Richard Louv's book "Last Child in The Woods" is one of the books written on children in the recent era that cannot be ignored. Developmental scientists, therapists, researchers and institutions can beat around the bush so much when it comes to the state of modern children, "what ails them?" and many different offerings will be made from: technology, lack of movement, social pressures, bullying, poor diet, methods of parenting etc. These factors which ail our children are all relevant, but very few researchers or writers have brought it all together, connecting all of the moving pieces to an underlying lack of Nature. When we lack Nature connection, we become underdeveloped in nearly area of life. Treating our children with therapies, medication, team sports, tutoring or any other solution can only go so far when the connection to what makes us human (Nature) is disrupted in our lives. Richard Louv calls this disconnected state "Nature Deficit Disorder". Richard Louv in this inspirational book points directly at the deficit as the major underpinning source of so many of our modern problems - many of which we are now viewing the buds of in our children. What fruits will a society disconnected from Nature produce? The distilled solution? Connect to Nature in all ways possible. How do we do it? That's for us to find out and share what we find far and wide. Foundations like Life Rocks can assist us on the journey to connecting our children to Nature through interactive play and discovery but it is really the teachers, parents and mentors in this world that have the biggest influence on our children - so lets work together to usher in a brighter, more Nature connected future for our children! Thanks Richard Louv for tying all of this together so beautifully in this book. Highly recommended for a deeper dive into the vast importance of Nature as a fundamental nutrient in all beings lives. Life Rocks!

We are launching the Life Rocks Podcast and we are looking for amazing guests ! The Life Rocks podcast is a voice for educators, teachers, mentors, parents and entrepreneurs who are working to improve the lives and outcomes for our future generations through earth sciences, art, culture and nature. If you, or someone you know is passionately working in the realm of making children and families lives better through : education, earth sciences, art, therapy, interactive play, ancestral wisdom, culture or "x" - we'd love to hear from you. Leave your best guest suggestions in the comments below OR private message us directly if you want to get on the show ! Can't wait to share the show with our Life Rocks audience 💛 🦖💛

🌿 Competiton Time 🌿 Last year, we launched our Facebook group The Magic of Nature for Early Learning with a vision to always give you a place to look for support in how to keep your kids connected to nature. We've been stoked with the support and now we would like to give you all an opportunity to win a copy of our children's 'Soil Book'. All you have to do is: 🌲 Make sure you are yourself a member (The Magic of Nature for Early Learning) 🌲 Invite 3 friends to join the group 🌲 Comment below to let us know when you're done 🙂 Head to the link in our BIO to access the Facebook Group. Good luck out there folks!

"Reclaim Early Childhood - The Philosophy, Psychology and Practice of Steiner Waldorf Early Years Education" by Sebastian and Tamara Suggate is an absolutely amazing book on the benefits of Waldorf education. The presentation of the Steiner model put forth here by Sebastian and Tamara is concise, readable and entertaining. For a lay person coming into Steiner schools and their approach Early Childhood, this is THE book. Some of Steiner's philosophies can sometimes be so "out there" that people can miss the absolute pragmatic and realistic approach to Steiner education. Yet this practical and grounded approach to raising early learners is well represented in this book. The need for play in early childhood is well known to all early childhood experts, researchers, teachers and educators - and it is absolutely cherished to the highest level in Waldorf education. Sensory development in the early years is prioritised to such a degree, that the detail of care may shock people new to the concept of sensory development and its criticality in healthy development. This book lays everything out in a neat, succinct and easy to understand way. For any teachers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of sensory development, or parents wanting to understand more deeply the foundations of the Steiner model - look no further! This book is for you. And remember . . . Life Rocks!

If you're looking for a cool activity to do with the kids, we've been really enjoying this website - The Children & Nature Network! The Children & Nature Network is doing some amazing work in the field and we have been very impressed with how they have supported leaders, educators, activists, practitioners and parents who are working to turn the trend of an indoor childhood back to the benefits of nature. Now, it's time for NATURE QUEST. Click on the link in our bio to play along. and remember . . . Life Rocks!

Late last year, I had the opportunity to appear on Regen Ray's podcast - Secrets of the Soil. We covered a great deal of ground across the topics of soil, early childhood education, and where these two important concerns intersect. Children mainly have little chance to discover that there is a life that exists under the surface of the soil because children are not being taught enough about soil-life in schools. They are only aware of the life above the ground, not underneath it. This leads to a serious lack of interest in our younger generation towards their surrounding environment. By educating younger generations on the importance of healthy soil, we can ensure our soils continue to be a valuable resource for generations to come. If you enjoyed our recent children's 'Soil Book' this podcast is a must listen. Thanks for tuning in! LINK IN BIO

So much wisdom passed down from this great man! If you're unfamiliar with him, we highly recommend reading up ✨

Our newly released Soils Book: 🌍 Combines vivid and colourful illustrations, earth-science education, and engaging rhyming narrative 🐞 Explores the wonderful creatures in the soil that live beneath our feet, that are often too small to see. 🤓 Is captivating, fun and educational - the way children’s books should be. Plus - for a short time, we're offering 10% off. Use the code SOILBOOKSUMMER when you check out! 👉🏼👉🏼(LINK IN BIO)

Trying to get kid's attention these days can be tough, and is often reported by teachers and parents as a hurdle in early childhood education. When we put together our 'Soil Book', we wanted to do everything we could to keep them engaged so they can stay entertained while learning, and actually enjoy the process of learning about earth-science. Shoutout to our artist Nick who has done an exceptional job of making these illustrations vibrant, modern, and extremely appealing to the kiddies. If you are yet to do so, you can grab a copy of our Soil Book in our bio.