Hank and Allison Didier live in Orlando, FL and have volunteered their time in the past to supporting people adjusting to and living with traumatic injuries.
A growing number of children in North Carolina need a permanent home, according to new numbers released from the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. “Our focus right now is to reverse those trends. We really believe that one child without a permanent family is one too many,” said Matt Anderson, senior director of advocacy and development for CHS, which is the largest private adoption agency in the state.
National Trust survey also found that nine out of 10 parents would prefer offspring to spend childhood connecting with nature. Children today spend half the time their parents did playing outside, a survey suggests. While more than four-fifths (83%) of parents questioned thought it was important their children learned to use technology, nine out of 10 would prefer them to spend their childhood outdoors, developing a connection with nature.
They may prefer to stick to their screens, but here’s why getting outdoors matters. n the early 1980s, a Harvard University biologist named Edward O. Wilson proposed a theory called biophilia: that humans are instinctively drawn towards their natural surroundings. Many 21st century parents, however, would question this theory, as they watch their kids express a clear preference for sitting on a couch in front of a screen over playing outside.
They are strong and they are resilient. They are adaptable. They are well-travelled and fiercely patriotic. They are bright, inquisitive and eager to help out, whether that is at home or in their communities. They have advantages many kids do not: parents with jobs and steady incomes, health care, safe housing, good education systems and access to early intervention programs.
Children who survive cancer are living longer. And one reason may be that fewer childhood cancers are treated with radiation today than were 20 years ago, researchers suggest. Although the study can’t prove a cause-and-effect link, the researchers found that as use of radiation in childhood cancers declined dramatically, so did the number of kids with cancers that returned.
Protecting the environment can be as easy as telling your kids to go outdoors and play, according to a new UBC study.Research by Catherine Broom, assist. prof. in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan, shows that 87 percent of study respondents who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as young adults. Of that group, 84 per cent said taking care of the environment was a priority.
Samantha is not yet 4 years old, but she already has the makings of a charitable child. She was distributing school supplies with her family to kids at a homeless shelter, where I was volunteering, and noticed one child in a corner didn’t have a backpack. She picked up a spare, walked to him and said, “I sorry you don’t have one. I hope you happy.”
With spring and beautiful weather finally here, we highly recommend spending some time outside. Nature offers one of the most reliable boosts to your mental and physical well-being. Here are just a few potential benefits: