Go Green Kids & Parents Magazine by GGK MEDIA

Go Green

kids & parents

MAGAZINE JULY 2022

Contents 7

17 21 24 fi

Sustainable beef

5 tips for a more sustainable home

2022 top garden trends

How to keep 1.4 billion bottles out of land lls every year

You Need To Ten Tips for Know This getting outside Month: Flower Why wellness travel Fruit is the year's top Animal Green vacation trend

30 How School Crushes the Child's Natural Love of Learning

Go green kids & Parents Magazine

Publisher Ggk Media https://www.gogreenkidz.org www.ggkchange.org https://issuu.com/gogreenkp charlene3w2@gmail.com gogreenkidsandparents@gmail.com

Editor

Charlene Alvarez

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Aaron Steven

Regional Manager Louis Catalina

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We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, sh and trees.” - Qwatsinas (Hereditary Chief Edward Moody), Nuxalk Nation

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5 tips for a more sustainable home (BPT) - While daily DIY hacks for a more sustainable lifestyle are increasingly popular, consumers are also interested in more meaningful, long-term ways they can make a di erence in protecting our planet. One key way to make a lasting impact is investing in a sustainable home, from energy-saving laundry appliances to composting for less food waste. Check out these ve tips for long-term eco-friendly living. 1. Lightbulb moment - investing in energy-e ciency. Turning lights o as you leave the room and unplugging unused electronics are quick tips to reduce your energy usage, but longterm investments in energy-e cient appliances are the most valuable in creating a more sustainable home. The best appliances to purchase are those with the ENERGY STAR® label, which signi es the most e cient options on the market. For example, Bosch compact laundry pairs feature dryers with heat pump drying technology, a ventless, sustainable drying solution that was awarded the ENERGY STAR Most E cient Mark in 2022. 2. Turn up the heat on sustainable cooking.

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Choosing quality, energy-saving cooking appliances is crucial to reduce your carbon

footprint. Eco-friendly wall ovens and induction cooktops are a great rst step in more sustainable cooking over time. Induction cooking uses electromagnetic energy to heat pots and pans directly. In comparison, gas and electric cooktops heat indirectly, using a burner or other heating element to pass radiant energy to your food. Induction cooking is a more e cient way to cook and reduces the amount of heat that is expelled into the home. Some ovens o er eco-friendly features as well, like Bosch wall ovens with EcoChef technology. This feature uses residual heat in the cavity to complete the cooking process, ultimately saving energy while still delivering optimal cooking results. 3. Water smart by design. One of the simplest ways to conserve water is to invest in appliances that do it for you. Washers and dishwashers are two appliances that can utilize a signi cant amount of water and energy if they are not designed to conserve both. Once again, make sure to select appliances with ENERGY STAR certi cations and thoughtful design that will intuitively allow you to save more water. According to the EPA, an ENERGY STAR certi ed dishwasher costs about $35 per year to run and can save you an average 3,870 gallons of water over its lifetime, compared to a standard dishwasher.

Compost 4. A backyard party - composting in your home garden. Try taking an eco-friendly approach to grocery shopping by planting your own garden with fresh fruits and vegetables to use during mealtime. In addition, composting can be a great way to maximize your backyard nursery and continue to cultivate a more sustainable lifestyle. For avid backyard gardeners and eco-enthusiasts alike, composting is an easy, e ective way to reduce the amount of carbon emissions from our household waste bins. According to the EPA, food scraps and yard waste together comprise over 30% of household waste, but these could be composted instead. Making compost keeps this waste out of land lls, where they'd otherwise take up space and release harmful greenhouse gases. To compost, select a dry, shady spot for your compost bin. Add brown and green materials, moistening dry materials as they are collected. Mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile and bury fruit and vegetable waste about 10 inches

under compost material. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color (as early as two months), your compost is ready to use. 5. Keeping it fresh - reducing food waste. Recent Bosch research found that Americans toss 103 pounds of spoiled food per year - that's roughly $3,000 wasted annually! The solution to less food waste? A refrigerator with purposeful organization and storage functions. Sixty-one percent of people believe that owning a fridge with more useful storage capabilities would contribute to less food waste overall, keeping their groceries fresher for longer. The Bosch French door bottom mount refrigerator is a great option, equipped with freshness technologies to extend the life of your groceries, from customizable humidity and temperature drawers to rearrangeable shelving.

