I write to older kids, and to the kid in all of us, when I write Letters to Nature Kids. Usually the letter describes a place in nature or the wildlife and plants found there. Sometimes I touch on themes having to do with the lives we lead within. I did that this time in the September issue.

What I wrote was triggered by the recent school shooting, but it’s broader than that. We hear reports that children are going through unusually tough times with stress and depression, which you can look into here, here, and here. Bullying affects many kids, and can have very serious effects. And there is our agonizing lack of effective response to school shootings, which leave survivors traumatized.

So the current letter to nature kids talks briefly about when we experience fear, how it is healthy to acknowledge it and support friends and family who are worried or afraid, and there’s also a couple of paragraphs about how nature can be helpful. It is a free download on the Letters to You page.