Outdoor Play
“We are innately connected to nature, but need to provide opportunities to make that connection,” says Patti Bailie, former assistant director of Antioch University’s nature-based Early Childhood certificate program, in Keene, New Hampshire. Here’s how.
Get wild at home. Hang bird feeders, grow wildlife-attracting plants, start a compost pile and designate an area of the yard for natural play where kids can dig and the grass isn’t mowed.
Explore a forest instead of a playground. Without swing sets and toys, children create imaginative play, build forts and climb trees.
Incorporate active transportation into the family routine. Walk, bike or paddle. Rain gear and flashlights enable rainy and after-dark explorations.
Join a family nature club. At ChildrenAndNature.org, connect with other families that value and use the natural world for playing, growing and learning via their Natural Families Forum.