western standards. I think the people of Japan have the right idea. The only point I wish to counter is the very last one made:
"Obviously, there are social restrictions but more and more companies are coming out with barefoot technology shoes. In the future all shoes may tend to engineered this way."

Why are we trying to create a technical solution to an issue a bad policy?

Do your children wear their "Gym Feet" in school?

2011-12-15T02:38:00.000-08:00

It's a play on words, because today I want to talk about children doing physical education or gym class barefoot. In the US, this practice used to exist until the 1980's, and in the UK it is still done. Allowing a child to exercise and play barefoot encourages them to develop strong healthy bodies, and requires them to fully develop the muscles in their legs and feet. The UK's document on safe standards in PE had this to say about bare feet:

§ Work in bare feet is strongly recommended, provided the floor is clean and splinter free, since this will:

–        Maximise the exercise value and promote the development of strong, healthy feet.
–        Enable tactile sensation with the soles of the feet on working surfaces and thereby increase safety.
–        Promote work of quality through extension of the ankles and toes.

I would provide a link to it, but it is not a direct online document. I had to search it out, download and open the file to see it. Having done PE in my bare feet as a child, as part of a special education program, I would have to agree with that assessment of the benefits of doing gym in school barefoot. For many activities where children are moving around quickly, or working in close quarters like gymnastics, going barefoot adds an extra dimension of safety to the activity. In the US you will often see children doing gymnastics or tumbling in socks or sometimes shoes. This is an accident waiting to happen. Socks are much too slippery and shoes risk hurting others if you fall and loose shoelaces getting in the way. Only Bare Feet allow for maximum safety and health.

Gymnastic and balancing

Warm up

Look at both of the photos above of children doing activities in physical education. This is standard practice in the UK. The children go barefoot with no problem. Even in the winter, there is no concern, as the gym is heated and we all know a little cold can't harm a healthy child anyway.

Here's a video of a typical gym class in the UK:

Notice once again that the students are all barefoot and that there is no problem with it at all! For these reasons I feel the UK's policy of requiring bare feet in PE is much better than the US policy banning bare feet.

Cold Feet? Put on a hat! (I'm serious)

2011-12-14T03:29:00.000-08:00

People often worry if a child gets cold feet that they might get sick. While there is no basis for the idea that cold on it's own will make you sick, it is important to keep you CORE temperature stable. However, contrary to popular belief, the best way to avoid heat loss is to cover you Head. Think back to high school physics for a moment, and I'll explain:

Heat rises, we all learn this in school, it the reason you sit food on top of a heat source to cook it. What do you do to keep the heat in the cooking food? Why, you put a lid on top of the pot, of course! The same laws of physics apply to your body. Your body heat rises like all heat, escaping from the highest point in your body, you head. You might feel the cold in your feet first, as they are at the bottom, but you are loosing the heat from your head!

Warm Cloths and bare feet, three remembered their hats

The picture above illustrates how a child can stay warm and comfortable with bare feet if they dress correctly for the weather. Many people would laugh at this, because they assume that going barefoot would make you cold, but it does not. As long as your child keep his or her core warm, he or she will be fine in the cold! There is no reason to run for shoes at the first hint of cold weather. In fact, by going barefoot longer your child will acclimate and develop a stronger immune system.

Even in snow, bare feet are ok! The trick is to make sure the clothes are loose enough to allow circulation. The flow of warm blood will prevent frost bite. I have seen children playing barefoot in the snow with no ill effects.

bare feet in snow

The trick is to make sure you don't feel numb!

P.S. I wish to point out a confusing statement in this entry highlighted by my friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast: Heat does rise, but this is not why you loose heat through your head. Your brain requires a large amount of blood to function, so your body gives your head priority for warm fresh blood. However, it is still true that a large amount of heat escapes through your head, and wearing a hat can prevent this heat loss! Thanks Bob for pointing out the confusing statement!

Life in a Log

2011-12-12T03:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat activity for your child to do in warmer weather! Go out in the woods and find an old rotting log. What can they do with an old log? They can discover how even in things that seem dead, there is still plenty of life to discover and learn about. Everything from ants and beetles to small frogs and crickets can be found living there. From the rotting wood, mushrooms and other fungi will sprout and grow. Far from being "dead trees," logs teem with life. Since living trees consist mostly of dead wood on the inside anyway, fallen logs sustain more living biomass when dead than when alive!
A dead log often looks like a miniature forest. Mushrooms, lichens and liverworts flourish in the rich moist environment. Seen here are the fruiting bodies of the fungi. In the log, they put out extensive networks of tiny threads called hyphae, that consume the plant matter and even can trap and eat tiny creatures like nematode worms.

Does this look "Dead" to you?

Even if your child just sits, nature will come to him

Logs also draw other animals such as birds and insects that don't live in or on them. With a little patience, nature will come to you child. Since there fallen trees are dead, there is no harm in allowing you child to peel away the rotting bark and taking a close look at what lives beneath. This is the perfect opportunity to let your child discover natural habitats at his or her fingertips.

Feet are Fine- No shoes needed

2011-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today I want to point out some places where parents often put their child or children in shoes, but your child can just as easily and safely go barefoot. I don't see any reason to put shoes on a child when it is proven that bare feet are much healthier. Remember, you are the parent, don't let others tell you when your child "needs" shoes.
Parks and Playgrounds:

Your child is going to these places to relax, unwind, and burn off their extra energy. They don't really need shoes, especially if your child goes barefoot regularly and has tough soles. In parks, a nature-oriented child will enjoy the feel of grass, sand, and/or dirt under their bare soles. There is no reason to deny them this pleasure.

Doctor's and dentist- Neither of these places should require shoes. They are health professional and should know the difference between myths and truth. The doctor especially should accept bare feet, as your child will be asked to remove shoes and socks before a physical.

Physical exam

A dental cleaning

Small stores- Especially non-chain stores, and places with shopping carts, you child does not need shoes in these place. If they hassle you, remember, YOU are the customer! This is also true of most service shops.

Children and Nature: What is the Connection?

2011-12-07T05:42:00.000-08:00

This blog has always had a strong focus on children and nature. Nature is a very important prat of healthy development for children. Through out history, children have played outdoors in nature, running through woods and fields. Ironically, in an age where the time children spend playing outdoors is declining sharply, new psychology and medical research is suggesting that play in nature might be critical for healthy brain development. In the article Children and Nature: Why Nature is Essential for Brain Development , this connection is explored in depth!

Here is a little piece from the article that I found interesting because it talks in depth on how nature affects brain function:

One study actually shows that apartments overlooking green space( trees, flowers, greenery) experience fewer episodes of domestic violence. By contrast, crowded urban settings have increased levels of aggression.New research actually shows that nature is essential for the brain. Hospital patients recover more quickly in a setting with greenery, grass and trees. Even fleeting exposures to natural settings outside the windows can improve brain performance.One study demonstrates that just looking at a natural scene can improve scores on tests of attention and memory.
Nature also has a calming effect on the brain. It can catch our attention without overloading our brain. That is why thriving cities like New York and Paris are filled with central parks. Paris is graced with several parks that are legacies from the renaissance aristocracy. These favorite haunts allow Parisians the mental breaks necessary for restoration of brain machinery.

The rest of this amazing article can be found at: Children and Nature: What is the Connection?

Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You

2011-12-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday's post Expose Kids to Germs got an unexpected reply for friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast, who runs Ahcuah pointing me to yet another article on the benefits of allowing your child some exposure to dirt. Thanks to Bob, I can can share this with you now.
If you remember I discussed the Hygiene Hypothesis and how being overly clean might weaken the immune system. It turns out that the latest research into epidemiology, the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems, is showing there may be a lot of truth to the hygiene hypothesis. In plain English, this mean that the scientific study of of how and why we get sick, and how to prevent illness is finding more and more evidence to suggest that exposure to germs might be the key to developing immunity and preventing illness and allergies. The experts are now saying that this exposure "Trains the Immune System to defend our bodies". This whole line of thinking is the topic of a 2009 article from The New York Times called Babies Know: A Little Dirt is Good for You
Below is what I feel may be one of the most important points of the whole article:

In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.