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A TASTE OF CHINA

2022 top garden trends and expert tips for success

(BPT) - Interest in gardening continues to blossom as more people decide to exercise their green thumb and make the most of their outdoor spaces. Whether it's a quaint balcony, large backyard garden or front yard landscaping, gardening opportunities are bountiful. With a little creativity and some expert insight, anyone can be a successful gardener. The team at Ball Horticultural Company shares simple tips and the top trends for 2022 to inspire every type of gardener.

Low maintenance, high impact Do you want a magazine-worthy landscape but don't want to spend every day tending to plants? The trick is to strategically select eyecatching owers that are easy to care for.

There are many plants that o er beautiful blooms with surprisingly little work. Beacon Impatiens are the ideal plant for owerbeds with partial sun, rewarding you with ample, long-lasting color for the shade. Add Megawatt Begonias in pots and transition spaces - this bigger-than-life hybrid provides rich color and glossy foliage with little care. For sunny spots, you can't go wrong with low-maintenance E3 Easy Wave Petunias. This spreading petunia comes in a variety of hues, adding sweeping color that will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Fun and avorful foods As the sustainability movement continues, more people are interested in growing their own food. Whether it's a small herb garden or a large vegetable plot, having homegrown food at your ngertips can help you eat healthier and fresher.

Tomatoes are a must for any vegetable grower. But what if you don't have an outdoor growing space? No garden, no problem with the Kitchen Minis collection of indoor potted vegetables. Look for Siam Tomato, which gives you several weeks of cherry-sized fruit for your fresh eating and recipes. Enjoy it on a sunny windowsill indoors or next to your other easy-access countertop herbs.

For a sunny show all season long, plant Bee's Knees Petunias. The intense yellow color of each big bloom adds brightness to your landscaping. Juxtapose the yellow with Jolt Purple Dianthus, adding a vivid magenta shade that instantly adds personality. Curb appeal can come from more than just owering plants, of course. For visual interest in a fruiting plant, check out Pepper Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry. With variegated foliage and uniquely striped fruit that changes from green to chocolate and cherry red, this is a treat for the eyes and the stomach. No matter the size of your garden space or the time you can put into your plants, there's something for everyone in the top gardening trends of the year.

Pollinator gardens Pollination is essential for plants to ourish, and according to the U.S. Forest Service, pollinators are responsible for assisting over 80% of the world's owering plants to reproduce. This includes hard-working insects like butter ies, bees and birds. Because of their essential work, everyone can enjoy plants that delight the eyes and tasty foods that tantalize the taste buds. Some pollinator populations are diminishing, so people are taking action by planting pollinator-friendly gardens. For example, if you want butter y bliss in your garden, choose Chrysalis Buddleia. Known as Butter y Bush, this plant has an abundance of owers but grows in a manageable size - perfect for a small hanging basket. Add in a few Shamrock Lantana, whose blooms are an attractive, soft landing pad, and you'll be creating a pollinator paradise.

First impressions After spending the last few years close to home, people are taking exceptional pride in their property by prioritizing curb appeal. Friendly yellows and vivid purples are on trend and broadly appealing, making your home stand out on the block.

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Many vegetables and herbs do as well in containers as they do in the ground, so if you're short on space, you can still succeed with growing vegetables as long as you can give your plants a sunny spot and adequate water. An insider tip is to skip seeds and buy garden-ready plants that are already established, such as Burpee vegetables and herbs. This helps support successful growing and faster harvests.

Dr. Scerbo,

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Planet

No planet B

How to keep 1.4 billion bottles out of land lls every year (BPT) - No one enjoys seeing plastic oating in lakes and streams. No one likes seeing it crushed and lthy on the roadside. Almost everywhere it ends up, plastic waste is unwelcome. Even at the recycling plant. The EPA reports less than 10% of plastics in the United States get recycled. Some plastics get incinerated, but the majority winds up in a land ll. Frustratingly, the bulk of this is from single-use items that were destined, from the start, to be wasted. Case in point: Liquid hand soap bottles According to statista.com, more than 300 million U.S. consumers use liquid hand soap. Estimates of the number of discarded bottles this results in vary. Some place it around 600 million a year. Others estimate as high as 1.4 billion. Regardless, the result is thousands upon thousands of pounds of discarded plastic.

