Deep Nature Play
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When absorbed in deep play our sensory awareness is heightened, we become immersed in the present moment and feel intensely alert and alive. Because play is fun and rewarding, we operate at the peak of our mental and physical capacity.
Animals love to play. Crows will slide on their backs on a steep snowy slope, then fly to the top to slide down again; bison will repeatedly sprint onto a frozen lake, then bellow gleefully as they skid across the ice. Brown bear cubs who play the most, Alaskan scientists have found, live the longest.
Why is play behavior so prevalent in the animal kingdom? Through play, animals explore their world and discover all its possibilities. In higher animals, play stimulates the brain, enhances cognitive function and adaptability, and strengthens social bonds. Beyond these biological and social explanations, scientists are starting to believe that play is a means by which animals can express their joy of life.
Play energizes and enlivens people’s experience of nature. How does deep nature play differ from regular play? Deep play incorporates greater absorption with the object of play.
“Play,” Albert Einstein said, “is the highest form of research.” Through his “thought experiments,” Einstein could visualize a concept and see the unseen. In this way he discovered the theory of relativity, which has been called the most influential theory in the history of modern science. “Imagination,” Einstein once said, “is more important than knowledge,” because knowledge tells us only what is known already whereas imagination tells us what can be. Play is imaginative, and play’s openness, aliveness, and newness are essential to creativity.
This book is for those who have forgotten how to play, or who want to incorporate more play into their lives and revive their innate curiosity and sense of wonder. Let Joseph Cornell, Founder of Sharing Nature Worldwide and one of the world’s most popular nature educators, empower you with the tools to maximize play, and transform it from mere entertainment into a doorway to enhanced living, creativity, and concentration.
Animals love to play. Crows will slide on their backs on a steep snowy slope, then fly to the top to slide down again; bison will repeatedly sprint onto a frozen lake, then bellow gleefully as they skid across the ice. Brown bear cubs who play the most, Alaskan scientists have found, live the longest.
Why is play behavior so prevalent in the animal kingdom? Through play, animals explore their world and discover all its possibilities. In higher animals, play stimulates the brain, enhances cognitive function and adaptability, and strengthens social bonds. Beyond these biological and social explanations, scientists are starting to believe that play is a means by which animals can express their joy of life.
Play energizes and enlivens people’s experience of nature. How does deep nature play differ from regular play? Deep play incorporates greater absorption with the object of play.
“Play,” Albert Einstein said, “is the highest form of research.” Through his “thought experiments,” Einstein could visualize a concept and see the unseen. In this way he discovered the theory of relativity, which has been called the most influential theory in the history of modern science. “Imagination,” Einstein once said, “is more important than knowledge,” because knowledge tells us only what is known already whereas imagination tells us what can be. Play is imaginative, and play’s openness, aliveness, and newness are essential to creativity.
This book is for those who have forgotten how to play, or who want to incorporate more play into their lives and revive their innate curiosity and sense of wonder. Let Joseph Cornell, Founder of Sharing Nature Worldwide and one of the world’s most popular nature educators, empower you with the tools to maximize play, and transform it from mere entertainment into a doorway to enhanced living, creativity, and concentration.
What others are saying...
“Joseph Cornell is a hero to many of us. His newest book is a beautiful meditation on and guide to achieving a state of awareness that he calls ‘deep nature play.’ This melding of nature connection, mindfulness, compassion and fun offers, no matter our age, creative passage to the worlds around us, to knowledge and to peace. In these times, we need deep nature play and Joseph’s gifts more than ever.” —Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods."
"Through the help of Joseph Cornell’s books, I have experienced the great joy of communing on a
deeper level with nature. In Deep Nature Play, he gently guides us to ‘discover, through nature, our own higher nature.’” —Mahrukh Bulsara, Co-Founder, Ecomantra Nature Awareness and Travel, India
“No one is more effective than Joseph Cornell in connecting people of all ages with the profound peace, joy, and exhilaration available to us through direct experiences in nature. In Deep Nature Play, Joseph brings us an enchanting, authoritative, and important new guide for why and how to experience nature’s gifts in our daily lives.”
—Cheryl Charles, PhD, Co-Founder, President, and CEO Emerita, Children & Nature Network
“Deep Nature Play reveals a direct pathway to our most authentic selves. During play, Joseph Cornell explains, we become completely absorbed in the present moment. Our creativity is unleashed and we become joyfully, wholly alive. This book is pure delight!”