This goes right along with what I have said previously. Extending the exposure mean allowing and even encouraging you child to get dirty sometimes. Children need to run barefoot in the woods and not care about what is on their feet for dirt.

If you want your child to have a strong immune system and be free from
allergies, this might be one of the best ways for them to play

What the dirt seems to do is give your child just the right amount of exposure to boost the immune system. You may wonder about all that pollen in the spring that drives you crazy. What is happening is you body is overreacting to a perceived threat. For your child, these responses have not yet developed. If you allow you child plenty of exposure before their immune system develops a response, their body will learn to recognize these things like pollen and rag weed as a normal part of the environment that is not a danger, and your child's body will not react to them. If your child's body dose not react to pollen as a threat, he or she will not have an allergy!

Letting your child play barefoot outside in the dirt might be the key to good health after all!

The Life of the Kiwi Child!

2011-12-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

I must first point out that this entry is inspired by Bob Nienast's November 27, 2011 Blog entry: Well, Well, Wellington . Bob did a great job of highlighting the fact that in Wellington, New Zealand, the children do sports in their bare feet. The truth of the matter is that the children of New Zealand are for the most part barefooters. Most of the time they do not wear shoes to do any at all. In the semi-tropical/tropical climate, shoes do not really serve a purpose in daily life. Therefore, children are encouraged to go barefoot and allow their feet to develop naturally.

Typical "cool weather" dress for New Zealand children, note the bare feet

Gathering fire wood on a camp out

For a child in New Zealand, bare feet are normal and not even worth a second thought. By the time they are school age, walking barefoot down a rocky trail in the woods is as easy as walking barefoot on the tiles of their bathroom floor. These children have soles that feel like leather. They have wide, strong well developed feet that need no protection in daily life. They also have very strong robust immune systems that are ready to deal with almost anything. When your feet offer more protection then you need for most things, why worry about extra?

In allowing their feet to grow unrestrained, most children there also have feet that are wider than those of the average American child. This extra width means that any shoes will cost slightly more to make, but the plus side for the child is better balance when barefoot because they have a slightly wider base to stand on. The culture of New Zealand has become a barefoot culture with bare feet being the norm about everywhere. In schools children come without shoes and go barefoot everywhere.

Lunch in school

Drawing figures to measure for math class

Bare feet even appear to be allowed on some school field trips, as can be seen here:

For these children, going barefoot is one of the treasured freedoms of childhood, and is clearly commonplace and healthy. In New Zealand childern live without shoes most of the time and are much more robust becuase of it. If you ever needed prove that bafoot living can work in a modern 21st century world, her you go!

Expose Kids to Germs!

2011-12-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

Here is an article I just found that reinforces the notion that a little dirt is healthy for children. It is based on an interview with a doctor:

Being overly concerned with cleanliness will do more harm than good to your kids.
PARENTS are constantly looking for that one pill or supplement that will help boost their child’s immunity.
Now, consultant ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist Dr Lim Wye Keat says it’s better to expose your children to germs to help them build up a natural immunity to bacteria and viruses.
He thinks it’s counterproductive to protect your children from the common cold by using face masks or preventing them from going to school.
Get this: To have a strong immunity, nothing beats real-life training, Dr Lim Wye Keat stresses.
“In my opinion, it will be a disadvantage as infection with the otherwise harmless common cold virus only serves to boost the child’s immunity,” he points out.

I highly recommend this article to parents. The rest can be found at Expose Kids to Germs!

What Can a Child Do in Nature- 101 Ideas

2011-11-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to share with you this really neat list I found of things your child can do out in nature. All Ideas come from the Greenheart Institute For Nature in Childhood Some are eye-opening life lessons, others are just silly thing for amusement:

Climb a tree Catch a grasshopper Dig a hole to China

Pick ripe berries Smell the flowers Build a fort

Hide in the bushes Feel fuzzy plants Peak into a birdhouse

Burrow through a thicket Glide on a tall swing Collect rocks and shells

Whack trees with sticks Roll down a hill Gaze at the clouds

Find a secret hide-away Follow an animal trail Balance on a log

Toast marshmallows Marvel at the Milky Way Run through open fields

Dive into leaf piles Build an igloo Sleep in a tent

Catch tadpoles Zoom down a sledding hill Dam up a tiny stream

Climb up boulder piles Skip stones on a pond Dig up a carrot

Paddle a canoe Catch a bluegill Design a tree house

Dig in the sand Grow a beanpole teepee Make mud pies

Walk barefoot Paint with watercolors Play Pooh sticks

Find a bright feather Read books under a tree Follow raccoon tracks

Spy a turtle on a log Bicycle through a park Snap a photo of a deer

Make a willow whistle Catch a garter snake Build a snowman

Splash in puddles Search for Monarch chrysalises Make your own waterslide

Chase a cottontail Whistle a happy song Sail a walnut-shell boat

Pen a poem Explode touch-me-not seeds Splash through a creek

Nap in a hammock Make a snow angel Watch a meteor shower

Listen to an owl calling Catch fireflies in a bottle Blow dandelion seeds

Create sandbox sculptures Gather acorns for trading Climb a hill

Follow ant trails Watch the sun set Dig up earthworms

Suck honeysuckle nectar Fly a kite Catch snowflakes on your tongue

Plant a vegetable garden Skip down a boardwalk Stalk a lizard

Chew on a wild onion Listen to bullfrogs

Wear a bedstraw crown Walk in the rain Swing on a rope

Have a snowball fight Start a flower box Jump from rock to rock

Race a friend Sniff a lilac bush Fly maple seed helicopters

Plant a tree Go on a picnic Play king of the hill

Find a four-leaf clover Pick daisy petals Look under stepping stones

Paint a gourd Make leaf rubbings Run through the sprinklers

Start a home bird list Water the garden Play hide and seek

Be a chalk artist Day dream

The Country Boy

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

We all have our images and ideas of children that live out in the country and call rural areas home. I would like to suggest that in many ways these children are much more nature oriented than children living in the city or even the suburbs. Sadly, today mainstream America often views country life as backwards. But I wish to challenge the stereotype with an image of children living a much slower paced, healthier life where obesity, ADD, and gangs are almost entirely absent. For theses American children, wood rivers and streams are an important part of childhood, and play is not confined to the computer. Do these children have responsibility? Yes, often more than their city dwelling counterparts. They help around home and the family farm.

The country boy is free to live a more healthy life. He trades fancy shoes for tought bare feet that can handle most situations with ease. When you live on a farm and help out working in the feild or around animals, it just makes more sense to go barefoot, and rely on tought natural soles.

As you can clearly see, going barefoot is a way of life for children living in the country. For this simple, laid back, nature oriented way of life, bothering with shoes and socks does not make a whole lot of sense. In many of these places a barefoot childhood is kind of an unspoken tradition that people grow up with. Under these conditions young people develop very tough, resilliant soles at an early age and are used to being barefoot most of the time from spiring to late fall or even early winter depending on the climate where they live. If most roads and walkways are dirt or small gravel, and get muddy in the rain, bare feet are clearly the more practical choice.

Since these children spend a lot of time outside they also are around plants and animals regularly, so they intuitively know what is safe and what to watch out for. I would argue that country living might be the best way to bring up a child in the 21 century USA.

Nature Therapy for Children with Special Need!

2011-11-28T02:28:00.000-08:00

As an educator, I believe that nature and the outdoor provide one of the best sensory environments for a child with special needs. In the outdoors, all of our senses come to life at once. Having your child immerse him or her self in nature will open them up to a world unfamiliar to them and promote growth and development. Before you go, have your child dress as lightly as possible so they can use their sense of touch to explore. Shorts and bare feet are recommended if it is warm enough and your child can tolerate the feeling.

