Author Richard Louv was one of the first authors to recognize and name a phenomenon of our modern age: nature-deficit disorder. In Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Louv examines the disconnection between children and nature. For many children, nature is more of an abstraction than a reality. He also provides ideas on how to change the situation in your family, school and community.

Richard Louv is a journalist and the author of eight books about family and nature. Last Child in the Woods has been published in 15 countries and in 2008 Louv was awarded the Audubon Medal by the National Audubon Society. You can read more about Louv’s groundbreaking ideas on his official website and blog.

The Gyro Bowl is a new solution to the problem of young children and food spills. This unique bowl rotates 360 degrees, keeping food contained at any angle. It’s perfect for cereal and snacks — you can also use it for non-food items like paper clips. Both kids and adults will have a blast tossing this amazing bowl around.

The Gyro Bowl is BPA free, dishwasher safe and almost indestructible. See it in action in this YouTube video and then visit the official Gyro Bowl website for more information. Save money on shipping and handling and look for the Gyro Bowl at your local Target or Walmart.

A couple of new studies suggest that using positive parenting with toddlers pays off in the long run. In one study conducted at the University of Minnesota, kindergartners who were aggressive and defiant were found to have negative and tumultuous relationships with their mothers as infants. Researchers defined negative relationships as expressing negative emotions to the baby and handling it roughly. As these children become toddlers, a cyclical pattern is created, with negative emotions from the mother creating anger in the toddler which in turn creates hostility in the mother.

In another study, Dr. Elena Hoicka of the University of Stirling in the UK found that parents who joke and engage in pretend activities with their toddlers are giving them life skills that are important throughout childhood and beyond. Dr. Hoika’s study found that parents who joke and pretend use a variety of language styles and both verbal and non-verbal cues to help their children differentiate between real and make believe. The study also suggested that parents who are not natural jokesters can learn how to interact with their children in a more light-hearted fashion. Read more about this study on the Science Codex website.