—Kathryn Gann, Vice President, Theosophical Society in America
“Deep Nature Play is a guide for living joyfully and playfully while exploring our connection with nature. It shows how we can supercharge our brains and enhance our creativity, cognition, learning, memory, and brain plasticity. Cornell’s book is a must read for anyone who wants to feel uplifted and connected to others and to nature. It will enhance your health, physically and mentally, and help you live your life to the fullest, with an expanded awareness of your own nature as joy.”
—Sue Mangala Loper-Powers RN, MN, NP, C-IAYT, Former President of Washington State Nurses Association, Director of Ananda Yoga Therapy Training
“Leave it to Joseph Cornell to give us the counter intuitive news that play is more important than ever: that for every animal, but especially human beings, it is a key to a happy and meaningful life. This book will bring joy into your world, if you let it!” —Bill McKibben, author of Radio Free Vermont
“This book connects us to the joy of learning.” —Joe Baust, Former President, North American Association for Environmental Education, Emeritus Professor, Murray State University
“Every educator should read Deep Nature Play. And adults who want to reclaim their childlike openness and joyful connection with life will love this book. I was moved, inspired, and impressed.” —Joseph Selbie, author of The Physics of God
“Joseph Cornell offers oodles of practical tips and tools for playing more deeply and sharing this powerful teaching tool with others. Deep Nature Play is a fantastic new resource for teachers, parents, camp counselors, and grandparents.”
—Rocky Rohwedder, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Environmental Studies and Planning, Sonoma State University
“I am amazed how well Joseph Cornell describes the benefits of deep nature play and the processes behind it. In our work, we use forest pedagogy to promote science among children and adults. His book gave me the inspiration and the challenge to transform forest pedagogy activities into Deep Play.” —Urša Vilhar, PhD, Slovenian Forestry Institute, co-author of Handbook for Learning and Play in the Forest
“Few people besides Joseph Cornell could have written Deep Nature Play. As he shares experiences from the participants in his nature awareness workshops, you begin to see the profound impact he has had on a number of generations. His inspiration and gentle ways of immersing people in nature are not just for children—I have seen adults of all ages and backgrounds completely absorbed and shedding tears of joy.” “ —Alan Dyer, PhD, Founder of the Centre for Sustainable Futures, Plymouth University, UK
Deep Nature Play offers an essential message for all ages and cultures. So much love and depth of experience has gone into this book—it is clear Joseph Cornell has devoted his life to being deeply engaged in nature and is an awe-inspiring teacher.”
—Elizabeth Murray, author, artist, gardener, and teacher
“In Deep Nature Play, Joseph Cornell guides us to a deeper level of engagement with nature and with one another. He provides the rationale adults need to do what children know innately: having fun in nature fosters creativity and learning. Parents, educators, indeed anyone leading outdoor experiences, will find that the Flow Learning process and nature games enrich interactions with nature and engage people mentally, physically, and emotionally. This book is a perfect bridge for connecting adults with children, and us all with the joys of playing in nature.” —Janet Carrier Ady, PhD, Chief, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, Bureau of Land Management
“As one of the earth’s leading nature awareness educators, Joseph Cornell has brought a new and fresh look to the field of the natural world and its exploration. This exceptional work should be on every educator’s go-to bookshelf.” —Tom Mullin, Associate Professor, Parks and Forest Resources, Unity College, Maine
“If you are a practitioner in the field of environmental awareness, or a person who feels the need to get outside and take an enlivened breath of fresh air, then this book is definitely for you!” —Jon Cree, Trustee for the UK Forest School Association, environmental trainer and educator
“Joseph Cornell is a hero to many of us. His newest book is a beautiful meditation on and guide to achieving a state of awareness that he calls ‘deep nature play.’ This melding of nature connection, mindfulness, compassion and fun offers, no matter our age, creative passage to the worlds around us, to knowledge and to peace. In these times, we need deep nature play and Joseph’s gifts more than ever.” —Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods."