So what do you do? If your child is mobile on their own encourage him or her to run free and climb, jump and dig. If there is water, let your child splash in it if they can do so safely. Have him or her roll in the grass and crawl around.

The feel of the long grass stimulates the nervous system in children who may have
sensory processing problems

The idea here is to allow the child some control of the sensory input they are feeling. Children with sensory issues not only have very personal preferences, but they also have limitations in their ability to tolerate certain types of input. The worst mistake you can make is to cause your child to go into sensory overload, which for some children is a painful experience. Imagine touching something cold and feeling a sensation like an electrical shock go through your body. OUCH! Don't laugh, this has really happened to me personally, and it does hurt.

As your child explores the sights, sound, smells and textures of nature, stay close to them and be aware of their sensitivities, especially if your child is non-verbal or cognitively challenged. Some children with mobility issues, such as severe cerebral palsy might do better if you lay them in the grass and bring things to them to touch and play with at their own pace. Allow you child to choose the activity. Some children are really active and other are not.

This young boy enjoys the motion of the swing and the wind in his face

Nature has the ability to stimulate our senses in a way no man made environment can. For children living with a disability, especially one that is nerologically based, this controlled stimulation is crutial. Our brains and nervious systems need sensory imput to develop and to stay healthy. I urge every parent with a child who has special needs to gi ve to a try. Even if all you have time for is watching your child crawl around in the grass of your back yard, it is a critical first step for that child.

Life in the Slow Lane

2011-11-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

The problem with today's world is that the pace is much too fast and stressful! What our children need is a chance to step out of the rut of daily life and slow down a bit. Nature is the best escape for any child. they can watch animal of explore at their own pace. Like the picture above, children can get up close and personal with some of the life around them. plants and animals come in every shape size and color imaginable, so there is something for every child of every age from toddler to teenager. There are also activities for every interest and ability level! Get outdoors and reconnect with the living world.

If adventure is your child's thing, might I suggest barefoot hiking. There are plenty of places to hike for all skill levels from the first time hiker to a skilled teenager looking for a challenge. There are wide open flat areas and rugged hills, each offers different sights, sounds, smells and experiences to your eager youngster. If it comforts them, they can even bring their family pet along.

There are some many places to explore and textures to experience for a young barefoot child. Each is its own one of a kind experience that will create memories that last a life time.

If hiking is not your child's interest, they might to like to fish or explore near a river steam lake or pond. The world of water is very different from what we see on land. It is home to fish, frogs, turtles, insects and many kinds of plants. In warm weather your child can wade in or go swimming, while in cooler weather he or she can sit or lie on shore and watch what goes on in this amazing world. Try a homemade water scope made from a coffee can:

Coffee can water scope

This fun little invention allows your child to see the underwater world without getting wet. All you have to do is cut to bottom off of an old coffee can, stretch clear plastic wrap over the opening and secure it in place with a tight rubber band.The air inside the can will allow you child to see what is under the water clearly just like a pair of swim goggles, but the child never has to enter the water or get wet (although, in my experience most children find a way to get wet, so don't do this in really cold weather). A water scope can bring a child hours of joy and wonder.

Other children might enjoy climbing trees and exploring in the branches. A tree can be home to all kinds of amazing things from birds, to squirrels and chipmunks, to bugs of all shapes and sizes or maybe your child just wants to look at leaves or clouds while they are up there.

Eastern Chipmunk

Gray Squirrel

Once your child takes the time to look, he or she will realize the world of nature is buzzing with life of all kinds. I could not possible fit into one blog entry every thing your child can discover in nature, but hopefully I can inspire you to take them looking! Go discover the magic of nature and the wonder of life.

What is all the Fuss About????

2011-11-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

Usually I try to stay positive in my Blog, however, as my purpose is to explore the world our children live in, and the issues affecting their lives, I feel the need sometimes to highlight the problems I see. The one that bugs me the most is the horrible prejudice against bare feet here in the USA. In schools they go out of their way to ban bare feet, but these people play hypocrite to a sickening degree. For example the student handbook for Baltimore County, Maryland says the following:

The following specific items are not permitted, except in individual cases as approved by the principal of the school:

Bare feet;

(Quoted from the Baltimore County Public Schools Student Handbook 2011-2012 edition p. 10)

Individual cases requiring approval from the principal? And what are those cases may I ask? I can not find one legitimate reason to ban bare feet in any school. They are NOT a hazard to health or safety in any way, so why the fuss? If there really was a danger, why would they allow the principal to wavy the rule at his or her discretion?

Bare feet were once common place in schools, and here's a picture to prove my point:

American School Children c. 1900

Yes this was 100 years ago, but do you see any harm from their bare feet? I don't! Hey, how about something a bit more recent for you:

A private School in Framingham, Massachusetts 2010

How is last year for recent?

Why does one school see a problem with something that is perfectly OK in another school? I hardly see a reason to give bare feet a second thought, let alone ban them. There is no reason to think a child would learn any less with bare feet. In fact one could argue that allowing children to dress comfortably would help them focus better in what is being taught! The picture from last year proves that bare feet are still OK in a few US schools, but sadly this is the rare exception, not the norm. They choose to single out bare feet and make a major issue out of something that should be irrelevant.

Even more annoying is the fact that bare feet are preferred by many children with special needs. These children often have sensory issues that make shoes intolerable, and they fight to get rid of them, In this case shoes become a major distraction in the classroom, taking time away from learning.

So as not to bore anyone with a review, if you would like to see my entry from November 7, 2011, on

Why I think Bare Feet are best for Children with Special Needs

Please click the link above and read the entry. So now the issue becomes are you going to fight with children all day, taking away time from their learning over a dumb pair of shoes, when they can learn just as well or better in their bare feet, or are you going to single children with disabilities out for everyone by telling the other students that child X is allowed to be barefoot only because they have a disability that affects their learning. For the record, singling out a child for having a disability and intentionally drawing attention to them for that reason is a violation of federal law. It falls under the previsions of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA, which guarantees all American children with disabilities a free public education that meets their needs and is free of any bias. Therefore you can not tell other students that Johnny has a disability, it is a breech of the confidentiality provision.

So one has to wonder why our schools have this bias against students going barefoot!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

2011-11-24T05:28:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a special time for the joys of family. Although we should be thankful everyday, this is the day we set aside to rest and reflect on the most special things in our lives. Instead of my usual blog, I want to say thanks to all of my regular readers and with each and every one of you a special and happy holiday season that begins now and lasts into the new year.

Bring your family close, and celebrate each other! Share the joy and love only family brings. Remember family and faith is what a holiday is really about, the rest is add on! Thank God for family and Friends!

Most IMPORTANT of ALL, DON'T EVER FORGET TO LET YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOU LOVE THEM! Your family is the most important group of people you will ever know!

So here's me wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

Are Bare Feet the Secret to Healthy Children?

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Are these the secret to a healthy childhood?

You probably wonder what a boy's dirty feet could have to do with children's health. If I told you the answer was A Whole Lot, would you be surprised?

I would go so far as to argue that going barefoot as a child could be as important to good health as eating the right foods, and getting enough sleep at night. Remember a child is still developing, so things they do have a greater impact on them. It is well known that long ago when children were barefoot most of the time they were healthier and heartier. Let's look closer at the connection!

First of all, children who go barefoot regularly have stronger more robust immune systems to protect them from getting sick. This is based on the Hygiene Hypothesis, which asserts that the lack of exposure the germs, through excessive cleanliness and hygiene prevents the immune system from developing properly. Like everything else in your body, your immune system needs to be used to develop strength and resiliency. More on research into this thinking can be found here:
Hygiene Hypothesis

With the evidence to support this hypothesis growing in medical circles, I feel that it is solid enough to warrant consideration. If these experts are right, the long term exposure might just be the critical factor in developing your child's resistance to illness.