"We've found that most people are trying to be responsible and recycle," says Christopher Gill, vice president of eco-friendly soap tablet brand Nature Lake. "Unfortunately, once those plastic bottles have been made, they're unlikely to get through the recycling process and actually be repurposed." Consumer choices can make a di erence The best way to keep 1.4 billion plastic dispenser bottles out of land lls is to not make them in the rst place. Consumers have power around this, particularly when purchasing habits change en masse. But selection and availability are key to making change possible. Fortunately, there are multiple high-quality, easy-to-access alternatives available for liquid hand soap.

This might be surprising, but the truth is, you don't need to give up liquid hand soap to stop consuming it in single-use plastic bottles. The Nature Lake foaming hand soap kit includes two reusable glass dispenser bottles with non-slip silicone sleeves and four tablets. To turn a tablet into soap, you simply ll the bottle with warm water and drop the tablet in. In minutes you have a full bottle of hand soap with only a small pouch to discard. "Tablet-based products require less fuel to ship, take up less storage space and never result in a wasted plastic bottle," Gill explains. "We truly believe tablets are the future of sustainable personal care and cleaning." Option 2: Artisan soap bars Solid artisan soap bars are a fun option, in part because the sky's the limit on colors and scents. From neon pink cupcake shapes to sparkly bars with elaborate motifs, if you can think it, you can probably nd an artisan selling it. Of course, the drawback to artisan soap bars is availability. It can be tricky to nd a soap maker with a formula you like and your desired scent or design consistently in stock. You'll also want to invest in a soap dish, unless you like chasing down runaway bars. Option 3: Bulk bar soap For those who like it old school, bulk bar soap is another option. These massmanufactured bars are inexpensive and readily available. However, their cardboard boxes often come sealed with plastic, which hurts their sustainability case. Pro tip: before committing to a bulk pack of 12 or 24 bars, try buying just one bar to be sure you're happy with how the formula feels and smells. That way you're not stuck with a year's supply of soap you don't like. Single-use plastic can be a thing of the past It's encouraging to see how many ecofriendly and a ordable alternatives to

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Option 1: Tablet-based liquid hand soap

disposable bottles of liquid hand soap are available. As movement toward conscientious, earth-friendly consumption grows, it seems more than plausible that tablet-based hand soap could be the way of the future.

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Welcome to Earth Ways! Earth Ways Welcomes you to the website of Rubha Phil, a young nature based permaculture community on the Isle of Skye.

Sustain able beef: How cattle are part of the climate solution (BPT) - Beef has gotten a bad rap when it comes to environmental sustainability, and the important role cattle play in environmental conservation is often omitted from headlines. It's true that cattle produce methane, a greenhouse gas, and industry leaders are working to reduce the amount of methane cattle's digestive systems produce. Dr. Ermias Kebreab, associate dean for global engagement in University of California-Davis' College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is studying the most e ective feed supplements to limit climate impact. This, paired with the ecosystem bene ts cattle provide, demonstrates cows are vital in sustaining healthy environments. "My research is focused on how we can make cattle more sustainable and reach climate neutrality. Cattle already provide natural bene ts by enriching soil quality through carbon sequestration. I want to take cattle's environmental bene ts one step further," says Kebreab. All too often the untold story is how cattle farmers and ranchers are actually helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, the world's most abundant greenhouse gas, in the environment through grazing cattle.

Through grazing management and other sustainable practices, cattle ranching is positively impacting the environment - from the open space it preserves for wildlife habitat to the way cattle naturally regenerate soil and plant life which then capture carbon. Still skeptical? Read on to see how cattle and sustainability can go hand in hand. Capturing carbon By simply grazing, cattle take part in carbon sequestration - the process of plants capturing and storing carbon dioxide underground [1]. In fact, proper grazing management is one of the best ways to store carbon in the soil [2]. This is because cattle recycle nutrients through the soil. They consume and digest plants and their manure enriches the soil, allowing new, healthy plants to grow quickly and e ectively, and in turn, capture carbon [3]. Why is cattle's role in carbon sequestration so important? U.S. soil holds up to 30% of the world's carbon, and all that stored greenhouse gas is protected by the farmers and ranchers who graze cattle on that land [4]. If you were to develop on that land, you'd release all the stored carbon and rob the soil of its ability to capture additional carbon in the future [5].

