The kids are heading back to school and it’s an ideal time for parents to hit the reset button, taking stock of myriad challenges today’s children face. Meredith Montgomery confronts these head-on in “21st Century Parenting: Preparing Kids for the Future.” She offers insights into raising kind, resilient and resourceful kids in a world vastly different from the one we grew up in.

Part of that equation is nourishing young bodies as well as minds and Food Sleuth Melinda Hemmelgarn tackles that component in “Feeding Healthy Habits: A 10-Step Guide.” Supporting school gardens, teaching kids cooking as a life skill and bonding with them in the process are steps on the road to opening their eyes to media manipulation and helping them overcome this “invisible parent” that tricks them into buying foods that are not good for their bodies or the Earth.

Adults and kids will find plenty of healthy activities and options in this month’s issue. Take a walk on the wild side with April Thompson’s “Wild and Wonderful: Foraging for Foodies” as your guide. Or take a cerebral spin with Marlaina Donato’s well-researched article about the positive impacts of bicycling on the brain: It can improve cognitive function, depression, chronic anxiety and other conditions boosted by happy neurotransmitters. Studies show benefits related to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain disorders, as well.

Our August spotlight shines on animals, too. Writer Julie Peterson interviews neurologist Aysha Akhtar, author of Our Symphony With Animals: On Health, Empathy and Our Shared Destinies, who weighs in on the biology of the human/animal bond. Julie also presents a helpful overview of the natural approach used by holistic veterinarians.

Welcome to a hot summer issue!

To conscious living,

Pamela Gallina, Publisher