What do you think? Steps to preventing allergies and asthma?

Think about it? For thousand of years, children where barefoot. Even today in many countries around the world children are barefoot most of the time. In Australia, where I have a friend, children are barefoot most of the time, even at school! In most African countries barefoot children are indeed the norm.

Now where do you find the most childhood allergies? Surprise! it is here in the US, where we keep our children overly clean and use hand sanitizer in Pre-K classrooms. Considering the evidence, would you suspect a possible link? Before I get any negative comments, I am not saying good hygiene does not have a place. It most certainly does. What I am saying is that too much of anything can be bad for you.

I believe that if we went back to allowing children to grow up going barefoot everywhere: school, stores, out to play etc., our children would be much healthier with far fewer ailments and medical conditions!

Prevent Your Child from Developing Nature-Deficit Disorder

2011-11-21T03:13:00.000-08:00

Here is an article from Better Parenting that Author Chris Oldenburg is asking people the share in order to spead the word:

Tags: child, children, disorder, kids, nature, nature deficit disorder, outdoors, Richard Louv

According to author and chairman of the Children & Nature Network, Richard Louv, our children are suffering from a severe lack of nature, endangering their physical and emotional health. Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, is a poignant collection of research, anecdotes, and challenges for parents describing evidence that shows that as children spend less time outdoors, there is a steep rise in obesity and depression. There is also a decline in ingenuity and cognitive maturity. These are the causes for the phenomenon he calls nature-deficit disorder.

Disorder or Distortion?

I know – do we really need another disorder with which to label our children? While I am the last one to want to place tags on our kids, the arguments that Louv presents do make me think that this is one label we need to keep in our vocabulary so that we can fight it. The best part is that there is no medication recommended for combatting it – just exposure and connections to nature.

Louv explains that experiencing nature is truly the organic way in which people learn, and that for centuries our natural exposure to the outdoor environment equipped us with certain survival skills that today’s children are lacking. He goes on to say that time spent in nature improves the senses, creating healthier individuals with “instinctual confidence.”

Does building tree forts and playing in the dirt really help my children grow? I believe wholeheartedly that the connection they feel to the world around them can’t be simulated by even the best video game. This connection is essential for developing into healthy adults. Maryland professor Jane Clark is cited in Louv’s work as calling children today “containerized kids” and has some scary research to support her label. As kids are strapped into car seats, high chairs, jogging strollers, and ever confining smaller spaces, they are becoming more obese, less capable, and less creative. Who knew a mud pie could make such a difference?

Numerous studies that Louv cites also point to enhancements in education when nature is involved. Even such simple things as having class outdoors for an hour each day can improve attention and overall success. The need for nature for our children goes far beyond the classroom. Studies have shown the importance of physical touch, even calling it essential to any peace-making process. How many times do you check your email each day compared with how many times you shake someone’s hand or hug your child? The more technology we provide our children, the less they interact with each other and us in the real world.

I am sure kids can enjoy some of the benefits of nature without getting dirty, but I can’t imagine how much fun that would be. We had just moved into our newly renovated home, a yard without any grass yet, and on a blistering hot day. We filled the kiddie pool and let the kids turn themselves into creatures from the brown lagoon. When their fun was over I plopped them on towels, instructed them not to touch the walls, and I pulled them on the towel through the house and into the bathroom. Family who were visiting could not believe that I would risk getting my new home dirty by letting the children cover themselves in mud. I can’t imagine risking their lives to be lived without building a connection to our world, dirt and all.

Benefits for Children of Play in Nature

2011-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here is an intresting list of the benefits of playing in nature for children that I found. I would like for you to read and consider these things:

Children with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are better able to concentrate after contact with nature (Taylor et al. 2001).
Children with views of and contact with nature score higher on tests of concentration and self-discipline. The greener, the better the scores (Wells 2000, Taylor et al. 2002).
Children who play regularly in natural environments show more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility, and they are sick less often (Grahn, et al. 1997, Fjortoft & Sageie 2001).
When children play in natural environments, their play is more diverse with imaginative and creative play that fosters language and collaborative skills (Moore & Wong 1997, Taylor, et al. 1998, Fjortoft 2000).
Exposure to natural environments improves children's cognitive development by improving their awareness, reasoning and observational skills (Pyle 2002).
Nature buffers the impact of life's stresses on children and helps them deal with adversity. The greater the amount of nature exposure, the greater the benefits (Wells & Evans 2003).
Play in a diverse natural environment reduces or eliminates bullying (Malone & Tranter 2003).
Nature helps children develop powers of observation and creativity and instills a sense of peace and being at one with the world (Crain 2001).
Early experiences with the natural world have been positively linked with the development of imagination and the sense of wonder (Cobb 1977, Louv 1991). Wonder is an important motivator for life long learning (Wilson 1997).
Children who play in nature have more positive feelings about each other (Moore 1996).
Natural environments stimulate social interaction between children (Moore 1986, Bixler et al. 2002).
Outdoor environments are important to children's development of independence and autonomy (Bartlett 1996).
Play in outdoor environments stimulates all aspects of children development more readily than indoor environments (Moore & Wong 1997).
An affinity to and love of nature, along with a positive environmental ethic, grow out of regular contact with and play in the natural world during early childhood. Children's loss of regular contact with the natural world can result in a biophobic future generation not interested in preserving nature and its diversity .

I found this list at the White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group: Benefits for Children of Play in Nature

Free Range Natural Barefooters

2011-11-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

First I must credit this Blog entry to my friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast, who runs Ahcuah. Bob informed me about this with his blog post Free Range Bare Feet. I am politely asking that you read Bob's post to give yourself some background.

Free Range parenting is a concept that is new to me, but I think it has great promise for promoting both your child's love of nature, and their preference for barefoot living. Both of these things are highly supported by this parent style. Another added benefit is you help your child learn to think for himself or herself, and discover their own talents and interest. The key to free range parenting is to trust your child to do the right thing. You give them some basic rules and then allow them to make their own choices and learn from the experience. If your child likes going barefoot, let them go barefoot. Believe in your son or daughter enough to know when and where they will be safe in their bare feet. If it is winter and your 8-year old seems fine and happy playing outside barefoot, why bother them?

What if it is too cold?
Again, trust your child to have the sense not to hurt herself. Children like adults can feel the change in temperature. Your child knows what feels good to him or her.

This is a late fall picture, and it is getting cool, as you can tell by
this boy's fleece shirt. You can also see that he is barefoot.
Does he appear bothered by the going barefoot on
chilly ground?

People often forget that barefooters are tough and can take a lot. The website Parents for Barefoot Children has this to say about the issue of bare feet and cold:

We've found that bare feet are OK almost down to freezing point as long as the core body temperature is fine. If a child is walking around and not complaining, he/she is probably fine. The thing to understand is that our extremities are designed reduce heat loss by dropping to a cooler temperature than our core. This coolness is not, of itself, a problem. The belief that children's feet must be kept at a constant (and rather sweaty) 98 degrees has no basis in science.

I wish to update this by adding that other barefooters such as Bob Neinast and myself have even found that bare feet can comfortably handle temperature a little below freezing, and even snow as long as you do not stay too long. The trick is not to allow your feet to get numb for long. If you loose sensation in your feet, you are at risk for frostbite!

What about extreme heat?

Again trust your child! The tough soles of a barefooter can tolerate heat quite well. If your child is not complaining, or hopping around the heat is not bothering your child. Also the more your child goes barefoot, the more he or she will be able to handle without a problem.

This boy can comfortably walk barefoot in the hot sands of the desert

Also light colored surfaces are generally not as hot as dark colored one.

Discovering the Secret World of a Child Barefooter

2011-11-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

I often talk about going barefoot on this blog, because I feel it is important for children to go barefoot. What I don't feel I have discussed recently is how the world is from the child's point of view. That is what I want to do here in this entry.