Sustain able beef: How cattle are part of the climate solution

Protecting biodiversity Cattle and bison have naturally preserved the North American ecosystem for centuries [6]. Today, farmers and ranchers across the country graze cattle on varying landscapes and in a range of climates, preserving land that is home to countless species of plants and wildlife [7]. In fact, the land that U.S. ranching families manage preserves the habitat of hundreds of animal species, like butter ies, waterfowl, songbirds, elk, deer and countless others, including many that are on the endangered list [7,8]. Without farmers and ranchers grazing cattle on the land, habitats could be permanently destroyed by development, leading to the endangerment and possible extinction of plant and wildlife species. Part of the climate solution Through decades of research, innovation and improvement, the U.S. is the leader in sustainable beef production, but it doesn't stop there. The beef industry is committed to continuous improvement and through programs like the Beef Checko -funded Beef Quality Assurance program, farmers and ranchers across the country have access to the training and tools they need to continue to protect the land.

farmers and ranchers know it is their duty to protect the land they have been entrusted to manage.

Smith, P. 2012. Soils and climate change. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 4: 539-544.2. Schuman, et al. 2002. Soil Carbon dynamics and potential carbon sequestration by rangelands. Environmental Pollution 116: 391-396.3. Scott, Dave. 2018. Livestock as a Tool: Improving Soil Health, Boosting Crops. NCAT.4. Silveira, et al. 2012. Carbon sequestration in grazing land ecosystems. University of Florida Extension.5. Follett, R.F., J.M. Kimble, and R. Lal. 2001.?The Potential of U.S. Grazing Lands to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse E ect. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis Publishers.6. Neiburger, E.J. 1986. Central States Archaeological Journal. Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 140-143.7. Brunson, MW and L. Huntsinger. 2008. Ranching as a Conversation Strategy: Can Old Ranchers Save the New West? Rangeland Ecology & Management 61(2): 137-147.)8. Barry, Sheila. 2021. Beef Cattle Grazing More Help than Harm for Endangered Plants and Animals.

While grazing and grasslands are already storing carbon, o setting emissions in the atmosphere and preserving open space, cattle

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FIT FOOD

10 tips for getting outside

(BPT) - Physical activity and time outside are two wonderful gifts for your body and mind; they're proven to reduce stress and anxiety, and o er a greater sense of well-being. L.L.Bean recently partnered with Mental Health America to share 10 ways getting outside can boost your energy, mood and state of mind. Set aside just 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity outdoors twice a day can signi cantly bene t your mind and body. Set yourself up for success. Plan for moments in the day when you typically have the most energy. If you enjoy morning walks, for example, set out everything you need the night before so you don't have to think about it in the morning. Treat it as a treat. Outdoor activity isn't a chore or an obligation; it's a well-deserved break in your day. You're treating yourself to fresh air, more focus, a healthier body and a better mood. Give yourself a goal. Maybe your goal is to try a new yoga ow, walk a new trail or try a new style of workout. That's plenty to focus on for now. Just making this time for yourself counts as a win.

Notice the bene ts. As you cool down from your activity and get ready to head back inside, notice how you feel. Is your head clearer, your focus sharper? What about your mood - are you less stressed? Fully absorb the bene ts of movement and think about what you need to do to make it most e ective. Change it up if you need to. Do you nd you are too tired at the end of the day to head outdoors? Next time, try it rst thing in the morning. Are you having trouble staying focused or motivated? Team up with a friend so you can keep each other on track (and keep each other company). Have patience with yourself. According to Mental Health America, it takes an average of 66 days for a behavior to become automatic - so if it doesn't feel natural or routine for you right away, you're not alone. Every time you go outside, you're doing something good for yourself, and taking care of your physical and mental health. This piece is brought to you through a partnership between L.L.Bean and Mental Health America aimed at helping more people to uncover the wellness bene ts of time spent outside. To learn more about these e orts, visit Explore L.L.Bean.

