Jan 26
Scientists Report Nature is Essential for the Brain
It's common knowledge that nature can help us focus our attention. Ask most of us what kind of environment we visualize during meditation, and it would be "nature".Read this fascinating article linking nature to brain function and how that information relates to our increasingly urban world.
Oct 15
Winners Announced!
We know that unstructured outdoor play leads to happier, healthier and smarter children! Last summer, Leave No Child Inside ? Greater Cincinnati sponsored a Child-Friendly Backyard Contest as a fun way to encourage parents to allocate space in their yards for safe, unstructured play. On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the contest winners were announced and received recognition at the Cincinnati Horticultural Society's Amateur Gardener's Awards Ceremony. Since the key words for a Child-Friendly Backyard are "creative" and "unstructured", the contest guidelines were minimal! The ultimate measure of success for a Child-Friendly Backyard is that it is a place where children…
Jul 26
Exploring Nature with Your Little One
By Julie Eldridge Early Childhood Educator at Cincinnati Nature Center It wasn't long ago that I could slip on my hiking boots, snap the leash on my dog's collar and head out for a hike. The wind rustling through the trees, the gurgling water in the stream and the birds chattering all around soothed my soul and quieted my mind. That was about 2½ years ago. Now I run through my checklist: diapers ... check, wipes ... check, snack ... check, sippy cup ... check, and when I'm really on the ball, extra outfit for falls in the mud ...…
May 19
Fun in the Mud
Article by Julie Eldridge Early Childhood Educator at Cincinnati Nature Center While April showers may bring May flowers, springtime also brings the season of MUD! Look away for one second and your child is ankle deep in it. Squelch, squerch, plop! His shining eyes and joyful giggles speak to every child's innate desire to get their hands dirty. So forget about the caked-on laundry and mess that will inevitably be tracked into the house. Instead, put him in his worst-of-the-worst play clothes and some sturdy rubber boots and head outside together for some fun and messy lessons. At the first…
Apr 26
Conserving our Camps for Future Scouts
On Saturday, April 5, over 75 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts at the Dan Beard Scout Reservation and over 30 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts at Camp Michaels learned about conservation while helping our camps at the spring Camp Conservation Day. Hundreds of sapling trees were planted along the banks of the Little Miami River. Scouts also staked protective tubes over the trees to protect them from hungry deer and the elements. Invasive honeysuckle was removed from the woods around the Mountain Man Village at Cub World, preparing the area for new natural growth. Everyone was treated to a hot…
Apr 5
Granny’s Garden School
Keeping Kids in Touch with Nature Want to see first-hand just how much of a difference one person can make? Plan a trip to Granny's Garden School in Loveland! Seeing how disconnected kids are becoming from the natural world and their communities, Roberta Paolo (aka "Granny") decided to do something about it. As a grandmother and gardener, she had seen the positive impact exposure to flowers had on the kids and adults who visited her gardens; even the neighborhood tough guys. In the spring of 2002, she started Granny's Garden School to give kids a chance to pick flowers and…
Feb 26
Eco-Families
Feburary, 2008 Photos courtesy of Imago Eco-Families (nee Eco-Babies), is a monthly potluck for families and their young children, hosted by Imago. For parents, it is a way to learn more about ecological subjects and to hang out with other parents who share similar values. Children take part in songs, stories and hikes. Afterwards, it's dinnertime! Led by Dr. Amy Murdoch, a school psychologist specializing in early education and Chris Clements, Executive Director of Imago, each month features a theme and several activities revolving around that theme. Recent programs have included composting, birds, making gifts for wildlife, family yoga,…
Feb 26
Nocturnal Adventures at the Cincinnati Zoo
Article by Michelle Balz Photos courtesy of the Cincinnati Zoo Twenty Girl Scouts stand in the Nocturnal House kitchen, an area of the Cincinnati Zoo most visitors never see. It is 8:30 p.m., three hours past closing. All eyes are intently on the zoo instructor as she reaches into a bucket of live mealworms and, grinning, pops one in her mouth. "Remember when you eat these for breakfast in the morning to make sure you chew them really well or they will crawl back up!" she teases. This is not a local "Fear Factor" episode and these children are…
Feb 26
A Local Success Story – Early Education
Below is a letter from Sally Wehby, Executive Director of the UC Child Care Center, Inc. with their solution to providing today’s kids with the same unstructured play opportunities that many of us took for granted. "A group of administrators and teachers from the UC Child Care Center, Inc. formed a committee during the summer of 2006 to discuss the use of a large piece of land in back of our child care facility. The Center already had traditional playgrounds for both infants and toddlers, as well as for our preschool age children. After sharing each other’s outdoor experiences as…
Feb 26
Leave No Child Inside – Greater Cincinnati supports the Ohio Physical Activity Plan
Feburary, 2008 On February 13, 2008, Ohio's Physical Activity Plan was released. This plan, created by a consortium including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, is a statewide plan of action to address the epidemic of physical inactivity and its consequences. It incorporates strategies to influence behaviors and lifestyles, focusing on Community, School, Transportation, and Worksite. This report addresses health issues not only for Ohio's children, but for the population in general. Leave No Child Inside – Greater Cincinnati has endorsed the plan. Click here to view either the Executive Summary or the complete…
