Just get outside

Today we went to Seward Park for a little nature hike. It was a lovely welcome especially since as we go off the bus the bus driver allowed the boys to pull the "next stop" bell several times each. We were the only ones on the # 39 at that point.

The Audubon Center was hosting craft activities inside to keep people warm and in preparation for the holidays. My boys loved the activity of making a reindeer out of a toilet paper roll. Just as we were finishing at that station the other kids from cooperative preschool and their parents arrived at the center. It looked like it might be a challenge to get everyone hiking. One of the kids was really wanting to go to the playground and not go on a hike and soon S. was ready to go play out on the playgroound too. However, we got everyone to go upstairs and hike out the back door of the center. I had brought a bag of finger puppets and had each child grab one out of a bag: holding a cozy robin, or bear, or wren seemed to help encourage the kids to think that there was a lot to see out in the woods and we started off.

The hike went well although we mostly saw signs of animals and not the animals themselves. When we got tired we did tree bark rubbings and this re-engaged drifters.

I think that creating a habit of hiking is probably what is best for wee ones. Then adults don't need to be so guiding, also kids develop confidence to investigate and scurry about.

We emerged from the woods to sprinkles and then sunshine- yet another reason to just get out of doors.

No stroller : Yet over a mile

Yesterday I realized that my 2 1/2 year old boys and I did our first no stroller, over a mile, walk. Typically I have always brought it as back up, but yesterday the sun was shining and we skipped out the door away from our house. All I know is that we may might be beginning a new era of hands free!

I realize I have not been writing as much lately. Mostly it is because I have been taking early childhood education classes and planning an outdoor preschool. I don't know if it will take off the ground as I do not have a location or a sponsoring organization, but I have a strong vision. Meanwhile, I am leading a nature play day for my cooperative preschool. I realize that I harbor insecurities about having the whole activity be out of door rain or shine. But, I think this fear is my own. Children would do just fine for one morning all out of doors. Secondly, it is my nature that I want to over plan.

Here is my brainstorm of how a rainy day walk in the woods could go with kids who have not spent a lot of time out of doors.

1) First I think I will bring a few puppet animals and ask the kids if they think we might find one of these? Ask them what we might find. I can bring the "inchanimal" sticks and see if we can find something each size.

2). Then we check if we are ready. Do we have on coats, mittens, boots, do we have dry socks, dry pants and a couple of layers? Do adults have: at least one first aid kit, hot cocoa or hot tea? snacks?

3). Then we just start hiking. If we find something interesting we can go look at it.
When we get to my favorite tree we stop and maybe sing a tree song.

The following ideas came from:
http://www.rifamiliesinnature.org/games-for-the-trails/

Games for the Trails

Use games, songs, and activities to keep your kids from getting bored or tired.

Distractions from simply trudging along in the woods will help your kids (and you) stay interested and motivated. Here are some ideas:

• Play “I Spy” or”20 Questions.”
• Sing your favorite songs or make up words about the hike to fit into a familiar tune.
• Count birds, flowers, or clouds.
• Search for anything that is blue (or red or yellow or…).
• Take turns using a camera to document the trip.
• Play the alphabet game: find something on the trail that starts with the letter a, then b, and so on.
• Create your own – or simply use or modify RIFIN’s – hiking scavenger hunt.
• Collect leaves, shells, rocks, or acorns – and then remember to return them before going home.
• Imagine you are living in the forest long, long ago and pretend to hunt or gather food.
• Bring paper and crayons to draw animals, plants, or favorite scenes. Older children might enjoy keeping a “nature journal” of your adventures together.
• Ask simple, open ended questions about objects in nature.
• Work together to make up silly poems or stories.
• Let children create their own games – they will most likely impress you!

Finally, my own mantra needs to be let the children lead! They will do a great job. Then, set this nature experience up as a regular play group time.