The outdoors is your playground. Step outside and take in all the possibilities. Practice meditation or strength exercises right on your front step or in your backyard, or take a walk or jog around your neighborhood or local park. Do what feels good. "Moderate or vigorous activity" can mean a lot of things - it doesn't have to mean running a marathon or lifting heavy weights. Safely choose an activity you love and embrace the feeling. Stay mindful. One of the great bene ts of time outside is that it arouses a feeling of awe - a sensation of being in the presence of something bigger and more powerful than us. Savor that feeling and be present for the taste of air on your lips, the warmth of the sun on your skin and the feeling of the ground beneath your feet.

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Why wellness travel is the year's top vacation trend

(BPT) - You're dreaming of a vacation where you can have fun while being healthy. You want to travel somewhere equal parts exciting and relaxing. You want meaningful experiences that inspire you to live your best life. And you are not alone, which is why wellness travel is experiencing huge interest in 2022. What is wellness travel? Wellness travel is not a new concept, but it has evolved tremendously over the last several decades. Previously, wellness travel typically meant a spa getaway, and, while spas remain an important part of this travel trend, vacations focused on well-being go beyond massages and facials. Wellness travel today supports mental and physical health in meaningful ways that can be customized to the traveler. You can visit spas that feature traditional services as well as new options such as hydrotherapy that uses the healing bene ts of water and chromotherapy that incorporates the power of light. Other pillars of wellness travel include access to fresh, wholesome foods as well as myriad tness activities. This may include specialty exercise classes or the opportunity to explore local ora and fauna independently. Wellness travel destinations are available nationwide and are often located in the beautiful backdrop of nature. This natural setting can inspire mental and physical well-being, and you may enjoy activities such as guided hikes, outdoor meditation and more. Why do people choose wellness travel? The pandemic has changed many people's approach to travel. After shelving vacation plans, today's traveler wants experiences that are meaningful and support their core values. Because wellness travel embodies the idea of proactive health that includes mixes of rest and relaxation with opportunities to learn, grow and try new things, it's often the ideal choice for couples, groups or solo vacationers.

Some people choose wellness travel because they are looking to kickstart a healthy lifestyle. Others are looking to continue their current health journey and expand their sense of well-being. Many people like that wellness travel destinations are located throughout the United States, so there's no need to travel internationally and have a passport. In fact, you may be surprised how many top-rated wellness travel destinations are located within driving distance or a short ight. What are wellness immersion retreats? Wellness immersion retreats are planned events that you can attend where you get access to a variety of health-related activities and amenities designed to inspire you to feel your best. These experiences vary in length, anywhere from a weekend to several weeks. For example, the one-of-a-kind Kohler Well-Being Experience is a three-day wellness extravaganza presented by Prevea Health with gifts from lifestyle brand goop. The weekend starting June 24 is packed with curated special events that allow guests to explore everything the luxury Midwest resort o ers while gaining a fresh perspective on the world of well-being from in uential gures. Dr. Michael Roizen, Anna Kaiser, mindfulness educator Catherine Ekeleme in partnership with goop, and Dr. Bryan Williams join Destination Kohler's own roster of experts from Yoga on the Lake, Bold Cycle, Sports Core, and Kohler Waters Spa for special programming throughout the weekend. In addition to the Well-Being Experience, Destination Kohler is hosting a new series of Wellness Immersion Weekends available July 8-10, Sept. 9-11, and Oct. 7-9. These exible and tailored weekends are specially curated by Kohler's wellness team to o er unique experiences like private yoga Nidra, guided hikes, intention setting and journaling, a custom-blend essential oils class and wellness assessments. Access to a wellness concierge is included to help guests customize their itinerary to explore the resort's full range of o erings. Wellness travel is appealing to many people because it supports their value of proactive health while providing an inspiring yet relaxing break from routine. This trend is likely to grow, continuing well into the future.

