Angela J. Hanscom

Hi, I’m Angela Hanscom, author of the forthcoming book, “Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children” (New Harbinger, April 2016). I’m a pediatric occupational therapist that has taken a unique path in life. Typically occupational therapists are found in buildings (i.e., schools, hospitals, or clinics) and treat children with attention, balance, sensory, and motor issues. I still help these children, only I use giant mud puddles, rope swings that reach new heights, fallen trees, and the woods as my medium of choice for treatment and prevention for that matter. Before I became a writer, I started a developmental nature program in my backyard as an experiment. What started as just an idea, quickly grew into what is now an internationally recognized brand, TimberNook, in just a few short years. Now we can be found throughout the United States and New Zealand. It is through hours of observing children at these camps where the idea for Balanced & Barefoot was born. I live in New Hampshire in an antique cape nestled in the woods with my adored husband and three children. My favorite activities are downhill skiing, reading by the fire, boating, traveling, and taking walks through the woods with my family. My faith and my family are at the core of everything I do. Without them, there would be no book or TimberNook. My hope is that this book will provide valuable insight into the sensory and motor needs of children for years to come.