for your cat, you can blame the marketing behind "sky mall." how one novel idea became a $100 million bazaar. good evening, everyone, i'm bill weir. hope you had a nice holiday weekend. with back to school on so many brain, here's a question for the parents, what's more vital energy for a 5-year-old, the abcs or the sound of a magpie? could it be that school walls are getting in the way of your kid's learning? tonight, we visit a kinder garten in washington state where every day is a field trip. with an encore presentation of her as venture out in the trees, here's abc's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: deep inside a five-acre forest. ♪ down below where the world

moves slow ♪ >> reporter: this is where the wild things are. they snack on leaves. that will be okay to eat? >> yeah, it tastes pretty good. >> reporter: and berries. what do you call this? >> forest candy. >> reporter: forest candy. okay. all right. the kids know 21 different words for mud. there's silky mud and what other kind of mud? >> body. >> reporter: body mud? >> i saw his eyes. >> reporter: they can also recognize the calls of dozens of birds. >> we know raven. what does a raven sound like? >> caw, caw. >> reporter: they're unusually well versed in the world of decomposition, metamorphosis and insects and enjoying edible hand warmers. >> because they're warm and -- you can eat them. they're actually potatoes. >> reporter: getting dirty here is celebrated. there is always a puddle to splash in. ♪ gooey goody mud

♪ i like to stomp in the goody goody mud ♪ >> reporter: or a mud by to make. is it delicious? >> yes. >> reporter: welcome to nature forest kindergarten on washington's bashon island. we're not in southern california. >> no, it rains here about nine months out of the year. i strongly believe that children cannot bounce off the walls if we take awayay the walls. >> reporter: so that's what erin kenny, who's been teaching preschool for years, did. she created a kinder gart than meets outside every day, no matter the weather. ♪ celebration to the clouds and sun ♪ >> it's sort of counterintuitive in our culture but it's been shown recess actually helps kids perform better academically. >> reporter: kenny, a former lawyer, was inspired to start the school after reading richard lu's "last child in the woods." he coins the phrase, nature

deficit disorder. explaining the lack of connection between children and nature. arguing that deficit is responsible for the rise in childhood obesity, attention disorders and depression. where are the books? >> in america, we believe that preschoolers need to learn letters and numbers to get a jump start. >> reporter:r:enny does not prepare lesson plans ever. >> our philosophy is what's called interest led. >> reporter: what does that mean, interest led? >> interest led means that the children are the ones directing the day. we don't come to -- >> reporter: sounds like a recipe for disaster. >> actually, it's not. because if children are allowed to sort of move at thehe own pace and they are the ones that are spotting things that pique their curiosity and allow to explore them in a hands-on way, they can become very focused. >> reporter: we saw that. the children spent the entire day outside without a single complaint. what do you do in the forest all day? >> we climb.

>> reporter: you climb? >> we play. >> reporter: you play? they're not going inside to lunch. they're not going inside to use the bathroom. outside all day long. >> a lot of kids choose to go to the bathroom outdoors. i'm talking about peeing. we have a composting toilet the kids can use if they want to. i can see teachers everywhere rolling their eyes saying this sounds like bananas. this sounds like hippie craziness. >> my belief is the reason we don't have it in this country is we have very much an indoor culture in america. >> reporter: often it looks like a commercial for laundry detergent. how muddy is she when she comes home? >> it depends on the day. if there's a giant mud puddle, she's couldered in mud. yesterday, she got a mud shampoo from another kid. >> reporter: when it's this cold, this rainy, do kids get sick? >> the childrere at our outdoor preschool are healthier than children in an indoor preschool.

colds and flus are caused by germs. not by being outside in the cold and wet. >> reporter: at the end of the day, parents call their children to the forest's edge in a unique way. >> caw, caw. >> reporter: with that, the wild things head home. but domesticating them, well, it's no easy task. for "nightline," i'm sharyn alfonsi on bashon island, washington. >> that's right, getting them in the house, different story. thanks to sharyn. when we come back, a different sort of child rearing for truly exceptional children. is a child prodigy a product of nature or nurture?

