There is only one child in the world
and the child's name is ALL Children.

Carl Sandburg
'Timesweep'

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A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.

Rachel Carson
The Sense of Wonder

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“Children need to know they have a place in a good world, and a future full of promise.”

Kim John Payne
Simplicity Parenting

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“When children play, they are attentive and focused–totally involved in what they do.  They are at one; immersed, and that’s a characteristic of genius.”  

Jack Petrash 
Educator, Author and Director, Nova Institute
[TEDxRockCreekPark]

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“Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child's exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective world. Since the natural environment is the principal source of sensory stimulation, freedom to explore and play with the outdoor environment through the senses in their own space and time is essential for healthy development of an interior life . . .”

Robin Moore
*In Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods


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Play with us children! We’ll try to catch you.
Glad, joyous Earth! The gladdest must win.

Rainer Maria Rilke
Sonnets to Orpheus (Part One, XXI)

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Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.  

Khalil Gibran
The Prophet

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"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

Hans Christian Andersen
The Butterfly
The Complete Fairy Tales