Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our chidlren's health (and also, by the way, in our own).

To take nature and natural play away from children may be tantamount to withholding oxygen.

In our bones we need the natural curves of hills, the scent of chaparral, the whisper of pines, the possibility of wildness.

If a child never sees the stars, never has meaningful encounters with other species, never experiences the richness of nature, what happens to that child?

We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. Or hear. Or sense.

As a species, we are most animated when our days and nights on Earth are touched by the natural world. We can find immeasurable joy in the birth of a child, a great work of art, or falling in love.

Stress reduction, greater physical health, a deeper sense of spirit, more creativity, a sense of play, even a safer life-these are the rewards that await a family then it invites more nature into children's lives.