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Agapanthus (African Lily)

You Need To Know This Month

The Agapanthus (African Lily) is also known as “ owers of love” in Greek-are hardy perennials that are available in various shades of blue, white, and pink. The plants’ cultivation boomed in the 17th century, after the early explores brought Agapanthus to Europe from their native homeland of South Africa. Since then, the species has propagated in the areas around the globe, serving as highly-beloved ornamental owers-likely due to their showy, spherical owering heads. Fun Facts: The name Agapanthus is from the Greek words “Agape” (meaning love) and “anthos” (meaning Flower). Contrary to its common names, African Lily and lily of the Nile, Agapanthus ower are not lilies at all! Agapanthus is actually related to garlic! Many modern herbalists us the Agapanthus ower essence to promote a sense of abundance and aspiring to one’s true potential.

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FLOWER

FRUIT

You Need To Know This Month

Durian

Durian is native to Southeast Asia, growing in countries like Indonesia. Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In some of these regions, it’s referred to as the king of fruits. It has a spiny, thick rind protecting its esh, which as a creamy texture and sweet, slightly bitter taste. It can grow up to 1 foot ling and 6 inches wide, but even so, it typically only o ers around 2 cups of edible esh from its encasement. Ripe durian has a strong, recognizable aroma that some people nd overwhelming. This is due to the presence of compounds like ester, aldehydes, and sulfurs. The esh of durian is high nutritious, as it’s a rich source of ber, vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins. It’s also packed with anti-in ammatory and antioxidant compounds. Depending on where you live, durian can be had to nd. In the United States, you may be able to score it at a speciality stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, or Trader Joe’s. You can enjoy durian’s eshing both sweet and savoy dishes alike, such as soups, ice cream, cakes, or even side salads.

ANIMAL DANGER OF EXTINCTION

Polar Bear

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Sea Turtle

You Need To Know This Month

Asian Elephant

Rhino

Green

PLASTIC FREE JULY

Things you can do in JULY Clean Beach Week July 1 -July 7

International Plastic Bag Free Day July 3

World Population Day

July 11

Love Parks Week July 23-July 21

International Day of Forest March 21

World

DAY JULY 29

National Marine Week July 24-August 7

How School Crushes the Child's Natural Love of Learning By Laura Grace Weldon

FEE.org

The very structure of school makes children passive recipients of education designed by others.

And it tastes wonderful. it’s possible to purchase the separate nutritional components of an orange. You simply buy vitamin C, vitamin A, avonoids, B-complex vitamins, ber, potassium, and calcium in pill form. Of course replacing an orange with supplements is ridiculously expensive compared to the cost of consuming the fruit itself. And isolated compounds don’t work as effectively in the body as the whole fruit. Besides, where is the sensation of biting into an orange bursting with juice? Lost. Divided into a fraction of the experience.

Imagine being told in your earliest years that pills were superior to food and should replace it as often as possible. Even if handfuls of supplements were deemed more valuable than food by every adult in your life you’d still clamor to eat what you found appetizing. If mealsubstitution pills became mandatory for children once they turned ve years old, you’d never relate to food (or its replacement) the same way again. The body, mind, and spirit reject what diminishes wholeness.

natural learning. In fact, most of us believe, however grudgingly, that schooling is necessary for learning without recognizing that damage is done.

“

Conventional education separates learning into thousands of measurable objectives and has very little to do with a child’s hunger to master a particular skill.

For the very youngest children, learning is constant. Their wondrous progress from helpless newborn to sophisticated ve-year-old happens without explicit teaching. They explore, challenge themselves, make mistakes, and try again with an insatiable eagerness to learn. Young children seem to recognize that knowledge is an essential shared resource, like air or water. They demand a fair share. They actively espouse the right to gain skills and understanding in a way that’s useful to them at the time.

Conventional education separates learning into thousands of measurable objectives and has very little to do with a child’s hunger to master a particular skill.

How Not to Learn Yet that’s an apt analogy for heavily structured education, where learning is set apart from the threads that connect it to what has meaning and purpose for the learner. Conventional education separates learning into thousands of measurable objectives. It has very little to do with a child’s hunger to master a particular skill or thirst to pursue an area of interest, in fact such appetites tend to interfere with institutional requirements. It’s not designed for the whole child but aimed at one hemisphere of the brain, doled out in predetermined doses and repeatedly evaluated. The most gifted, caring teachers are stuck within systems that don’t acknowledge or understand

Although we have the idea that learning ows from instruction, when we interfere with natural learning children show us with stubbornness or disinterest that it has nothing to do with coercion. Children often ignore what they aren’t ready to learn only to return to the same concept later, comprehending it with ease and pleasure. What they do is intrinsically tied to why they do it, because they know learning is purposeful. They are curious, motivated, and always pushing in the direction of mastery.

