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Balanced and Barefoot

How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children

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Balanced and Barefoot

By: Angela J. Hanscom
Narrated by: Rebecca Mitchell
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About this listen

Today's kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need "rough and tumble" outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness at school recess break. So, how can you ensure your child is 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 - author Angela J. Hanscom offers several strategies to help your child thrive, even if you live in an urban environment.

With this book, you'll discover little things you can do anytime, anywhere to help your kids achieve the movement they need to be happy and healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

©2016 Angela J. Hanscom (P)2016 Tantor Biological Sciences Child Psychology Children's Health Developmental Psychology Mental Health Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Science Health Special Need Outdoor Play
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I make custom training equipment and I resonate with many of these points. kids today need a challenge and chance to grow, explore and develop. the world we live in isn't worse than it was decades ago. I can only hope to give my daughter the same experience and better than I had. thank you #endlessengineering

excellent well needed read for parents

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feel very encouraged by all the facts and research to keep my parenting style and even add some of the suggestion. Great read. lots of information.

Great facts and lots of information

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This book was full of interesting points, mostly aimed at parents or teachers who aren’t already immersed in the world of open ended, outdoor play, and the like. As someone who has already done some reading in this area, and is a firm believer in letting kids be kids, playing outside, simplifying childhood, etc. the contents of the book was kind of just reiterating what I already know to be true. If you were just beginning to dapple in this area, I would recommend reading this book as an entrance point. I would not recommend listening to this audio recording though. The reader sounded robotic and I had to double check I didn’t have my timing on 1.5x or something as it sounded unnaturally fast. It made it somewhat painful to listen to and took me many months to work through an otherwise good book. In retrospect, I would have much rather spent the extra money and got the book in paperback (or better yet, just borrowed it from somewhere - as I don’t think this is a book I would read again any time soon).

Buy the paperback

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Very important topic for the wellbeing of children. I appreciate the balance of research insights and practical examples.

Great insight for parents and educators

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This sounds like it is being read by a computer. It is really hard to listen to. It is too fast, so I slowed it down, still awful. I am only part way through the book, and don’t know if I can force myself to listen to this. The material is ok so far, a bit too many personal observations rather than science so far, but we will see. Might have to buy the kindle book to find out the rest.
If you want this book, get the kindle version, Do Not Get The Audiobook!!!

Audio voice is awful

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