Health Care Providers Making the Nature Connection

Currently I am taking an Early Childhood Educational Leadership Class. I am afraid that most of my free moments are spent reading articles on early childhood and doing research in order to plan my dream of creating an urban nature preschool. It is exciting to see that there is so much concern these days about children and nature. There are excellent resources that explain how many personal and-I believe -community illnesses can be prevented. It is exciting to see health care providers making the connection between lack of time in nature and asthma, myopia, obesity and even the mental health of youngsters. It is also exciting to see that there are ways to change this that will be good for individuals and communities. I am hoping my preschool could be a start, but with attention communities can organize to change the landscape of their communities to be healthier, greener, and beneficial for all.

Translucent leaves shining in the sunlight

Today we went on leaf hike. We made tree trunk vests out of paper bags and later did tree rubbings by holding the paper up to trees and running a crayon over it. We may make the tree vests fancier tomorrow by adding roots (strings) to the bottom of the vest and possibly stick xylem and phloem. In any case I was thrilled to have my kids initiate the hike we took today. For a few minutes before the rush hour sounds came back- loud and jolting- all I could hear was their singing and humming as they played with leaves and meandered along the trail of our local urban forest.

Who likes the rain?

These are just some fun stories for tots and young children. I especially like the multi-cultural science book. Sung with a few songs like "the rain is falling down, splash" and along with the cotton ball over a tray of water cloud activity and you have a great mini-lesson on rain. In the spring I would add April Rain Song by Langston Hughes.
The early childhood naturalist educator I worked with this morning made the lessons even more fun singing a song "if gumdrops fell like raindrops." and then she led a nature hike looking for signs of rain and plants and animals that thrive in the rain such as worms, lichen, and fungi. My favorite part was when she went to a grassy area and asked all the kids to touch it and say what they noticed.

Driftwood exploration

This past week involved many urban nature adventures including one facilitated tot time/hike at a park across town. Once again the child-directed exploration seemed more beneficial to my children's growing understanding and love of the outside world.

Group led activities for tots I think of this as ages 1 1/2-3 1/2 are an art. More and more I am thinking that they should always be hands on/ involve some choice and watching of the children's interests, and free form. Although socialization needs to come, the goal of nature experience should be on nature and not group skills. Also since many tot time activities include parents they should be memory making for both the child and the adult. Things that I think will work the best:

Books set out for lap reading

Activity stations for solo or with parent guidance for exploration

Songs

Listening to Sounds (but only for brief periods of time)

Mystery solving

Kinesthetic

free play/exploration- this may mean that sometimes the beautiful driftwood becomes a "train" according to the tots. However a remarkable amount of nature observation tactile, auditory, and visual occur.

For an example, while my boys played on driftwood yesterday here is a bit of the learning I observed:

Boys hit sticks of different sizes/ shapes on the log, heard different tones.
The boys explored balance as they scrambled along, over, and around the logs.
T was particulary interested in a seagull that flew overhead. He listened to its call. Watched it and then tried to mimic the sound. Then he said " That's a seagull."
They utilized their imaginations as they envisioned their train: needing gas, a new driver, and getting a trailer.
They also had some social emotional skill development when another family stopped by to talk. Their young girl shared her big leaf maple leaves with the boys.

The celebration and wonder of nature was shared with all.

A walk with grandma

Beautiful fall days deserve to be savored. Yesterday the boys, their mom and their grandma went to the local park. The boys chose the activities. First we went to see the ducks at the little beach. We watched them for a good fifteen minutes as they would preen their feathers,rest, eat, and splash into the water! Then the boys were ready for a walk in the woods. We entered by the mysterious stairs behind the play area and went searching for animals or a place for a little house, but what we found was mostly just a beautiful path. The boys enjoyed going up and down the hill. Theo found a big leaf maple that went swoosh in the air as he waved it about. After about a quarter of a mile the path turned paved, we passed a hollow log, and watched cars pass beside us. It was time to return to the play area.