114: Balanced and Barefoot: Q&A with Author Angela Hanscom

Outdoor Classrooms Podcast

Introduction

Welcome to today's special episode! We are thrilled to host Angela Hanscom, the esteemed author of Balanced and Barefoot. This LIVE Q&A event was inspired by our insightful discussions during the book club within the CIRCLE Membership. After diving deep into Angela's valuable insights, our members were inspired to initiate separate discussion groups with parents at their schools. This excitement ultimately led us to invite Angela to join us for this engaging session.

Angela J. Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook—an award-winning developmental and nature-based program that has gained international popularity. She is the author of Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children. Hanscom is also a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and in 2019 won the Small Business of the Year Award for the State of New Hampshire.

Keynote: The Decline of Outdoor Play – And the Rise in Sensory Issues (90 minutes)

As we continue to decrease children’s time and space to move and play outdoors, we are seeing a simultaneous rise in the number of children that are presenting with sensory and motor deficits. At the same time, classroom teachers are observing more and more children having trouble with attention, falling out of their seats in school, increased clumsiness, and even aggressiveness with games like tag on the playground.

So, how can we reverse this alarming trend of sensory and motor issues in children? How can we ensure that children are fully engaging their body, mind, and all of their senses?

Using the same philosophy that lies at the heart of her popular TimberNook program—that nature is the ultimate sensory experience, and that psychological and physical health improves for children when they spend time outside on a regular basis—Angela Hanscom offers several strategies to help children thrive in outdoor environments using a therapeutic approach to nature play.

Episode Highlights

• Introduction to Angela Hanscom: Learn more about Angela’s journey and what inspired her to write Balanced and Barefoot.
• Key Takeaways from the Book: A discussion on the core messages and teachings of Balanced and Barefoot.
• Live Q&A Session:
• Implementing the Lessons: Strategies and tips shared by Angela on how to apply the book's teachings in everyday life and within school communities.

Key Quotes

• "Children's outdoor play is not just a luxury; it's a necessity for their development." – Angela Hanscom
• "The unstructured playtime children experience outdoors is critical for their physical and emotional growth." – Angela Hanscom

Resources Mentioned

• Balanced and Barefoot Book
• Timbernook website ](Link to Angela's website for more resources and information)
• CIRCLE Membership Community

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this session as much as we did! If you couldn’t join us live, we’re glad you’re here to catch up. This discussion with Angela Hanscom has been enlightening, and we are excited to see how these ideas can positively impact our communities.

Call to Action

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