American Family Life Has Never Been Particularly

Environment-based Education Produces Student Gains In Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, And Math; Improves Standardized Test Scores And Grade-point Averages; And Develops Skills In Problem-solving, Critical Thinking, And Decision-making.

The Pleasure Of Being Alive Is Brought Into Sharper Focus When You Need To Pay Attention To Staying Alive.

If A Child Never Sees The Stars, Never Has Meaningful Encounters With Other Species, Never Experiences The Richness Of Nature, What Happens To That Child?

Rather Than Accepting The Drifting Separation Of The Generations, We Might Begin To Define A More Complex And Interesting Set Of Life Stages And Parenting Passages, Each Emphasizing The Connections To The Generations Ahead And Behind. As I Grow Older, For Example, I Might First See My Role As A Parent In Need Of Older, Mentoring Parents, And Then Become A Mentoring Parent Myself. When I Become A Grandparent, I Might Expect To Seek Out Older Mentoring Grandparents, And Then Later Become A Mentoring Grandparent.

Stress Reduction, Greater Physical Health, A Deeper Sense Of Spirit, More Creativity, A Sense Of Play, Even A Safer Life-these Are The Rewards That Await A Family Then It Invites More Nature Into Children's Lives.