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.

101 things to do outside with children #7: Listen for nature

Airplanes tearing through the sky overhead. Buses lurching to a stop, then starting again. Cars racing past. People shouting and talking. Dogs barking. Car doors slamming. Garbage trucks roaring down the street. Sirens wailing.

This is what my children and I noticed in just a few short minutes of walking through the neighborhood. last week. Granted, we live in an urban area and these kinds of noises are par for the course on any given day. Early in the morning, as we're walking to school, so much noise feels like an assault on my senses. It gives me an appetite for nature sounds.

Where you live, what kind of noises do you hear on a regular basis? How many of them are nature-based? Here in Minneapolis, it's sometimes hard to "tune out" the city sounds, and tune in the nature sounds.

The other day, when we really tried, we could hear some nature sounds, buried in among the city noises:

an angry squirrel chuck-chucking in a nearby tree,
a goldfinch twittering as it bounced through the sky,
a crow, clearing its throat,
and of course, lots of wind (we're ushering in a cold front, after all!)

Admittedly, this was really difficult! Of course, all things get easier with practice, right? We're practicing finding nature sounds now, in the mornings, when we're all still tired and especially need some gentler noises to help us greet the day.

Where you live, how hard to you have to try to find the nature sounds in the cacophony of everyday life? Can you do it?

101 things to do with children outside #6, celebrate something!

This seems like a good weekend to consider how much we have to celebrate.

Children are such great teachers for us! They celebrate everything. Life is still a party, and nature is a great playing ground.

When in nature, I'm moved toward gratitude. We enjoy so many freedoms, and we have access to so many wonderful natural areas and special places in this country. Despite the political turmoil,the nightmare economy, and the environmental crises that face us, really, there is so much to celebrate. Nature can soothe the spirit and heal many emotional wounds indeed.

I encourage you to grab your family and find something to celebrate this weekend. Our city has an annual festival celebrating one of my great loves in nature: monarchs. But you don't need a festival to celebrate. (Of course, they sure do help!)

Celebrate colors, the changing seasons, a beautiful flower, a sunset. We are so lucky to live on this amazing planet at this amazing time. What can you celebrate this weekend?

101 Things to do outside with children #5: Notice something new.

It's already jacket weather here in Minnesota,at least in the mornings, and that means the beginning of a whole new season for nature play.

School has started for both of my little ones, but we're still finding plenty of time to get outside. During the transition from summer to fall, or any season's change, it's a great time to heighten your awareness of what's happening outside! Of course, here in Minnesota we notice the temperature's change first, but there are so many other things going on. The leaves have just barely begun to change, as pointed out by my very astute 4 year old, J. Just look at this tree:



He called it a "half and half" tree. he pointed this out to me on our walk home through the neighborhood. We'd gone out in search of migrating monarch butterflies (and oh, we found so many!) but I was so caught up in finding butterflies I forgot to notice some other pretty amazing things. How lucky for me that he pointed it out. I would have walked right past.

Maybe in your part of the world, the seasons aren't yet changing. Or maybe they're farther along than they are here. Go outside and let your child show you what they see. Share in the discovery together.

101 Things to do outside with children: #4, Make Noise!

"Shh!"

"Inside voices, please!"

"Not so loud!"

Have you considered how often children hear messages like this? There are few places these days where children can really test the limits of their own voices. How often are they given the freedom to yell, scream, sing out loud, roar? Even in outdoor spaces, it seems, there is a limit to how loud children can be. It's sad but true: we have a pretty low threshold for tolerating children's noise.

As the parent of one child who absolutely loves the strength of his own voice and the other loud sounds he can make, I am all too aware of just how often a quiet voice is expected, if not required.

I encourage you to take your favorite herd of children outside and find a nice, wide open space and be loud. You can encourage noise, or just let it happen. Many children, as a result of constantly being told to hush, find it difficult or awkward to be really loud when given the chance. So try singing, or start a game of chase where you're all animals, making crazy animal noises.

Not only is it kind of fun to make a lot of noise, it relieves tension and anxiety too! And once your children realize they are free to make noise, it's a delight to share that with them. Tonight my daughter surprised herself singing a song in a monster's voice. We need to let children experiment with their voices: loud, soft, crazy, monstery, animal-y, whatever. They deserve this freedom!