“

Learning is a hunger too.

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When you pick up an orange you feel its texture and weight in your hand. You breathe in scent emitted by the brightly colored rind. If you’re hungry, you peel and section it to savor piece by piece. A fresh orange has phytonutrients, ber, minerals, and vitamins that promote health.

But schooling irrevocably alters the natural process of learning for every single child.

•

The very structure of school makes children passive recipients of education designed by others. They cannot charge ahead fueled by curiosity, pursuing interests wherever they lead. Although interest-driven learning results in high level mastery, the top priority in school is completing assignments correctly and scoring well on tests. Despite what individual children want to learn, value is given to what can be evaluated. Segregated by age, children are limited to examples of behavior, reasoning, and ability from those at a similar level of maturity. They have little exposure to essential adult role models and minimal engagement in community life. They’re also deprived of the opportunity to practice the sort of nurturance and selfeducation that happens when children interact in multi-age settings. Even collaboration is de ned as cheating. A child’s natural inclination to discover and experiment is steered instead toward meeting curricular requirements. Gradually the child’s naturally exploratory approach is supplanted by less meaningful ways of gathering and retaining information. The mind and body are exquisitely cued to work together. Sensory input oods the brain, locking learning into memory. Movement is essential for learning. The emphasis in school, however, is almost entirely static, and almost entirely focused on left-brain analytical thinking. Many children ache for more active involvement, but their attempts to enliven the day are labeled behavior problems. The mismatch between school-like expectations and normal childhood behavior has resulted in millions of children being diagnosed with ADHD. Coming up with the correct answer leaves little room for trial and error. Thinking too carefully or deeply may result in the wrong answer. The right answer from a child’s personal

perspective may actually be the opposite of the correct answer, but to get a good mark the child cannot be true to his or her experience. The grade becomes more important than reality. •

•

Emphasis on the correct answer squeezes out unconventional thinking. The fear of making mistakes squelches creativity and innovation. After years of being taught to avoid making mistakes, the child has also learned to steer clear of originality. Readiness is pivotal for learning, particularly in reading. In school, reading is used to instruct in every other subject, so the child who doesn’t read at grade level quickly falls behind. The subject matter in school, even when taught well, isn’t necessarily what the child is ready to learn. The way it is presented tends to be indirect, inactive, and irrelevant to the child. Schoolwork repeatedly emphasizes skill areas that are lacking rather than building on strengths, or goes over skills already mastered with stultifying repetition. Neither approach builds real learning.

The desire to produce meaningful work, the urge to make contributions of value, the need to be recognized for oneself, and other developmental necessities are undercut by the overriding obligation to complete assignments.

Conventional education takes the same approach to a six-year-old and an 18-year-old: assignments, grades, tests. Self-reliance and independence don't easily ourish in such a closed container.

Children must hurry to do the required work, then change subjects. The information is stuffed into their short-term memories in order to get good grades and pass tests, even though such tests tend to measure super cial thinking. In fact, higher test scores are unrelated to future accomplishments in such career advancement, positive relationships, or leadership. Students aren’t learning to apply information to real life activities nor are they generating wisdom from it. The very essence of learning is ignored. https://fee.org/people/llggww/ Schoolwork clearly separates what is deemed “educational” from the rest of a child’s experience. This indicates to children that learning is con ned to speci c areas of life. A divide appears where before there was a seamless whole. Absorption and play are on one side in opposition to work and learning on another. This sets the inherent joy and meaning in all these things adrift. The energy that formerly prompted a child to explore, ask questions, and eagerly leap

ahead becomes a social liability. Often this transforms into cynicism. When young people are insuf ciently challenged or pushed too hard, they do learn but not necessarily what they’re being taught. What they learn is that the educational process is boring or makes them feel bad about themselves or doesn’t acknowledge their deeper gifts. They see that what they achieve is relentlessly judged. They learn to quell enthusiasm and suppress the value-laden questions that normally bubble up as they seek to grow more wholly into themselves. Gradually, their natural moment-to-moment curiosity is distorted until they resist learning anything but what they have to learn. This is how the life force is drained from education.

