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 a Small Business of the year award for the State of New Hampshire.

Key Takeaways:

00:29 What is Timbernook?

03:52 What tips do you have for people who don’t have forests nearby?

07:23 Benefits of Play

11:46 What would a School Schedule look like to get maximum play opportunity?

23:07 What can you do with a smaller urban setting?

24:47 Timbernook Training and Outdoor Classes.

32:36 Forest School versus Timbernook versus Anji Play

35:25 Iconic Timbernook Experience

37:41 Metaphor to describe Timbernook versus Conventional School

Quotes:

“The occupation of a child is play and outdoor play has been incredibly at risk in the past 30 years to the point that's affecting development in ways we never anticipated.”

“I still think it's really important for kids to have outdoor play time, no matter what their environment looks like.”

“I would say after the pandemic, this work has moved from important to critical.”

“So I think for me, it's critical to development. Like it's affecting their senses and muscles and when we overly restrict their ability to play and move, that's when we're starting to see some issues. “

“The number one issue that we have to treat as therapists right now is balance. We're seeing more and more kids uncoordinated and becoming clumsy.”

“It's ideal to find a place where you can create an outdoor classroom and leave things out there.”

“Our mission is to get them playing in more advanced ways and to enrich that experience. “

Social Links:

Website- www.timbernook.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/TimberNook.Camps

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-hanscom-ab75147b/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/timbernook