Unlike the shoddie, the child barefooter lives in a free world where all five senses are a part of daily life. The earth underfoot is alive with textures, and temperature variations that surprise and delight the soles and the soul with each step. To reduce this to simple worlds like hot and cold, wet and dry or rough and smooth is as much and understatement as trying to use the world big to give someone who has never seen a whale an idea if its immense size. Compared to wearing shoes, going barefoot for a child is like living in an entirely different world. It is a world that has a dimension all of it's own. Grass is much more rewarding than any carpet, with it's variations in length, thickness, texture and stiffness. It tickles the soles and stimulates the senses. The slightly sticky and slightly squishy feel of mud under bare soles and between toes makes us giggle. Climbing trees brings us to the many types of bark. Some are smooth and a little slippery, while other are rough. Sand is a bit scratchy and can be warm or cold. Some sand is like a fine smooth powdery dust that seems to slide off the skin.

A boy climbing a tree barefoot gets to experience the subtle variations in texture of the bark

Put together with the other four senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste, these experiences give each child a unique experience of the natural world. For the barefoot child, toes are free to wiggle and act like mini fingers, which is what they were meant to be. Feet flex and form around things as the child walks and climbs, allowing maximum grip and stability, something no shoe could hope to offer. the absorb shock as children run and jump while they plan and explore. Unlike shoes, bare feet allow the child to go almost anywhere. They also teach the child respect for the world around him or her, by naturally encouraging the child to watch where they place their steps in order to avoid thorns, sharp rocks and other things that can hurt if stepped on. Over time children will become naturally aware of small plants and animals that live under foot. At first this just allows the child to avoid doing harm. However, this awareness can also create a natural curiosity about these tiny creatures, leading to discovery and a joy unique to children.

A barefoot child discovering a tiny plant just sprouting

If you look at the photo about closely, the girl is investigating a tiny plant just beginning to sprout from under the pine needles. Most average children running and playing in sneakers would never have seen this. I'm not saying that every barefoot child is this observant, but I am saying barefooters are generally much more aware of what is on the ground where they are walking. This awareness helps these children slow down and take pleasure in small, simple thing that other might miss.

Barefoot children are also generally more surefooted, because they pay much closer attention to and are aware of every step. This sure-footedness gives the child the chance to climb and explore where others might not be able to reach, opening the door for discovery of nature in ways that other children cannot.

At the same time, unlike shoes, bare feet do not damage the bark on trees or other live natural surfaces, allowing the freedom to safely climb and play. With caution and care, a young child can now explore the living world like never before. Of course the child does not have to climb to discover their world. They can choose to go almost anywhere they feel comfortable. And if these benefits are not enough, parents do not have to worry about the child getting dirty, because bare feet are simple to clean. You can simply rinse them off with a hose or a bucket of water. This creates a senses of freedom and encourages the development of responsibility.

If this sound inviting, it is what draws most children to going barefoot. An unspoken world of magical experiences the amaze and delight the senses. Let your child go barefoot and discover the magic and wonder of their world!

Please, Help us fight CMV

2011-11-14T02:58:00.000-08:00

I'm continuing my push from yesterday to ask people to step up and help us fight CMV. If you need more persuasion please watch this video

Would you give 30 Seconds to change the lives of children?

Usually I do not use my Blog as a call to action, but this is a very important exception! There is a virus that threatens unborn children called Cytomegalovirus or CMV, it is related to the Chickenpox, and is harmless to adults, however for unborn children it can permanently cripple or even kill them! Most babies who survive will be severely disabled for the rest of their lives! How would you feel if your child's life was like this:

Brendan

Brendan is severely physically disabled. He cannot hold his head upright for more than 2 minutes. He cannot crawl, cannot sit up, and cannot walk. He cannot speak any words. He cannot hold a bottle or even scratch an itch. He has trouble reaching for objects, grabbing objects, and opening his hands. He cannot rub his eyes like most children when tired. He has trouble sleeping, although recently his sleep issue is lessening because the high
amount of seizure medication he is on makes him so tired. He receives physical, speech and occupational therapies 4 times a week. As far as mental retardation, it is too difficult to determine severity. He is so limited physically it is hard to measure, although it is clear he is intellectually impaired. It is also very clear that he understands much more than he can verbally express because he does respond appropriately to what I say to him, like in asking him to reach up for me he will try, after a long delay, to move his arms up. He will give a kiss to me if I ask him to, is another example. I will never underestimate what he understands.

Of course any parent would love their child if he or she was born with a disability! But if you could prevent it, wouldn't you?

Now you have a chance to, and it won't cost you a moment. How would you like to help children like Brendan without even leaving the comfort of your chair? It is quite easy to do! Here is how:

Brendan B. McGinnis CVM Foundation

Would you give 30 Seconds to change the lives of children?

2011-11-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Brendan

Brendan is severely physically disabled. He cannot hold his head upright for more than 2 minutes. He cannot crawl, cannot sit up, and cannot walk. He cannot speak any words. He cannot hold a bottle or even scratch an itch. He has trouble reaching for objects, grabbing objects, and opening his hands. He cannot rub his eyes like most children when tired. He has trouble sleeping, although recently his sleep issue is lessening because the high
amount of seizure medication he is on makes him so tired. He receives physical, speech and occupational therapies 4 times a week. As far as mental retardation, it is too difficult to determine severity. He is so limited physically it is hard to measure, although it is clear he is intellectually impaired. It is also very clear that he understands much more than he can verbally express because he does respond appropriately to what I say to him, like in asking him to reach up for me he will try, after a long delay, to move his arms up. He will give a kiss to me if I ask him to, is another example. I will never underestimate what he understands.

Of course any parent would love their child if he or she was born with a disability! But if you could prevent it, wouldn't you?

Now you have a chance to, and it won't cost you a moment. How would you like to help children like Brendan without even leaving the comfort of you chair? It is quite easy to do! Here is how:

Simply click on the link below:

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/260886244-bbm-cmv-foundation

OR
http://bit.ly/CMVfoundation

Sign into facebook and click "Like" on the top of the page. That is all you have to do to help countless children with disabilities around the world. Won't you please give 30 seconds for children with disabilities? Hurry! You must vote by November 22 to help!

Some Fun Fall/Winter Projects

2011-11-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Today I will share some easy and fun projects for you and your child to do that can make your home more attrctive for wildlife. These crafts do not require a lot of time, little or no money, and are simple enough to do with children who are young or may have special needs . They each open the door to amazing learning experiences your whole family can share.
BIRD FEEDERS:

I have built many of these with very young scouts who have special needs, and they a very enjoyable

What you need:
            1. Pinecones
            2. String or Yarn
            3. Peanutbutter or Suit
            4. Bird Seeds
            5. Plastic Knife
            6. Zip-loc Bag (1-gal)

How to Make it:

            1. Allow your child to spread peanut butter or suit on the pine cone.
            2. Place to pine cone in a zip-lock bag.
            3. Add bird seeds to bag.
            4. Seal bag and have child shake it up.
            5. Remove pine cone from bag, and tie string to top
            6. Find an outdoor place to hang you bird feeder where your family can watch it and see what comes.

Bottle Feeder:

What you Need:
          1. Empty soda bottle
          2. Small dowel or long pencils
          3. Scissors
          4. Yarn or string

How To Make It:
          1. Wash the bottle out
          2. Punch small holes through the side
          3. Insert the dowels or pencils through the holes
          4. Punch another set of holes about 2 1/2 inches about the dowels
          5. Tie a string around the neck of the bottle.
          6. Fill with bird seeds and replace the cap.
          7. Hang outdoors and enjoy.

Leaf Crafts:

Simple Collage:

What You Need:
          1. Leaves
          2. Construction paper
          3. School glue or all purpose glue
          4. Paint Bush (Optional)

How to Make it:
          1. Take you child outside and let them gather leaves they like (just make sure to stay away from poisonous plants)
          2. Lay out a large sheet of constuction paper
          3. Cover the paper with glue. A cheap paint bush might be helpful with this.
          4. Press the leaves into the wet glue.
          5. Allow the project to dry for a few hours before hanging up.

