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 18 years!!!!)
Hint! This is some meaningful information that you could share with your families.
This is the perfect time of year 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
I loved 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!
In keeping with today's theme, here's a poem I found on a paper plate after I did a workshop in 2016.
Don’t Take away My Childhood
By Yolanda Richey, 2016
Don’t take away my childhood,
Let me run and play.
Don’t take away my childhood,
Let me learn in my own way.
Give me songs to sing
Give me time to dance.
Don’t take away my childhood,
I only get one chance -
To be a little child
Who loves to learn each day.
So don’t take away my childhood
Because my work is PLAY!