When Learning Comes Naturally Debuts Sunday, September 6 on Channel 13

MAPLEWOOD, NJ—This Sunday, September 6 at 3 p.m., on Channel 13, residents of the New York area will get a special glimpse inside Seth Boyden Demonstration School in Maplewood, NJ, when Seth Boyden is one of three schools featured in the documentary When Learning Comes Naturally.

The program will also air on Thursday, September 10 at 9 p.m. on WNJN.

When Learning Comes Naturally is the fourth segment in an award-winning series called The Learning Child Series. This episode profiles outdoor education programs offered by three elementary schools, shows how educators are reacquainting children with the natural world, and explores the benefits to young children of having ‘green’ experiences.  As the producers state, “At a time when so much of modern technology – through computers, video games and television – is drawing children indoors, the program documents how these schools are going outdoors, introducing to children – sometimes for the first time – the joy involved in exploring and learning from the natural world.”

The two other schools profiled are located in New York and California.

The series was produced by Jonathan Diamond Associates with guidance from the Child Development Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. How did they find Seth Boyden? “We were referred to Seth Boyden by the Institute at Sarah Lawrence,” Jonathan Diamond said. “Then we met with Principal Mark Quiles and Vice Principal Tina Lehn and they talked about their philosophies. We said, ‘Yes, this is the kind of school we want to work with.’”

Diamond reported that Mr. Quiles gave the producers tremendous access and that he was impressed with the teachers. “They really cared about the students and they really individualized their teaching for each student.” Diamond said the Seth Boyden teachers also really “cared about nature” and were completely “bought in” to the curriculum.

Secondly, Diamond said, “The students were terrific. They were smart, articulate, enthusiastic, and engaged in learning.”

A clip from the documentary, featuring second grade teacher Ms. Chanin taking her students outdoors to discover slugs, has been circulating on the Internet over the summer and causing a buzz around town.

For more information on “When Learning Comes Naturally” and The Learning Child Series, visit www.thelearningchildseries.org