Exploring in the natural world
We’re already at the start of March and despite Storm Eunice’s best efforts and days on end of windy weather, we are actually starting to see the beginnings of Spring with shoots appearing everywhere, which is just glorious. For me, watching the seasons change always brings a fresh sense of purpose and I get excited for the months ahead and all the plans I intend to make. For children, the changing of the season is a brilliant learning experience and the perfect time to get outdoors to really see the changes in the environment.
Something we’ve heard lots of families mention over the last couple of months is how they plan to include even more outdoor time as part of their regular weekly family activities. We love this. The fact that there are so many parents who are keen to get their children outdoors in the fresh air, being active, learning through their play, experiencing new challenges and maybe even exploring some riskier play, is simply music to our ears.
I wanted to share some thoughts and things that might help support getting outdoors with children. Below are some of the easiest ways to get started for any parents or adults and if this helps at least one family to feel more confident in getting their children outdoors, then mission accomplished.
First things first, think about starting small. There doesn’t have to be an enormous amount of planning when you’re just getting started with exploring the great outdoors with your children. Find a local green space that you know or are comfortable with and simply try and experience that space in a different way.
For example, if you have a favourite park that you go to, instead of heading to the same spot you might usually play in, perhaps use this as the perfect opportunity to have a fun adventure walk to explore different areas. You can simply take your time to explore and let your child take the lead on where they want to go and what they want to see or you can open up the conversation and talk to your child about what they can see, hear and smell around them. We often miss so much of nature around us because we just look straight ahead, so encourage your little one to look up high to the tops of the trees and down low to the ground. Try not to rush the walk but instead really take the time to stop along the way and discover new things together, taking in the wonder of nature. Just exploring a new natural environment can create the most wonderful conversations with our children, sparking their curiosity and leading to the most insightful questions from them.
Activities for your adventure walk
Collect nature treasures for arts & crafts...Take a small bag or basket along with you on your walk and let your child look for and collect forest treasures. These can be twigs, sticks, leaves, stones, feathers or similar. You can then look through their discoveries when they are done or to extend the learning, use those forest treasures to make a collage at home.
Forest treasure hunt...Give your child a list of a few things to specifically look for along their walk, such as a certain colour or shape of leaf or fallen flower petals, a conker or pinecone. This is a simple way to give an adventure walk purpose, and creates a real sense of excitement when they find what they were looking for.
Search for minibeasts...An adventure walk is the perfect time to see what insects and minibeasts you can find together. If you can find a log to look underneath, then you’ll likely hit gold. This activity also creates the perfect opportunity to talk to your child about looking after their natural environment and all the creatures that live within it. If you have a magnifying glass at home, take it along to see those minibeasts even more closely!
Bark rubbing... Children love exploring the patterns and textures of bark and all you need is some crayons and paper. Choose a bumpy tree with interesting bark. Place the paper against the trunk and rub the crayon over the paper to make a print of the bark pattern.
Find a muddy puddle...It sounds so basic but it always brings so much joy! Find a puddle and have a good jump and splash in it. Just don’t forget the waterproofs and wellies!
Take a storybook & enjoy a snack... Take a blanket, a good story book and a snack along with you on your adventure walk. You can stop along the way and read together or just sit down for a moment and have a little picnic. Children love to read outdoors in nature. We’re really fond of the Alison Fondman book Stickman, a great read especially when on a forest adventure.
And for those parents looking to really deepen their knowledge and understanding of outdoor education and risky play, we have just recently introduced a 1-day session for parents, grandparents or anyone wanting to learn more, it’s called “LEARNING, PLAYING AND EXPLORING IN THE NATURAL WORLD”.
We hope some of these tips lead to some exciting adventures with your little ones! Give yourself time and enjoy being surrounded by nature… spending time around trees and looking at trees is proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and improves mood, so a day in the forest is time well spent for both adults and children!
Lisa
Editor of Little Forest Folk Life
