The Garden of Iz

09/10/2019

In 1837, Frederich Frobel started the first kindergarten in Germany based on the philosophy that young children would absorb the natural world through all their senses. Grow plants outdoors, exercise, dance, and sing. He didn't believe in lock-step lesson plans. He said, "Children should be guided largely by their own curiosity and 'self-activity.'" We need to find our way back.

08/28/2019

"The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do at least one thing today to connect to nature.

08/24/2019

You're never too old to let your imagination run free and go WHEEEE! The Garden of Iz is making plans to perform at Memory Care facilities. Stay tuned, and if you know of a place that would welcome a 30-minute interactive play, let me know...for the young and the young at heart.

08/19/2019

"An experiment at a Liverpool elementary school found students listening to birdsong were more attentive after lunch than students who didn't listen." -Florence Williams, The Nature Fix

Sweet tranquil birdsong. The relaxing sound of birds chirping on a warm day. Fall asleep naturally tonight, or simply just relax. Download MP3+Nature: https:...

08/16/2019

Children’s days are getting more and more structured, but it’s so important to give them freedom to use their creativity.

08/14/2019

“To live is so startling, it leaves but little room for other occupations.”

-Emily Dickinson, letter

08/13/2019

Download, print, color and let your imagination go WHEEEE! Feel free to share this coloring page and spread the word about Mother Muse.

07/31/2019

What if we all were unicorns? Maybe just on Saturdays? Or in our minds? Simply letting our imaginations run free and go WHEEE!

07/10/2019

A myth about play is that it’s not academically rigorous. Allowing children to do whatever they want. On the contrary Interactions in play release dopamine in the brain, which retains memory. Helping children stay focused. This memory encourages children to repeat it, which in turn helps them learn. Talk to Mother Muse (Mary Todaro) about booking an interactive play at your preschool, summer camp or family gathering.

06/25/2019

"Music doesn't argue, discuss, or quarrel, it just breathes the air of freedom" - Harold Arlen

06/24/2019

Children NEED the arts.

Wise words from Philip Pullman, who received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2005: Children need art and stories and poems and music as much as they need love and food and fresh air and play.…

06/22/2019

Research suggests that the power of imagination can "revise" and "update" memories that are unpleasant or unhelpful. However, just how vivid each of our imaginations is may affect the outcome of such experiments. Those with particularly vivid imaginations may benefit the most from "manipulating" unpleasant associations.

New research shows just how powerful your imagination can be and how you can tap into this hidden resource to overcome your fears and anxieties.