From the West Coast

The Oregonian talks vision.

Evidence is mounting in support of getting kids back outside. Pioneering teachers are now experimenting with outdoor classrooms, where children spend part of their school week interacting directly with the environment. They may tend a garden, investigate soil, or tally wildlife. Louv reported that these children perform better across the board, from math and science to standardized testing, than do the students stuck inside. Nowhere else do we use all five senses together for learning, the way we do in outdoor exploration. Nature also serves as a balm for kids to release the confusion and stress of life, soothing them instead with the healing powers of awe and wonder.