Things Needed:

Fresh Fall leaves in various colors
Paper plate
White school glue
Scissors
Pretty ribbon

z-google2.shtml1. Begin this Autumn craft by collecting about twenty colorful leaves from outside. Try to get nice fresh ones that have just fallen... they will be easier to glue on.

2. Cut the middle out from a paper plate. Fold the plate in half to get the cut started in the middle, then cut along the rim to make about a 2 inch paper plate border (young kids may need help with this part).

3. Continue building the wreath by gluing each leaf to the paper plate. Slightly overlap each leaf. For this leaf craft, I had each leaf point in the same direction, with the stems pointing inward.

4. Next, clip off the stems from each leaf using scissors.

5. Tie a pretty fall ribbon in a bow, then glue the bow on to the wreath.

finish wreath

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Video! Nature's Child

2011-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone I have been rather busy with school work, but I found a video about a young girl's connection with nature I thought you might enjoy. Among other things, it shows how going barefoot fits neatly into a nature oriented way of life:

Why I think bare feet are best for children with special needs

2011-11-07T02:34:00.000-08:00

Allow me to preface this post by saying I am an advocate for barefooting in all children. The point I am out to make today is that I am personally opposed to forcing children into so called "corrective shoes". I am especially adamant in my belief that children who are unable to walk have no need for shoes, and that all of the fancy shoes and braces are a waste and counter-productive. I can not see one valid reason to force a child who uses a wheelchair to wear shoes. I believe that bare feet would be much better for them. I have yet to figure out what braces do for a child that cannot walk, and never bear any weight on their legs or feet. Doctors say they provide support. Support for what exactly???? It's like using a cane to help you balance while you are lying down! If you think the analogy I used is absurd, that is exactly the point. I work with children who have disabilities for a living and have done so since 2002. I have yet to see how braces help a child who is unable to walk and is wheelchair dependent, and I have worked with countless children who have cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities.

With Shoes and Braces

With Bare Feet

Look closely at the two photos above. Do you see a noticeable difference in the stability or apparent mobility of these two boys? Both of them have cerebral palsy and both clearly depend on a wheelchair. As a professional, I can tell you both boys have a moderate amount of spastic paralysis in all limbs. The only obvious difference here is that one is wearing shoes and braces, while the other is barefoot. These braces, known as Ankle-Foot Orthopedics or AFO's cost hundreds of dollars, before you even have them custom fit. Then add to that the cost of shoes that are made to fit over the AFO's. Now you are looking at close to if not over $1'000 worth of investment that does nothing. In the end, what is the real benefit a child that cannot walk is getting from them?

I am all for getting things to help these children. There is nothing wrong with paying $10'000 for a computerized wheelchair that allows a child to get around on his or her own, or $5'000 for a computer that can talk for a non-verbal child. These are great investments. Even braces to prevent scoliosis are a wonderful idea to improve the quality of life for these children. However an investment that does nothing for your child is worth little in the end. Indeed, even the experts agree that there is no real stabilizing effect to AFO's for children that are sitting, as their legs carry no weight.

So, what then, you might ask are the major benefits to letting these children go barefoot?

First there is the sensory issue. Most people with neurological based disabilities like cerebral palsy have sensory issues of some kind. While it may sound fictional, some people really do have sensory issues. If you watch many children with special needs will try to remove shoes and socks and find bare feet much more comfortable. This is called tactile defensiveness. To these children often the feel of anything that is tight to their skin or limits movement can cause problems ranging from persistent tugging at clothing to full on emotional meltdowns in some children. They are literally so sensitive to touch that it can seem painful to them at times. If you don't believe me watch some children with autism start crying if you try to touch them, I have had this happen to me at work. These same children often fight to get shoes and socks off.

Walking home from the bus barefoot

A boy with Autism, despite the chilly weather, he prefers to remain barefoot

Things like the weather and the cold do not seem to bother these children as much as shoes and socks. What you see above is relatively common in autistic children. He seems unbothered by going barefoot in the cold, and is in fact happy to be free of shoes and socks. This is the neurological sensory issue I was talking about in the section above. This is an example of the tactile defensiveness issue in real life. I have seen and worked with many children just like this young man. I remember a middle school student who would immediately remove shoes and socks upon entering school. It took months of fighting for staff members to get the youth to leave them on for more then a few minutes at a time. Even then shoes and socks were a constant distraction in the classroom. I also know a elementary age student, who I did work directly with for some time who was the same way.I worked indirectly with the first child. I will not identify either person because of confidentiality laws relating to special education. However, both examples still illustrate the point I am making here just fine without names or other identifying information.

A Lesson in Seasons

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

As we get further into the fall, it is the perfect time to explore seasons with your child or children. There are so many neat things to do at this time of year with your child. All around their world is changing. Leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall from the trees. The last of the summer apples are ripening, and pumpkin are ready for the picking. Now is the time for a good fall hike, maybe revisit a favorite summer hiking spot and see how it has changed since the summer.

Picking the last of the summer apples

It is also the ideal time to collect leaves and see all of the amazing colors of nature. You child can compare fall leaves to the ones they see in the summer, and discover the changes they go through with the seasons. If you live somewhere out in the country, a child can sit in the field during the early morning hours and watch geese migrating for the coming winter.

If you do decide to watch migrating flocks, the best time to watch them is either in the early morning or the evening around sun set. As you watch, you and you child can discuss how animal get ready for the coming winter. If they are old enough, you might even get a map and explain to you child where the birds are going and why.

You can also go out in the woods with binoculars and watch other animals from a distance as they get ready for the changing seasons. Deer fight for the chance to mate, making for some spectacular action if you watch from a distance.

Bucks sparring for a mate

For many animal like deer and moose, this is the breeding season. I recommend that if you and your child want to observe theses rituals, please do it through binoculars as not to interfere. This might be a great way to discuss you your child how animals prepare for the coming winter. They will discover the cycles of nature. It is the perfect time to discover the wonder of the seasons as a family.

Foot Development in Barefoot Children

2011-11-02T02:51:00.000-07:00

The best way for a child to develop strong, healthy feet is to let them go barefoot. A child's body function's best in it's natural state, and for a child that means leaving the feet free to move the way they were designed. Second unconstrained a child's foot is slightly lager, wider, much stronger and more flexible:

Look as the image above and the difference is perfectly clear to see. For the shoeless child the toe area is wider and more flexible. This improves balance and overall strength in the foot. In addition for a barefoot child the foot serves a sensory function. Think about the difference between handling something in thick gloves as oppose as to with no gloves at all. The foot is the same way. in children the effect is more dramatic because their bodies are still growing and developing. Much of what is solid bone in an adult is soft cartilage in children. The presence of all this soft material in a child's skeleton means it is very easy to deform the feet of a child by putting them in shoes. What many people do not consider is that unlike other clothing, shoes are heavy and stiff, giving them a unique ability to deform a child's still growing and developing foot. Also a child foot has many muscles in it that are developing and growing. In order for a child to develop these muscles they have to be able to use them fully. This means leaving children's feet bare so they can flex and stretch them to the limits of how they are design.

Observe the movement of the feet of a child in shoes

Now lets compare that to a child walking in bare feet:

Children walking barefoot

Notice how the foot naturally flexes when a person is barefoot as compared to the shoe wearer. This is healthy and your foot is supposed to bend right at the ball. As the foot flexes, the walker is using their muscles and joints the way they are design, which reduces fatigue and stress on the joints. Just as the muscles develop, the skin on the soles of the feet become stronger and more resilient. Habitually barefoot children can easily handle most surfaces and situations without injury.

Barefoot is the natural state of the human for and therefore ideal for development. Allow your child to go barefoot and let their feet develop naturally.

