New Understandings on Importance of Nature

I  regularly read the Children and Nature Network articles for inspiration and research.  I loved reading Richard Louv's books Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle.  I also am working on a creating a list at my local library of my favorite books for educators and parents.  However,  relevant to families in the NW  Louv recently wrote for the local Parent Map--from this link you can access many resources on nature preschools and parent child classes that just three years ago were still hard to find.

I feel like we are at a turning point in terms of education and early childhood understanding.  While No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top seemed to push out some of the "slow" experiences of raising children- research is now proving that we need to give children time to play.  It needs to be unstructured, but occasionally guided for social emotional growth.   It most likely will even be muddy!  The Washington State Early Learning Guidelines make it clear that outdoor time is great for development, but we have a ways to go in terms of making sure all children have this access.

Two years ago when I presented at the SOAR conference on the benefits of nature,  local preschool teachers at the conference said that they were often limited by regulations regarding the outdoor experiences they could provide for their kids.   As I investigate the schools in my region trying to find out what kindergarten will look like, I am sometimes concerned that there is so much standards based teaching and academics that it often hard for teachers to make the time for unstructured play and outdoor time.   I hope that we will make the time for all children.   As I reflect on Martin Luther King Jr's life and legacy this weekend with my family and community--I realize that is an equity issue to get all children opportunities for great  play and learning out of doors.

Prior to being the  full-time mother that I am currently;  I was a teacher.   I am confident that the more  unstructured outdoor experiences that children have will lead to greater mathematical, scientific and language arts understanding and success down the line.  The fact that my children play day in and day out at a mud pit in the back yard helps them understand their world today and will help them understand the land and water models that they will do in fourth or fifth grade.  Their explorations are teaching them about the elements, about what living organisms need to survive, and how to work together!   Does your local school have a play place for nature discovery?

I feel lucky that I have been able to immerse my children in the urban outdoors.  I invite neighbors to come by and play with us.  I have hosted a local urban nature play group at the library.  I still feel like many children are missing the access to nature.  Today as I march with the local preschool; I dream that all kids will have the ability to learn in nature.

Urban Birds

Even in the city there can be a plethora of birds.   Our part of town is not pristine nature.  We hear a constant hum of traffic and the echoes of the booms and whirrs of building that is going on in our valley.  We also usually spend mornings identifying the different motors: cars and trucks rumbling and zipping up our street.   Nevertheless, our yard is still a stopping place for so many different birds.

Yesterday the boys and I had long morning of indoor play, but with lots of watching out our windows.
And it is a daily experience that we note what is happening at our feeders and with the various wildlife around our yard.  Usually we talk about the crows, chickadees, juncos and the sparrows because they are our most frequent visitors.  For the month of December we talked about the Towhee that was in our yard-- its habit of staying low, collecting seeds that dropped from the feeder and scurrying back to its hideout in the laurel.  It was so fun to watch with that tail that sticks up & the bright orange.  But, then we were away and there wasn't food for a while.  Our towhee moved on.    But yesterday was mighty exciting out our window:  We saw a downy woodpecker at one of the cherry trees & the feeder and a flicker came to the suet.  We also saw a Bewicks Wren, a hummingbird and some finches.  We heard the Stellar jay kept company in the back yard with the robins.

So far we only have two feeders: one with Hot Pepper infused Suet and the other raw sunflower seeds. But, we have been working on making our yard a good habitat.  We have covering brush, an old Hawthorne trees. a big old holly and then the native plants we have been adding: including a fir tree, Indian plum, snowberry, huckleberry, salad.  We also have many  perennials including summertime flowering plants.  And while we have patchy grass we have lots of rich mulch that makes perfect habitat for slugs and worms as the boys were noting yesterday when we played out in the yard.  We noted that we do need to come up with a water source for these visitor.   We also discussed other plants we could add to make our yard even better.

It was a perfect day to have checked out from the library a fun and silly book about woodpeckers: Peck, Peck, Peck
By Cousins, Lucy

Packing up Tools & Walking the New Trail

The Cheasty Trail system continues to grow with lots of hard work from neighbors and plenty of support from community grants. This past weekend a cold crisp January morning did not stop families from getting out and hiking the woods, spotting hawks and trail-breaking. This was true trail breaking using a McLeod trail digging tool- for adults only.  It was also a morning of planting: snowberry, wild rose, oregon grape and a few cedar trees found themselves planted.