101 things to do outside with children #3: Tune in

No matter where you go these days, it seems, people are always chattering on their phones or texting or facebooking, or whatever. In the grocery store, in traffic, even (gasp!) in public restrooms. I don't know what it's like in other countries, as I haven't done much international travel lately, but in America, people are constantly "connected" to their phones, computers, work, and whatever else.

We are pulled in so many directions. It's easy to be distracted. So many of us are busy multi-tasking, juggling jobs, families, hobbies, and everything else. It's difficult to give anything your full attention.

I myself am guilty of this. Until recently, my "old school" cell phone was capable only of making and receiving calls. It was fine for my needs. But when the phone finally died, and I went in to replace it, I was "upgraded" to a "smart phone" that could take pictures, surf the web, receive email, and who knows what else.

"Cool," I thought, doubting I'd ever use any of the bells and whistles. But sure enough, now that I've owned the phone for several months I am as guilty as anyone of being distracted by the blinking red light on my phone that indicates I've got email waiting to be read. It's so easy to quickly push a button and peek. I haven't counted the number of times in a day that I check, but I'd bet it's more than I'd want to admit! But what message does this send my children? What messages are we as a society sending our children when we are constantly distracted and frequently interrupting our interactions with them in favor of our phones? Can't we tune in to our children instead?

When I'm with my children, I want to be fully present to them. When we're outside, I try to be available to follow their lead, to tune in to their messages, rather than the ones on my BlackBerry. I want to let them lead me to the things they're interested in. This is difficult and yet so worthwhile. I want my children to know that their interests are important, valuable and real. I want them to know that I care about the things they care about. I want them to show me what they love, what they are curious about, where they want to be. This is the information that really matters. These messages are more important than email, facebook, or any of the other technological distractions we have at our disposal.

I'm thinking we need a "National Day of Rest" where all cell phones, ipads, and handheld gadgets automatically shut down so we can reconnect with what really matters: our children.

If we can't free ourselves for a whole day, how about 15 minutes? Try following your children out the door, and then following their cues completely. Just do it for 15 minutes. Let them decide where to go, what flowers to check out, or which rocks to collect. Let the children choose the path or decide on a picnic site. If they want to catch fireflies, catch fireflies. If they want to putter around on the sidewalk, poking at anthills with a stick, so be it. Follow their lead. Turn off your phone, put away your ipad. Be fully present--even if it's just for 15 minutes.

101 things to do...#2: Look UP!

When was the last time you lay on the ground and looked up? There are so many wonderful things to see. It's one thing to tilt one's head back and look up, it's another thing entirely to actually lie down on your back, breathe deeply, and take it all in. The experience is worth savoring. Trust me.

L reminded me of the value of this vantage point recently by stopping suddenly during playtime outside and dropping to the ground on her back, under the swaying leaves of a maple tree:

"Oh, Mommy, you just have to come and lie down with me. It looks like the trees are laughing."


We tend to spend an awful lot of time on our feet. Second to that comes sitting down. But think of it-we're always looking at stuff that's in front of us, usually at eye-level. It is good to change that vantage point from time to time. Check things out from a different perspective.

It really doesn't matter where you do this: your front yard or the wilderness. Just do it. Lie down, all the way down. Take a deep breath. Feel your body being completely supported by the earth beneath you. And notice what you see: Are there clouds? Leaves overhead? What color is the sky? Do this on a hill, in a valley, near a lake, near a stream. Try it in a desert-try it wherever you are, at whatever time of day it happens to be. Just try it. Give yourself a few minutes to really relax and enjoy. Worried about bugs, or the tickling grass? Whatever-throw down a blanket and lie down on that. Do what you need to be comfortable.

Children need and deserve opportunities to quietly savor the natural world, to really "take it in" in as many ways as they can. In early childhood especially, they are developing an aesthetic awareness--that ability to quietly reflect and consider beauty. Provide them with plenty of opportunities to find beauty, in as many ways as you can. What better way to do this than to lie down quietly together and share the beauty of nature?