Would bare feet improve Schools?

2011-10-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

I would argue yes! I believe if we allow children this freedom in the classroom, many of them will be calmer, happier and more focused on learning. It is well proven that when children are allowed to relax a bit, they can concentrate much better, and learn easier. You may think children don't go barefoot in school, but in fact in many places around the world they do. Not just poor countries either. Australian children go barefoot in school. In the UK gym class is often done in bare feet, as is gym class in Japan. All of these places are industrialized nations.

Here are a few places where children are barefoot in class. Contrary to popular belief in the USA, this is Not dangerous or unhealthy. in fact the opposite is true. by allowing students to go barefoot in a safe environment like a classroom, you are encouraging healthy growth and development. Feet need freedom and exercise to grow and develop. for this reason, physical education and school sports would be especially benefited from allowing pupils to go barefoot.

In my professional opinion as an educator, I believe encouraging bare feet in the classroom would greatly improve the learning environment for students and teachers alike. Barefoot children are quieter allowing for the restless member of the class to move around without becoming a distraction to their neighbors. If you ever get the oppertunity, please stand up for a child's right to go barefoot in school!

A Blast From the Past- The Milwaukee Sentinel July 1932

2011-10-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

We are all used to hearing the lie that children should wear shoes. However, through my research I have found out that at the beginning if the 20th century, the attitude in the USA was exactly the opposite. On July 26, 1932, The Milwaukee Sentinel wrote a quite interesting piece about parents letting children go barefoot. What I found fascination was that parents were concerned about what neighbors would think of their children running around barefoot everywhere (Sound familiar?). However, what got my attention was the advice the newspaper gave. Have a look for yourself:

Barefoot Child

I had wanted to copy part of it into my Blog, but that doesn't seem to work. So instead I will write a general summary for you:

Author Angelo Patri argues that you should let anyone who is able to go barefoot, but says we should especially allow barefoot children. she goes on to say that children need to feel the earth under their bare soles, the touch of the earth to their skin not only helps their feet but sooths their mind and allows them to relax and release the stress. Patri goes on to point out that while people fear the trash and rubbish around the, surely there is somewhere safe for a child to play freely in bare feet. in the next section she points out that children like going barefoot because it feels good. Pointing out that some adults reject this thinking as childish, she goes on to say that these feeling contribute to a child's emotional health and wellness. She does a good job explaining how important these experiences are for healthy development. Also the argument is made that children grow spiritually from going barefoot.

Please give it a read: Barefoot Child

Lost Spirit of the Barefooter

2011-10-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

I have decided to republish a poem I worte some time back for the SBL before I walked away from Yahoo! Groups and all of that stuff:

Lost Spirit of the Barefooter

Close your eyes and think back to your childhood..
Do you remember the lazy barefoot days of summer?
A world of freedom and wonder. Nature was still a
magical world, as you caught frogs at the pond,
or chased fireflies in the night. Remember
the squishy feel of mud between your toes,
or the chilly blanket of dew on the grass in the morning?
Freedom!

Times of joy and laughter. Splashing your feet
in the puddles on rainy days. You could dig your feet
into the sand at the playground, and feel it
between your toes. The world was an innocent and warm,
welcoming place. You could climb any tree you could reach,
or just lie on your back watching clouds and finding
the funny shapes they had. The troubles of the world
seemed so far away.

Going barefoot was just plain fun. You didn’t imagine
a million things out to hurt you. If you lived near woods,
that was you private place to play. Just walking was a
magical experience, as your feet encountered things
like moss, fallen leaves, grass and whatever else was there.
A little dirt was no big deal, it would come off in the bath.
You didn’t need a fishing license, just a rod
and some worms you dug out of your back yard.
You sat at the water’s edge with your friends,
laughing and telling stories while you waited for a bite,
swishing your toes in the water. If it was hot,
you might even jump in and go for a swim.

Deep in the spirit of the barefooter, is the place
where these memories live. Barefoot living
isn’t about politics, or big ideas. It’s about
the simple things in life. When you are barefoot,
you experience life at its fullest. Freedom is a
longing of all people, and going barefoot embodies
freedom and innocences at their best. Yet today,
our children are seeing this slip away. Lost to money,
to fear, to the ideas of a dangerous world, waiting
to devour them. What are we leaving for them?
Will they ever know childhood as it was meant to be?
Are the images of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn
to be forever lost in the pages of history?

Maybe, just maybe, there is a way back! Let childhood be more
than just a group of years everyone lives through.
Rekindle the magic and the wonder that built
those special memories all those years ago.
Leave the shoes and sock home. Go barefoot!
Let your children or grandchildren run free again,
with the grass tickling their toes. Rediscover the magic
of the lost spirit of the barefooter. Be free again!
I think you will find your life with be richer
for the experience.

We barefooters know; that’s why we are barefooters. That
is what this is really all about, a chance to be free
and live life to its fullest!

Parents for Barefoot Children- Why it Matters

2011-10-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Man years ago there was a parents organization created by Mike Berrow called Parents for Barefoot Children. At their hay-day they had their own website and a E-mail list at Yahoo Groups. So who were these folks? This is what their now abandoned website says:

Who Are We ?We are parents that see the need to promote healthy barefoot activity for our children. To do this we need to:

Inform ourselves.
There are a lot of "What about this/What about that" kinds of questions that will be thrown at a parent extending (and sometimes insisting on) this freedom for their children. The answers are here. There's currently a large gap between the rational, well-informed risk assessment that is needed and blind belief in conventional wisdom that exists.

Inform our children.
Our children also must be made aware that, while they are certainly living in an overly shoe-obsessed society, that it's OK to go barefoot with a little common sense. They should be armed to deal with the myths and misinformation that others will throw at them.

Sadly the people who created this later abandoned the effort and closed down the organization. A few years ago when I was a part of that group, I proposed reviving the idea and starting up again. However the idea was diluted down and eventually scrapped by bureaucracy.

So, does it matter? Yes! It matters a whole lot. Childhood is the time when we do the most learning. As a child you develop your most basic ideas about what the world is like and how life should be. Our ideals and values. Our feelings about what is and is not right and fair are born of our childhood experiences. If children learn things that are not true, they grow up believing them. Case in point, most people still think you can get sick from simply being cold. However, it has been known for over a century that a "Cold" is a virus, and has nothing to do with temperature. So why do we believe something that medicine knows is not true? Simple we grow up hearing it as children.

Back to my point, most children grow up hearing the prejudice view that we need shoes, and that bare feet are a bad thing. Just like the example above with the cold, we learn to believe it. Everywhere our children go anymore, they hear "Put your shoes on" or "No bare feet" Or "Going Barefoot is Wrong". If this is all children hear, what do we expect them to think? If a child takes off his or her shoes in school, they are punished for it, and reminded that they need shoes, or some mystery illness is waiting to make them sick! How do we expect a child to learn that medical evidence shows going barefoot is a good thing if all they are allow to hear is information to the contrary?

Imagine a trial where only one side is allow to speak or present any information or evidence! Would you consider this a fair trial? This is an analogy of how the USA is trying to teach children about going barefoot. Those oppose get to say what they want to, and those of us supporting this freedom are pushed out. If you think I'm making this up, read Bob Neinast's latest blog:

Neinast v. Fairfield County District Library

Believe it or not, this whole thing started over Bob wanting to use the library just like everyone else does! If you can figure out why a well groom man with a PhD wanting to look for a book without shoes is a huge hazard, I would love to hear from you! I still don't know that answer.

Now more then ever, our children need us to reassure them that their basic instinct to go barefoot is ok! If we won't say it, who will? Ironically, we need Parents to support children going barefoot now more then ever. Speak up for our young ones! Encourage them to go barefoot.

