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LIVEfor... is a non-profit who strives to empower kids through movement

LIVEfor...believes in fostering trust and support in kids to give them the freedom to go confidently in the direction of their dreams

10/28/2026

Get ready for Pumpkin Lab THIS friday! Thanks to our friends Treinen Farm our Tiny Ones will have the opportunity to explore the many affordances of a pumpkin!

As a small non-profit, every donation matters and contributes to our mission of empowering kids through movement.

Want to know more about LIVEfor? Head to live-for.org and check out what we have been up to and get involved today!

Running TimberNook programming has made an impact on hundreds of kids already. We can't wait to continue to get more kids outside to experience play the TimberNook way!

10/27/2026

What do kids do at TimberNook all day?

This is a question that frequently comes up when parents realize there are no instructions, no guided activities, but hours spent in unstructured play.

Our answer is always "whatever they can imagine!" And it is so true.

Some kids see a pile of sticks and decide to build a teepee fort. Others can visualize a home in the woods and then look for the parts that will make it come to life. They may find a tree to climb that is just the right challenge. Or find a group of kids they want to play with and need to figure out what they can contribute to their world to be invited in.

No matter what they imagine, the real work starts when they start to bring this vision to life. They talk. They share ideas. They build. They fail. They try again. They learn to be leaders and followers.

This is the magic of playing the TimberNook way. Adults could never make this happen through a guided activity. It happens when they are given time and space in a safe place where they feel their ideas matter.

10/23/2026

Halloween can be about so much more than candy and costumes-it can also be a time to give our kids a creative outlet to express what they are feeling on the inside!

At TimberNook, we love staging loose parts like body paint, tattoo markers, blank masks, cardboard, regular markers, and actual paint. Giving kids a blank canvas and a few items to create often leads to various forms of self-expression.

We can't wait to see kids dressed up this year at the Lodi Business Trick-or-Treat on Friday October 30th from 3:30-5:30! Make sure to stop by our booth and get a free gift for the first 150 kids!

10/21/2026

Join us next Friday for Pumpkin Lab!

Pumpkins can be used in so many different ways-you can roll, pound, carve, and more. At Tiny Ones, children will explore all of the many attributes and affordances of the simple pumpkin!

Bring your Tiny Ones (ages 1-6 yo) and experience playing the TimberNook way! Have a smaller one in arms who is not yet walking? Bring them along for free! Halloween is much more than Trick-or-Treating!

https://timbernook.com/program/tiny-ones-livefor-timbernook-2/

10/21/2026

Cooperative play is what adults LOVE to see. Kids working together towards a common goal. We like it because it often looks like teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving. It confirms that we have kind children and makes us feel good about them and our parenting.

Yes, we also love it at TimberNook because we know it helps kids develop strong executive functioning skills. The challenge when we see this type of play is to allow it to continue even when kids start to face a challenge. To trust them enough to practice leadership roles as well as the importance of following someone else's lead for the good of the group.

Stepping back and tuning in may be most challenging at this stage, but the persistence children build when working together without an adult to help organize their play is well worth the patience and trust we put in the children.

10/21/2026

Parallel play, or often known as Associative play, is when children are playing close to one another, often in similar play schemes, but they are not working towards a common goal.

This may look like two kids wanting to build a fort when we are out in the woods, but they are working on their own forts. They may need to share tools, like a hammer, and learn to wait their turn.

This type of play allows older children to model how to use the tools the younger ones are eager to try. This can build flexibility and frustration tolerance.

When we support children in learning how to share, but do not force sharing, they are learning to meet their own needs while seeing others have needs as well. They are learning negotiation - a vital skill we often do not trust young children to practice on their own.

10/20/2026

The Onlooker play stage is also sometimes referred to as Solitary play. We see this at TimberNook all the time. Children choosing to play by themselves. Build a structure alone. Tell others "no" when asked to play.

It may be that they are trying to master a skill. Working through a physical challenge or even a cognitive challenge. They may be needing time away from others after a conflict or they simply may be in their own flow.

Saying "no" to playing with others is not rude. It is not something we need to force children to do. Supporting the whole child means we support the boundary of their "no."

10/19/2026

Kids can do hard things...and they want to! Six weeks in the making, this fort is sure to become true shelter when the rain and snow begin to fall!

Starting with just one kid and one idea, week by week more kids are getting involved with more elaborate and creative ideas. No adults helping. Just supplying what they may be interested in and watching where it goes.

10/18/2026

At LIVEfor TimberNook, we are here for the play...and playing the TimberNook way is essential to LIVEfor's three core values: Supporting the Physical, Mental and Social well-being of the child.

In order to make space for play to develop, we must understand play. Yes, the stages of play do unfold as children grow, but going back to Onlooker play, is not regression, it is regulation. When kids step back and observe others playing, they are not only preparing themselves for what they want to do, but they may also be regulating themselves before stepping in to play with others.

The ability to self-regulate, to know what we need as individuals, and having the self-confidence to do what we need despite what others may think, is vital to developing an emotionally strong individual.

10/14/2026

Most adults today will say their favorite memories were ones where they did something with friends, outside, away from adults. One where they experienced a sense of "I can face challenges and I can be okay...I can figure it out...I have a sense of control in life...life doesn't control me."

This is how we develop a strong Internal Locus Control. A belief that "I control my fate. I control how I respond to things. Things can happen to me and I am not a victim."

This is the opposite of an External Locus of Control, where one believes "I am a victim to my circumstances. Happiness depends on luck and I need others to solve my problems."

As Peter Gray described to us, research supports if we error on the side of a strong Internal Locus of Control, we are far less likely to be anxious or depressed. We will do more things that are good for us and we are less fearful of the future.

If we want our kids to be happier and less anxious, we need to let them practice doing things on their own, failing when the stakes aren't so high, and coming out the other side with just a few scratches, but not broken.

If we keep trying to protect them from experiencing the potential for failure, social conflict, or challenges that make us gasp, we are preventing them from learning they can control their own fate.

Let's remember what our childhood gave us and find ways to give this gift to our children.

Address

Madison, WI
53555

Website

http://www.live-for.org/

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