Defining what it means to be in the "bosom of nature," to use Montessori's words, Laurie Ewert-Krocker points out that the adolescent period of storm and stress is quelled by the natural world. But most important, when socialization is the essential developmental focus of the young adolescent, positive social organization is fostered by…

The author analyses two award-winning juvenile novels, "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson and "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary Schmidt. Each novel portrays a deep friendship between a boy and girl who cross a stream (or river) into a world that includes fantasy, play, closeness to nature and animals, and a sense of the…

The creation and cultivation of an imaginary companion is considered to be a healthy form of pretend play in early childhood, but there tends to be a less positive view of older children who have them. To test the extent that having an imaginary companion in middle school is associated with positive or negative outcomes, an ethnically diverse…