101 things...#12 Start a collection

I love collecting stuff from nature. I'm a huge believer in "authentic experiences"--those real-life, hands-on moments where children can actually get their hands dirty-they can feel, smell, hear and otherwise experience things that will deepen their connection to the natural world. Both of my children have "treasure boxes" full of goodies and other delights they pick up outside. The thought of adding to a collection can transform any time outside, any place, into an opportunity for a treasure hunt.

I firmly believe that while protection of the natural world is important, we must also encourage children to connect deeply with objects they treasure. This might be rocks (as it is for my son, who's treasure box is so heavy we practically need a crane to lift it!) it might be flowers that children may press and dry. It might be acorns, or leaves, or feathers....the list goes on. The point is to find small, everyday objects that are special in some way to the child. I know many educators who love to take crayons and paper out to the woods to do rubbings of boulders or tree bark. Of course teachers and parents of older children who are inspired to write and draw can keep nature journals...more on that in another post. These pen-and-paper suggestions are wonderful, but I really want to encourage folks to keep it simple: you don't need to carry any equipment other than maybe a shirt pocket for getting these things home (this is also a great way to manage the size and weight of your treasures!) Here are some ideas that various children have shared with me over the years, of things they like to collect: Twigs shaped like letters, gray things (or pink, or blue things), sea glass, skipping stones, sparkly things, heart-shaped things,things that look like eyes, Stuff from our campout...

What collections do you have? How could you organize your nature treasures into a collection? What collection would you like to have? Talking and thinking about collections is a great opportunity to practice the skills of classifying and organizing, too!

101 things to do outside with kids #11: get a hammock

For Mother's Day the children gave me a hammock. I swear, there is nothing quite like lying down under a canopy of green leaves and swaying in a hammock. Why am I just now learning to appreciate this? The kids love to climb in and tip out of the hammock, turning it into quite the plaything, indeed. But they are also learning to appreciate the relaxing and comforting feeling of just being there, under the trees. Together we are learning the fine art of taking it easy. Today when I looked outside, J, who is now almost 5, was lying flat on his back in the hammock, just contemplating the patterns of leaves against the sky. Lovely. One of these days I hope we can enjoy an afternoon nap in the sun. Even if you live in an urban area, or a wide-open space with no trees, you can still get a stand for your hammock. Trust me, it's worth it.

101 things to do outside with children #10: get dirty!

We've been enjoying a great deal of mud around here. The spring rains have come as promised, and right on schedule. The grass is up, the trees are leafing out, and there is mud-glorious mud-everywhere to be found. (Including, I admit, on every surface inside my home). Mud is a wonderful play medium! It feels great, can be mixed to any texture, and it appeals to many senses: touch, sight, smell, hearing, and even, if you're not careful, taste. We have a mud hole in our back yard specifically for rainy days. The neighborhood children flock to our yard, and everyone uses toy trucks, pieces of scrap wood, branches and leaves to create bridges, ferry boats, and structures along the edges of the mud puddles. Or they dig trenches and rivers of muddy water flow. Or they dig and dig, then stick their toes in deep, feeling them disappear into the squishy ooze.

101 things to do outside with children #9: rest

Today is a milestone day for me! My forthcoming book (Early Childhood Activities for a Greener Earth) has been sent on to the publisher for typesetting. I am so thrilled!

And, so very, very tired.

My suggestion for the day is fitting, then. Rest! Here in Minnesota we've been blessed with some lovely, crisp fall days with plenty of sunshine. I like to spread a blanket out on the ground under a tree and just enjoy lying down together. Of course, lying down and being still is hard for some children (especially my son!) so I like to have a book or some sliced apples for us to enjoy together. Of course, there are many ways to tempt them to come and be still. When J was playing in the leaves and I was lying on a blanket, I invited him to bury me in leaves and then to lie down with me. It worked! We lay under the leaves, listening to them crackle, for a good 3 minutes before he was up and off again.

Young children are often loathe to be still for long periods of time, but doing this practice frequently invites them to enjoy stillness, and they can eventually "work up" to longer periods of quiet reflection.

We get so busy and so focused on "doing" all the time. It's lovely to carve out some time to just rest and be together.

101 things to do outside with children #8: go barefoot

Here in Minnesota, we are savoring these last remaining sunny days of fall. Soon enough we'll be dressing in layers and our feet won't see the sun again until April. But there's still time to enjoy nature barefoot-granted, we have to wait until the sun's been out a while so our toes don't turn blue, but still. Whatever the weather is in your area, take off your shoes! Running around barefoot is something that comes naturally to most children, and is a great way to connect with nature. But, as adults, we tend to forget the simple pleasure of being barefoot.


Everything feels different when you're barefoot! Walking on a warm sidewalk, padding barefoot through the grassy lawn, and snuggling your toes into a sandy beach-all sublime experiences, to be sure. Such a great way to get in tune with the many different textures and terrains of nature. Just take off your shoes and notice how things feel. Does the grass tickle? Is the ground cold or warm? Being barefoot is so good for balance and coordination, too. There are about 20 muscles in each foot, so give them a chance to work. Shoes are necessary for many things, and in many places, but any child will tell you that tree-climbing and rock-wandering are activities best done barefooted.