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Free play promotes selfregulation (ability to control behavior, resist impulse, and exert self-control_ which is critical for maturity.

Figuring something out is itself a delight. We’re so committed to structured, top-down instruction that we impose it on kids beyond the school day. Young people are relentlessly shuttled from the classroom to enrichment activities to organized sports and back home to play with educational toys or apps when there’s very little evidence that all this effort, time, and money results in learning of any real value. Many of us think that education has always been this way—stu ng information into young people who must regurgitate it back on demand. Based on dropout numbers alone, this approach doesn’t work for at least a quarter of U.S. students. So we advocate copying Finland or Singapore, using the newest electronics, taking away testing, increasing testing, adding uniforms or yoga or chess or prayer. We’ve been reforming schools for a long time without recognizing, as Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it.”

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Structured education is actually very new to the human experience. Worse, it actually undermines the way children are primed to advance their abilities and mature into capable adults. That’s because most of the time humanity has spent on Earth has been as nomadic hunter-gatherers, before the advent of agriculture. This time span comprises approximately 98% of human history. Although our culture and lifestyle have changed considerably, our minds and bodies have not. Like our earliest ancestors, we are still tuned to nature’s rhythms, cued to react quickly to danger, desire close interdependence with a cohesive group of people, and need in our earliest years highly responsive nurturing that gradually fosters our abilities. Studies of isolated groups who continue to live in hunter-gatherer ways have shown us that during this era (and throughout most time periods afterward) babies are breastfed and remain in close contact with their mothers for the rst few years. This results in securely attached infants who are more likely to grow up independent, conscientious, and intellectually advanced.

The Importance of Play Their children play freely in multi-age groups without overt supervision or direction by adults. Such free play promotes self-regulation (ability to control behavior, resist impulse, and exert selfcontrol) which is critical for maturity. Play fosters learning in realms such as language, social skills, and spatial relations. It teaches a child to adapt, innovate, handle stress, and think independently. Even attention span increases in direct correlation to play. Playfulness can’t be separated from learning. Children watch and imitate the people around them. The child’s natural desire to build his or her capabilities doesn’t have to be enforced. Instruction happens when the child seeks it. The learning environment is particularly rich when young people are surrounded by adults performing the tasks necessary to maintain their way of life. Children naturally learn as they playfully repeat what they see and begin to take part in these real life tasks. Mastering all the skills for self-reliance isn’t easy. Hunter-gatherer children must recognize thousands of species of plants and animals as well as how to best obtain, use, and store them. They must know how to make necessary items such as nets, baskets, darts, carrying devices, clothing, and shelter.

They need to learn the lore of their people and pass along wisdom through story, ritual, and art. And perhaps most importantly, they need to be able to cooperate and share in ways that have allowed humanity to thrive. In such cultures, children learn on their own timetables in ways that best use their abilities.

It’s about curiosity and awe.

We don’t have to live as hunter-gatherers do to restore natural learning to children’s lives. Homeschoolers and unschoolers have been doing this, quite easily, for a very long time. Our children learn as they are ready and in ways that augment strong selfhood. They stay up late to stargaze or make music or design video games, knowing they can sleep late the next morning. They may ll an afternoon reading or actively contribute to the community. They have time to delve into topics of interest to them, often in much greater depth and breadth than any curriculum might demand. They explore, ask questions, volunteer, hang out with friends of all ages, take on household responsibilities, daydream, seek challenges, make mistakes and start over. They’re accustomed to thinking for themselves and pursuing their own interests, son they’re more likely to de ne success on their own terms. Because homeschooling/ unschooling gives them the freedom ti be wig they are, it pushes back against a world relentlessly promoting narrow de nitions of success. This kind of natural learning isn’t just an antidote to the soul-crushing pressure of test-happy schools. It’s the way young people have learned throughout time. Let children sleep in. Let them dream. Let them wake to their own possibilities.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We don’t have a Planet B