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it is no secret there is a dark side attached to many stories of child prodigies. often it's the shadow of an overbearing parent pushing too hard, wanting too much. in some rare cases, very young children exhibit amazing gifts that seem inevitable with or without the stage mom. where do prodigies come from? here's abc's john berman with an encore presentation. ♪ >> reporter: shut your eyes for a second.

that music could be coming from a maestro. now squint and that shot from a seasoned pool hall hustler. and that painting from an esesblished master. it turns out that mini-mozart, mini-minnesota fats and mini-monet have a combined age of 20. there's a word for that. prodigy. how good are you at the piano? >> well, i'm okay. >> reporter: just okay? >> i love it. >> reporter: 9-year-old emily bear is better than okay. okay doesn't get you to carnegie hall. okay doesn't get you this. >> one of my favorite things is when i played for the president. he was really nice. >> reporter: emily had been playing since she was just 18 months old. >> it was here. i guess -- her fiddling didn't sound like a kid. we were getting our kitchen

painting and they were like, who's playing piano? then she'd waddle in in her diaper. >> reporter: now she's playing all over the world and composing too. and while she's playing, keith o'dell is sinking. nearly everything. keith, how old are you now? 3 years old? what do you like to play? >> pool. >> reporter: are you a good pool player? >> uh-huh. >> when he was like 16 months, 18 months, he used to sit and watch me play pool all day with his cheerios and his high chair. he just picked up a cue and started pocketing balls at 18 months old. >> reporter: who's the best in the world? >> me. >> reporter: maybe not yet but he can do all kinds of trick shots that would blow your mind. what makes you think of the new shots? >> when daddy's not watching me, i will play pool. >> reporter: he's got sponsors. he's a huge hit on the internet.

not to mention tv. how good do you think he is? >> i mean, usually we're pretty laid back about it but there's stuff he's doing that people who are 30 years old can't do. he's incredible. >> reporter: keith makes it look easy. like a simple landscape for karen williamson. >> i think it's really -- >> reporter: 8-year-old chekyro who lives in england, got a drawing pad from his parents a couple years ago. the simple sketching soon turned almost supernatural. >> it's very difficult to appreciate it's coming from, you know, kyron because he's normal in every way but what he produces is just, you know, breathtaking. it's amazing. >> reporter: if you're looking to build your own child prodigy, take a class in prodigy 101, our parents have some thoughts. where does the ability come from? >> well, i'd really like to be able to say he gets his talent from me but we don't know where the talent comes from. >> reporter: emily's music. to a certain extent, you think

she was born with a gift. >> i absolutely 100% do. >> reporter: keith. woo do you think he's so good? do you think he was just born that way? >> definitely, definitely a natural talent. >> reporter: there's no fear she's just doing this for you? >> oh, god no. >> she would like to do more performing and we're kind of slowowg things down and trying to keep it balanced. >> reporter: what's the most days you've taken off in a row from piano? >> two. but i love doing it. it's not like i'm forced to do it. >> reporter: in the end, all these partisans of remarkable kids want them to be normal kids and normal people. what do you want him to be when he grows up? >> whatever he wants to do. >> reporter: kyron's future? well, painting is only a part of it. he wants to be -- >> a really good artist and a professional footballer. ♪ >> reporter: and emily? well, her air hockey isn't quite as good as her music.

