Since our family moved here in Sangam-dong, kids had been more active outside with friends. Most of their classmates are our neighbors, too. That’s what you get for living walking-distance to school. Needless to say, we love the new environment.

Aside from the wonders of the hill behind our apartment, the ponds at the bottom of the hill with wooden bridges are now open for the kids to explore.

Richard Louv authored the book “Last Child in the Woods” which advocates for children’s direct exposure to nature for a healthy childhood. I find some of his quotes relevant in here:

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

“Nature is imperfectly perfect, filled with loose parts and possibilities, with mud and dust, nettles and sky, transcendent hands-on moments and skinned knees.”

“The dugout in the weeds or leaves beneath a backyard willow, the rivulet of a seasonal creek, even the ditch between the front yard and the road – all of these places are entire universe to a young child.”