"Through the help of Joseph Cornell’s books, I have experienced the great joy of communing on a
deeper level with nature. In Deep Nature Play, he gently guides us to ‘discover, through nature, our own higher nature.’” —Mahrukh Bulsara, Co-Founder, Ecomantra Nature Awareness and Travel, India
“No one is more effective than Joseph Cornell in connecting people of all ages with the profound peace, joy, and exhilaration available to us through direct experiences in nature. In Deep Nature Play, Joseph brings us an enchanting, authoritative, and important new guide for why and how to experience nature’s gifts in our daily lives.”
—Cheryl Charles, PhD, Co-Founder, President, and CEO Emerita, Children & Nature Network
“Deep Nature Play reveals a direct pathway to our most authentic selves. During play, Joseph Cornell explains, we become completely absorbed in the present moment. Our creativity is unleashed and we become joyfully, wholly alive. This book is pure delight!”
—Kathryn Gann, Vice President, Theosophical Society in America
“Deep Nature Play is a guide for living joyfully and playfully while exploring our connection with nature. It shows how we can supercharge our brains and enhance our creativity, cognition, learning, memory, and brain plasticity. Cornell’s book is a must read for anyone who wants to feel uplifted and connected to others and to nature. It will enhance your health, physically and mentally, and help you live your life to the fullest, with an expanded awareness of your own nature as joy.”
—Sue Mangala Loper-Powers RN, MN, NP, C-IAYT, Former President of Washington State Nurses Association, Director of Ananda Yoga Therapy Training
“Leave it to Joseph Cornell to give us the counter intuitive news that play is more important than ever: that for every animal, but especially human beings, it is a key to a happy and meaningful life. This book will bring joy into your world, if you let it!” —Bill McKibben, author of Radio Free Vermont
“This book connects us to the joy of learning.” —Joe Baust, Former President, North American Association for Environmental Education, Emeritus Professor, Murray State University
“Every educator should read Deep Nature Play. And adults who want to reclaim their childlike openness and joyful connection with life will love this book. I was moved, inspired, and impressed.” —Joseph Selbie, author of The Physics of God
“Joseph Cornell offers oodles of practical tips and tools for playing more deeply and sharing this powerful teaching tool with others. Deep Nature Play is a fantastic new resource for teachers, parents, camp counselors, and grandparents.”
—Rocky Rohwedder, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Environmental Studies and Planning, Sonoma State University
“I am amazed how well Joseph Cornell describes the benefits of deep nature play and the processes behind it. In our work, we use forest pedagogy to promote science among children and adults. His book gave me the inspiration and the challenge to transform forest pedagogy activities into Deep Play.” —Urša Vilhar, PhD, Slovenian Forestry Institute, co-author of Handbook for Learning and Play in the Forest
“Few people besides Joseph Cornell could have written Deep Nature Play. As he shares experiences from the participants in his nature awareness workshops, you begin to see the profound impact he has had on a number of generations. His inspiration and gentle ways of immersing people in nature are not just for children—I have seen adults of all ages and backgrounds completely absorbed and shedding tears of joy.” “ —Alan Dyer, PhD, Founder of the Centre for Sustainable Futures, Plymouth University, UK
Deep Nature Play offers an essential message for all ages and cultures. So much love and depth of experience has gone into this book—it is clear Joseph Cornell has devoted his life to being deeply engaged in nature and is an awe-inspiring teacher.”
—Elizabeth Murray, author, artist, gardener, and teacher
“In Deep Nature Play, Joseph Cornell guides us to a deeper level of engagement with nature and with one another. He provides the rationale adults need to do what children know innately: having fun in nature fosters creativity and learning. Parents, educators, indeed anyone leading outdoor experiences, will find that the Flow Learning process and nature games enrich interactions with nature and engage people mentally, physically, and emotionally. This book is a perfect bridge for connecting adults with children, and us all with the joys of playing in nature.” —Janet Carrier Ady, PhD, Chief, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, Bureau of Land Management
“As one of the earth’s leading nature awareness educators, Joseph Cornell has brought a new and fresh look to the field of the natural world and its exploration. This exceptional work should be on every educator’s go-to bookshelf.” —Tom Mullin, Associate Professor, Parks and Forest Resources, Unity College, Maine
“If you are a practitioner in the field of environmental awareness, or a person who feels the need to get outside and take an enlivened breath of fresh air, then this book is definitely for you!” —Jon Cree, Trustee for the UK Forest School Association, environmental trainer and educator