Each time we make it out to the community work party days I am so thankful to be a part of a new era for this forest.  Meanwhile, I hope that some of the friendships that are developing as the kids explore the hillside together will blossom.  I am certainly thankful for the new acquaintances that I am making with neighbors.  

Umbrella fort

Two boys, three cars huddled together in the rain fort.

Evening Playtime

"It is raining!"  T announces.   "Do you want to come outside?" 

I am cozily drinking tea in the house, reading a book just checked out from the library called "Parenting without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents around the World Can Teach Us."

I say, "In a few minutes -would you like an umbrella?" 

T smiles as he takes two umbrellas.  One for both of the boys. 

I soon see them both working on setting the umbrellas up over the outside chairs. 

 "Rain fort! " says T proudly when I come out to join the boys.  I ask whether I should bring down another umbrella for me.  "Yeah!" T shouts enthusiastically.  We add it to the fort.  

In reality the umbrella fort is only big enough for two boys and three toy cars which are being used as a game that I don't understand the rules.  S is squished between chairs and chimenea holding out cars  as T shouts them out.  S makes sounds for each care as he holds them out.  It is like a car orchestra: T is conductor and S musician.

Night has come yet the boys don't seem to get cold or hungry and continue to play outside as I go in the house to start dinner.  I am thankful that our sink looks out over the yard and  I can check on the shadows / silhouettes of the boys who are happily puttering about. 

Playing in the Dark

A life is made of moments. My greatest joy these days is watching my children truly engaged in play.  As a teacher and a mother I love to set up opportunities, but of course the magic is how children run take something and play run with it in unexpected ways.  

This weekend just as the sun was setting we made a small fire in the chimenea next to the little play house.  The boys had decorated it for the holidays with chalk and moss and other greens from the garden and it seemed to add to the festivity to start a fire.  

There was joy and excitement trying to help start the fire. Then a bit of fireside banter and even a song before the boys said, "lets go camping."  They took their fold-up camp chairs under their arms and hiked the 50 ft to the corner of the yard under the big holly tree and made a campsite with a campfire of their own (only it was not lit).   They found pots and pans and were fully cooking their own meal when I came over and interrupted them and then they asked," can we have a flashlight or candle or lantern?"  

Papa found a candle votive in a lantern and brought it to them.  Next thing they said, "lets go on a hike" and they were off walking through the small native plantings that we have in our yard (just taller than they are).  It was a great reminder that a yard does not need to be big, especially when playing in the  dark can be so magical.  

As the evening wrapped up.  The boy came to the door as I had went in to warm dinner.  They asked for water, " a few drips of water."  

I said, "Is it to put out your fire?"  They replied yes.  The boys put out their one candle fire.  Papa put out the chimenea fire.  The two hour early evening  adventures ended and it was only 5:30pm.  A reminder of how dark it is this time of the year.  

The Rain is Coming Down

It has been a while since my last post, perhaps I have just been waiting for the weather to change.  In any case, this fall has been glorious.  The leaves have only just now shed the trees.   The low sun accompanied by long shadows has been present each day and the boys have played in leaves, rode their bikes and taken long walks throughout the neighborhood almost every day.

Now the rain has come:  The grey sky a cloak.  The air full of water.   

Nevertheless, the boys are happily playing.  Their mud pit comes alive when the water falls.  Water soaks the soil.  It streams from gutters.  The boys are thrilled.  For the past two hours they have not wanted to come in even though it feels wet and cold to me.  Instead they are happily singing and busily rushing around.  They are creating inventions with string and an old cook pot.  They are floating the wooden boats they made from scrap lumber in the puddle they filling with water from the gutters.

 One moment the mud is asphalt and they are stirring it up.  They have grand visions in mind.  Perhaps,  these visions are informed by the diggers and dump trucks we have been watching excavate the land for a new apartment building that will be dressing the skyline of our neighborhood. In any case the boys are having a great day of play.