>> will you let me get one score? >> reporter: i play tenacious. >> score! >> reporter: their gifts are a huge part of their lives now but what about the future? >> it's completely kyron's choice whether he paints or not. we hope for his sake that he doesn't lose it completely. >> reporter: whatever would make her happy is what we would want to do. so if she wanted to take a break or wanted to stop, we would be all for it. >> reporter: the time being, these amazing kids are amazing kids. it's something no one can ever take away. one thing is certain, we can't all be prodigies. teach me to play something. [ plays one note ] i can play that. ♪ i can't do that. i'm john berman for "nightline." ♪ ooh baby, looks like you need a little help there ♪

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36,000 feet in the sky that makes one want to buy a chocolate fondue fountain? thin air, boredom? third bloody mary? whatever your personal motivation, some credit belongs to the folks who put together the "sky mall" catalog. it's exploded into a slice of american commerce too successful and way too bizarre for this reporter to ignore. you forgot to bring a book. and after a certain point, animal shaped clouds no longer entertain. so you inevitably reach for the staple of the seat back. soon marveling at the sheer number of novelty watches and foot remedies. you wonder how the trickle of

that peeing boy statue might enhance your backyard. and you wonder who picks the gag tool belt sweat pants? the kitty toilet training kit? and the electric head massager? and what exactly are they smoking? like a modern ponce de leon, i set out to find the fountain of eternal stuff. so this is sky mall? >> this is sky mall. this is where it all happens. >> reporter: this is the president and when she's not busy hearing dumb jokes about her name, she's overseeing the creation of a catalog unlike any other. i'm curious about who your customer base is. just judging from this, it seems like a lot of your customers have aging pets. and foot problems. >> you'd be surprised how many people have pets and foot problems. you know, they tend to be very well educated. and high disposable income.

so as far as a retailer and consumer base, it's probably one of best ones out there. >> reporter: really? >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: so it's the ivy leaguers that are going for the backyard yeti sculpture? >> i don't know if ivy leaguer is the right word but it's certainly people who have high disposable income. >> reporter: the company began in 1990 when phones on planes were a new rage. those days, if you ordered something midflight, sky mall would have it waiting at baggage claim. which turned out to be a horrible idea. >> they loved the idea of shopping during their downtime on the plane but, you know, who needs a set of patio furniture at baggage claim? >> reporter: these days, they ship the stuff directly to customers who mostly order from the ground and/or the internet. >> monday mornings, we see a nice strong peak. ironically, when folks go to work. >> reporter: how about when the bars close? >> bars close, things remain a little quiet for us. >> reporter: i would think they go up. and the sky mall team tries to keep them happy bycouring 25 trade shows a year, rejecting 98% of what they find.

what are your most popular items? >> one of our most popular items believe it or not is the ez bed. plug it in, turn i i on and it opens up by itself. >> here's the brownie pan. you have edges everywhere you cut. customers love those. >> reporter: what is that? >> it's called a bracelet buddy. it helps women put bracelets on. >> reporter: is this the bug vacuum? >> that is the infamous vac. >> reporter: i might get this for my wife because she really hates spiders. what's going on here? >> i've actually seen them around, people wearing them in town here. >> reporter: sure. this is my favorite product out of your catalog. just based on the guy on the front. who looks like he may be deceased. >> we're not sure. >> reporter: and you blow that up? >> you do, you do. >> reporter: would you use that? >> i will fess up and tell you i don't have one of those but i have -- i've been out and i've seen people using them. >> reporter: you've seen people using them?

>> absolutely. >> reporter: there are no overseas outsourced call centers at sky mall. they do it all here where the typical rep will take a couple hundred calls a day. can i take some calls? >> i wish you could take some calls but the training program would take too long. >> reporter: come on, i could push some for you right now. they tell me the slankets are moving even without my help. which is good because this place is a lagging economic indicator. for skyle ma, the recession is over. they don't release figures. it's estimated this place sells over $100 million worth of stuff each year. though not all the choices are best-sellers. >> we had an egyptian themed toilet seat cover. that one didn't take off. >> reporter: didn't move. huh. and a final word to the wise, if you do go for the inflatable sky rest, get yourself a peaceful progression wake-up clock at the same time. otherwise, you might just miss your flight. they come up with the vibrating sky rest, oh, money. thank you for watching abc news.

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