Outside Always!

Outside Always!

Ideas for Exploring Nature with your Children

We were cleaning out my fourteen-year-old sons’ closet last weekend and deep in the back of his closet he found his treasure box from the summer that he turned 6. In an excited voice he called me to sit on the bed while he opened it.  He became very still and very quiet and with a sense of almost reverence he explored the contents of the box.  Blue egg shells from a robin’s egg – a nest we had found and watched until the baby robins had fledged.  A fossil we had found in a quarry we visited.  A white heart shaped granite rock – a treasure from a beach.  A monarch wing he had found on a camping trip.  A dragonfly.  A crows feather.  A dried and crumbling leaf that he had found to be beautiful.  The box was precious to him, it held special memories of adventures we had had together as a family.

As a mother of three boys I found that my energetic happy kids thrived when I worked hard to incorporate a lot of outside time into our summer time rhythm each year. They got along better, they were happier in general and they slept better when we spent a lot of time outside.  So naturally I gravitated to planning activities that were outdoors and fun for all of us.

Richard Louvs book “Last Child in the Woods – Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” was not only a confirmation of what I knew was healthy and good for my kids but was a real inspiration and motivation to keep doing things that would engage my kids in the wonder that nature holds.

I’d like to share some of the fun and effective ways I spent time in nature with my kids.

1. Unstructured time outside – this was key to helping my kids deeply engage with nature. Although it is in my nature to always teach and explain and learn I fostered habits where we would purposely approach nature as an experience rather than as a science expedition.   I would take my kids to the hiking trail or to the ravine or wherever we were going for the day but then I would step back and allow them to explore. Even if that meant going slowly or not finishing the hike or getting dirty or wet. I would allow them to wander and see what caught their attention. We watched turtles lay their ping pong ball like eggs, explored bogs, found big sticks – always big sticks. Splashed in muck, found fossils, hunted bugs. There was always something amazing to find outside. This required time – lots of unhurried unstructured time to explore and savour and discover. A remarkable calm and stillness would descend. I could see the boys relax into what they were exploring and see their sense of curiosity and wonder emerge.
2.  Visit the same spot at different times during the year to experience change – we made friends with the trees in the park near our house. They all had names and we each had a special tree. We would watch that tree all year and see what wonders it would unfold. A mighty Oak, a prolific black walnut, a maple, a birch. Leafing out in spring, the different types of seeds, collecting acorns, the leaf changes in autumn, how walnuts dyed your hands. How spring smells, how autumn smells, how the light changes. All of these things were wonderful to explore and engaged all of our senses. Of course climbing.   Lots of tree climbing. One of my favourite memories as a child was walks with my dad in the bush. He would frequently walk the same trail that lead between our house and my grandparents house and in different seasons the path would look different of course and he always found wonder in what we would find on the trail today. It was like it was a surprize for him every single time. And what kid doesn’t love surprizes?
3. Gardening – We’ve always had a garden and grown vegetables. Spending a Saturday afternoon in February planning what we are going to plant. Discussing the value of heritage blue peas over the green peas we grew last year.   Preparing the ground in April. Planting in May and then the wait, the possibilities, the wonder. Who knew that carrots grew like that? That tomatoes would taste like sunshine when picked and popped in your mouth. That digging for potatoes at the end of the season was like digging for buried treasure – an excited exclamation with each one found – an bonus points for the funny looking ones. Who knew that fresh raw peas were never really supposed to make it to the dinner table – but eaten right out of the pod?   I’ve found that just including the children as I’m planting and weeding and harvesting and composting has allowed them to really value good healthy food and has given them a sense of empowerment over their own food and a connection with where their food comes from. My 21 year old planted his own garden this summer. I’m a proud momma.
4. Camping. Back country camping with my kids has always been my very favourite thing to do with them. From toddlers I would bundle them into a canoe, find a quiet spot to set up camp and spend a week immersed in our beautiful Ontario summer. Loons, wood smoke, full moons, fireflies, herons, thunder storms. Learning to be comfortable outside and with the quiet and stillness that comes from being away from the hustle and bustle is valuable. Learning how to entertain themselves, how to have fun with the few things we would bring, how exploring shoreline and watching for birds or fish is fascinating. How to not be afraid of the dark and the stillness. It always amazed me how we could fill entire days with nothing really. With just being outside. Camping strips life down to it’s essence. Eating together, talking deeply together, braving the elements together. You discover what’s really important in life. You discover how to be comfortable with yourself and who you are. Camping creates the space for introspective thought. For observation of yourself. For connection with each other. It’s wonderful with kids – it’s even better with teenagers who often can become so peer identified that parents can feel disconnected from them. Spend a week in the bush with your teenager and you will be amazed at the relationship that blooms.
5. Explore a pond. This is a neat thing that always engaged my boys for hours. Rubber boots, a few dollar store nets, some glass jars, a magnifying glass. First of all, it’s mucky and wet. Which is awesome. Secondly – what can we find? Infinite possibilities of mosquito larvae, frogs, tadpoles, duckweed, leeches. Every time they would fill a jar with pond water they could explore a whole new world. Bugs of every kind. Water striders, beetles – a pond is a place of wonder a place where exciting things start and transform.

Watch for other ideas – an owl migration, the salmon running, autumn hikes to explore the leaves, winter fire making or shelter making.   As the adult planning your outside time for your kids  – be adventurous!  Our motto was that it was never too wet or too cold if you dressed for the weather.  Our mud room is filled with splash pants, rubber boots, sun hats, bug jackets and for winter  – warm boots and snow pants and mitts.  Dress for the weather and you will enjoy your time in it.

My kids are older now but still love to explore the outdoors with me – have summer jobs and careers that involve the outdoors and each of them are advocates and passionate about our environment and our impact on it. Each of them have a deep connection and find stillness, wonder and reverence in their outdoor explorations.   I credit this lifelong love each child has for their environment with their experience of it from a young age.

This summer take your kids outside to play!

Want more on Nature Deficit Disorder? Dr Doran and her son weigh in on Rogers Daytime.

Written by Lisa Doran

Fun addition to this post, we are hashtagging #OutsideAlways on our summer adventures this year. Please join us so we can share in YOUR family adventures and get inspired. Barefoot on Instagram!