early outdoor education @ Dover Park

 We start where we are.

in this beautiful place

We use what we have.

it is plenty

We do what we can.

to make sense of this life

*quote by Arthur Ashe

Hands-on experience at the critical time, not systematic knowledge, is what counts in the making of a naturalist. ... Better to spend long stretches of time just searching and dreaming.

Richard Louv, 

Last Child in the Woods: 

Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

Encouraging a child to go outside in all weather builds resilience, but more importantly, it saves them from spending their life merely tolerating the ‘bad’ days in favor of a handful of ‘good’ ones – a life of endless expectations and conditions where happiness hinges on sunshine.

Nicolette Sowder

Wilder Child