“All children need nature. Not just the ones with parents who appreciate nature. Not only those of a certain economic class or culture or gender or sexual identity or set of abilities. Every child.” - Richard Louv

Person walking on a dirt trail through a lush green forest, carrying a backpack and pushing a stroller.

Your child’s level of mobility shouldn’t limit access to outdoor spaces. Knowing which natural areas are accessible, have paved or unpaved surfaces for equipment such as adaptive strollers and gait trainers, and have nearby parking and bathrooms are key to start adventuring into the outdoors. No matter where your child is in their development, there is always a way to bring nature into our session and explore the great outdoors.

Outdoors For Everyone

A young girl wearing a green hoodie with a yellow character print, playing outside in a park with soap bubbles in the air.
A young child with short blond hair wearing a navy sweater and jeans is outside, partially obscured by a large pile of fallen autumn leaves in a park or yard with trees and grass in the background.
Close-up of children wearing yellow and black rain boots playing in a wet puddle surrounded by fallen yellow and green leaves during rainy weather.
A young child with bright blue eyes and rosy cheeks playing in the snow, wearing a gray jacket and a red, black, and white knit hat with a pom-pom on top.

In Scandinavian culture, open-air living is a daily practice. They often remark “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” Experiencing all the elements that nature has to offer allows us to step outside our comfort zone and challenge ourselves. Having the proper gear for each season allows our children to explore the beauty of blooming flowers, falling leaves, puddles and mud, and if we’re lucky, snow! Building resilience outdoors during childhood aids in problem-solving skills, strong social connections, emotional regulation, and self-compassion. I remind my own children that no matter how dirty or wet they get, there is always a warm shower, dry clothes, and hot chocolate waiting for them when we get home.

Learned Resilience

Helping children foster an early connection with nature will serve them for their entire life. Children who form a relationship with nature grow up to be environmental stewards - individuals who take active, responsible roles in managing, protecting, and restoring natural resources for future generations through everyday lifestyle choices, community action, habitat restoration, and conservation science. As our society further disconnects from nature in a term Richard Louv coined “nature deficit disorder”, bringing physical therapy into nature is an easy way to lessen this gap.

Connection with Nature

Three children holding hands and standing in a grassy field, facing away from the camera and looking towards distant trees under a cloudy sky.
A circular design featuring a rainbow-colored heart with the word "WELCOME" inside. The outer ring contains text stating "THIS BUSINESS WELCOMES ALL CULTURES, ALL RELIGIONS, ALL GENDERS, ALL COLORS, ALL LGBTQ+" with multicolored dots separating each phrase.

Nature is welcoming to every human being. No matter the color of your skin, what you believe in, how you identify, or who you love, there is a place for you in nature. We believe in I D E A R:

Inclusion Diversity Equity Accessibility Representation

Everyone Belongs

“Passion does not arrive on videotape or on a CD; passion is personal. Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young. It travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism, we must also save an endangered indicator species: the child in nature.”
— Last Child in the Woods
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