While surfing the internet I happened upon this UK website: kidsgowild.org.
Our site strives to help you as the parent be informed and motivated to get your kids into nature and go wild with fun! Also to teach them to interact and get along with other kids from all ages, not just their own. All for the betterment of their future success, and yours as a parent of course!
I was hooked because I’m so passionate about giving children time to PLAY. PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! Isn’t that what children are suppose to do in childhood?Several years ago I read Richard Louv’s book LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM NATURE-DEFICIT DISORDER. It reminded me that exposure to nature is essential for healthy physical and emotional development in children AND adults. (This book first came out in 2005, but you can imagine the decrease in outdoor time and increase in screen time over the past 11 years!!!!)
This is the perfect time to get outdoors and let children explore in a less controlled environment. Educators, as well as many parents, are concerned about all the time their children spend in front of a screen. But, you can’t always give children a choice. If you say, “Do you want to go outside and go for a walk or play video games on your computer?” You know what the answer will be!
We need to engage children in outdoor activities and create opportunities where they will choose to play and “be wild”! These are some suggestions I adapted from the website that you might want to share with your parents:
Climb a tree
Roll down a really big hill
Build a tent
Hunt for stones
Watch the sun wake up
Go on a nature walk at night
Plant it, grow it, eat it
Discover what’s in a pond
Go to a park
Play in the sand
Run around in the rain
Fly a kite
Hunt for bugs
Go fishing
Cook on a campfire
Look for objects in the clouds
Make a mud pie
Swing on a rope swing
Just think how giving children 30 minutes of OUTDOOR WILD TIME every day this summer could impact their lives!!!
FOREST SCHOOLS started in Denmark in the 1980's and they have been growing across the UK. Forest Schools are a type of outdoor education where children develop academic skills, as well as social and emotional skills in an woodland environment. It's an interesting concept, so google it and see what you think.