Authors Josette and Sambhava Luvmour are developmental psychologists and family counsellors who have worked with hundreds of teachers, parents and children. Their PathFinder Learning Center operates a Natural Learning Rhythms school, a ropes course, and a family retreat facility as well as parenting workshops, wilderness education and couples seminars. From twenty years of field work, they share their experience of the natural wisdom inherent in all children and offer their insights into how and when children learn.

The authors ask the question: How do children grow and learn? As parents and religious educators, Unitarian Universalists and "resident theologians," we search for an understanding of human consciousness and child development. Natural Learning Rhythms explores developmental systems and various types of human intelligence (as derived from Howard Gardener in Frames of Mind) and makes this statement: "The qualities of a developmental stage are the outward expression of the wisdom that guides it. Stagespecific wisdom exists in each of us. It guides the unfolding of the child's life. The aim of parenting and education is to allow the child direct conscious experience of her/his age specific wisdom. The child's family is that group of people who supply his/her developmental needs and thus allow her/his connection to this inner wisdom."

Four life stages are identified for every child: Body-Being which begins at conception and ends at approximately age eight; Emotional-Being which lasts until about twelve; Will-Being which lasts until approximately fifteen or six-teen; Reason-Being which lasts until about twenty-two. Each particular stagespecific wisdom governs all aspects of the corresponding life stage: Body wisdom uses sensation; Emotional wisdom works via feeling; Will wisdom uses assertions and challenges; Reason wisdom works via thinking.

This book is highly recommended for parents, religious educators and ministers for it puts us in touch with the inner wisdom of children and ourselves. It was published by Celestial Arts in Berkeley, CA in 1993 and is available from amazon.com