Time in a natural outdoor setting has so many benefits for children: fostering wonder, encouraging natural observation, building resilience and health, nourishing the senses, and promoting relationships. Recent events have led many early childhood professionals and parents to explore the possibilities of offering expanded outdoor opportunities. With the strengthening power of fresh air and the elements of nature, more time outdoors can be an elixir for adults and children! 

Sign up for the Learning in Nature online course.

Mary O'Connell has been working with the Anthroposophical care of young children for almost 20 years!  In 2002, she opened the very first LifeWays Early Childhood Center in Milwaukee where she served as the director for 13 years. 

Currently, Mary is the Board president of LifeWays North America, she is the training coordinator for LifeWays' extensive onsite and online programs AND she travels and teaches in some of these programs. Mary has taught teachers, caregivers, and parents all over the U.S. and internationally. 

In 2010, Mary co-authored Home Away From Home: LifeWays Care of Children and Families with Cynthia Aldinger, and in 2018 she authored Observing Young Children - A Tool for Meaningful Assessment.  Most recently, Mary started a non-profit farm education program at Paradise Farm in West Bend, WI where she and her colleagues provide outdoor, farm-based education to children and adults.

To discover more please visit lifewaysnorthamerica.org and kimberton.org. 

Music is Glacier Bells by Daniel Birch.

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