Perspectives- How some parents teach their children

2011-10-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

This is a rather interesting, and unusual story that has been shared with me by friend and fellow blogger Bob Neinast who runs the blog Ahcuah. though very short it illustrates a good point about parenting. Bob found this on another website. It is called Reality at the Play Ground:

Here’s a funny story… and unfortunately too much a reality for most kids.

My youngest daughter, age 7, and I were heading to the park. I was bfr and she on her bike. We get there and immediately my daughter peels off her socks and shoes, which she prefers to have on when she bikes (fair enough). This darling little boy watches her intently as she prepares herself to climb on the structure as high as she can versus the “right” way. I can’t stop her because I know that is exactly what I would have done as a child and actually would still do as an adult. :) So this little guy then looks over at me and drops his gaze to my feet. You can just see the light bulb turn on in his head as he turns to his own feet and starts pulling off his Crocs (of all things to climb in, right?). He went from this kid running aimlessly around, doing not much more than that, to looking like Spiderman as he scaled walls and poles, etc. and he was having a blast! Then….his mom caught sight of him and immediately yelled, “Get your shoes on right now or we are going home!” The light went out and he reluctantly put back on his Crocs… as he looked over at me quizzically. All I could do was give him an empathetic smile. The mom wasn’t too happy with me I’m sure and I could tell she was avoiding eye contact. I chuckled softly as I winked over at my daughter.

Think about this: two children, same playground, same day! On parent is fine with her daughter going barefoot, the other parents has a melt down over the same idea. Why are some parents afraid of something so natural and harmless?

A fun Night Out!

2011-10-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

When you hear someone say a night out, I bet you are thinking of a restruant or a big club or something of that sort. I have another suggestion, one for the whole family. How about a quiet feild where you can watch stars and the children can catch fireflies? No it's not conventional, but it is full of wonderful memories for the whole family from mom and dad to you toddler if you have one. Relax for a bit and run around in your bare feet, enjoy the grass again. There is so much to do if you know where to look.

Here are a few ideas:

The Big Dipper

Orion

Go sit on a blanket and explore the stars. See if you can find the constellations and share some of the old stories that go with them. Look up at the moon and enjoy it's beauty and wonder. Discover the wonder of the Milky Way on a clear night.

Let the children look for fireflies and enjoy their magic:

These tiny nocturnal insects have fascinated children through out history with their ability to glow in the dark. All over the world children chase down and look at these seemingly magical bugs that light up. The moon in it many faces has been the subject of wonder and romance.

Where did Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer Go?

2011-10-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

What happened to these quintessentially American icons of childhood? Together these characters were Mark Twain's archetypes of what being a boy in the USA was all about. The American boy was a free spirit that loved nature and sought out the woods and streams like a second home. Bare feet were the first choice of every boy, from the first bits of green until the first snows of winter. Nature was every child's playground, and they looked forward to picking the fall apples. Why do American children no longer seem to long for the feel of grass underfoot or the joy of running through fields as they once did?

The Cover of Tom Sawyer
Notice both boys are barefoot

Yes culture changes over time, but some things are not supposed to change. If the most basic things change, it isn't the same culture any more. Just to give you a shocking example to make you think, could you imagine an America that no longer believe in ordinary citizens voting for government representatives? How about a country where the government could mandate you religion? The point is we are losing a part of what makes America the country it is. Once we encouraged children to go barefoot and discover nature. Today it almost seems as if we penalize our children for expressing this desire. Why?

I dare say today's American child has lost a piece of what made them American. Just think about that for a moment!

Let the Family Go Barefoot

2011-10-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article I found from another website about going barefoot:

I’ve often thought that the life of an idle parent would be immeasurably improved if socks

didn’t exist. Socks sow discord and spread consternation. Every family has sock problems. “Where are my socks? How come I never have any socks?” asks Dad. The harried parent will look at its child’s feet for the fifth time that morning and see that they are still sockless. “How many times have I told you? Put your socks on!” he or she will scream.

Sometimes I give up and let them wander to the car sockless, or just jam wellies on their feet and hope that no other parent notices. I’d like to send them to school without socks but I think the child really would look too heart-breakingly neglected, with nothing in between its cherished feet and its Clark’s Mutronix.
Now, these sock problems are not, as we tell ourselves, our fault, for being disorganised, chaotic and generally useless, but are actually the fault of the sock. The sock is simply a bad idea. Wherever it goes it brings sorrow and bad vibes

Here is the rest of the article: Let The Family Go Barefoot

Health Professionals Prescribe Nature Play for Children’s Health

2011-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

I found this article that reenforces everything I have been saying. The American Academy of Pediatrics is currently hearing from experts on the improtance of nature in a child's life for healthy development. The Keynote Speaker for this occasion is going to be Dr. Richard Louv, who worte the book Last Child in the Woods.

Experts are now going so for as to prescribe nature play for children's health:

The idea that a prescription is necessary to get some children to go out and play is unfortunate on one level. But, taken another way, it serves as an indicator of the growing awareness among health professionals of the important role that nature contact plays in the health of children.
American Academy of Pediatrics members will hear about the role of nature in children’s health on October 2, when Richard Louv will give the keynote speech at their annual conference in San Francisco. The AAP has recognized that:
Helping children connect with nature to improve their mental and physical health is a growing movement.
Louv, who will address Nature-Deficit Disorder, said, “I’m careful not to represent nature-deficit disorder as a known medical diagnosis. But the phrase has proven to be useful shorthand for what many of us felt was going on, but had no words for, which is the generational disconnection with nature.
This has implications for our children’s mental and physical health, their ability to learn and our future relationship with the natural world—in terms of our willingness to care for it.
“Pediatricians are especially important,” Louv continued. “I do hope pediatricians as individuals will use their best judgment when suggesting to families that they go outside and spend time in nature, for health and happiness.”
This event highlights the growing awareness of nature’s health benefits among health care providers and policy makers. It also coincides with new regional and national initiatives aimed at engaging this key sector of the Children & Nature movement.

This intesting article I have qutoed from can be found here:
Nature Play for Children's Health

The New Nature Movement

2011-10-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a great Video by Dr. Richard Louv:

The Nature Loving Child's "To-Do" List

2011-10-12T04:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of activities every child should have a chance to try growing up:

1. Looking at stars, and finding constellations
2. Running barefoot in nature
3. Catching Fireflies
4. Nature walks
5. Digging in the dirt
6. Hide and Seek in nature
7. Climbing a tree (if they are able to)
8. Planting seeds and watching them grow
9. Wading through puddles
10. Playing with sticks
11. Skipping stones on water
12. Lying in tall grass
13. Picking a wild flower like a dandelion
14. Playing in the sand and feeling it run through their fingers
15. Going outside in the rain during the summer
16. Seeing a rainbow form
17. Seeing bats flying
18. Hearing the hoot of an owl
19. Watching the moon rise
20. Wishing on a star
21. Making mud pies
22. Chasing a shadow
23. Playing with a piece of bamboo
24. Finding and trying wild fruit
25. See baby birds in a nest (Remember not to touch)
26. Visit a pond, lake or stream and discover what lives there

Friends can make nature more fun!

2011-10-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I often seem to talk about the child that loves nature and freedom. However people are social and seek the company of others from nature. For a child of nature who enjoys the living world and the peace and quiet of the outdoors, this is no different. If your child or children can find a group of like minded people his or her age to explore with, their time in the outdoors will meant that much more to them. The best way to do this is encourage you child to find friends with common interests, weather they be fish, frogs, bugs or flowers. There is nothing like having a good friend to hang out with when you wander the fields and bushes near you home. With a friend, nature can inspire the imagination.

With friends, tunnels in the grass can become caves full of all kinds of neat bugs and small animals. Discoveries can be shared and discussed. One child's idea can lead to another. Everyone can take turns leading as you explore and discover new things!

Small hands can help each other other, with one discovery leading to others. The joy and the wonder can be shared and built on. These great experiences in turn will help your child bond with friends. For a child you can never underestimate the benefits of free play in nature to help them grow and reach new levels.