Using Adventure and Nature to Bring Back Children’s Play
It is a disappointing thing to see new playgrounds developed in city spaces sit there empty each day, or to walk in the park and hear no laughter. What is missing here is not the children per se, but materials and environments that create challenge, imagination, and creativity that make children want to play outdoors. The absence of such play environments is not only influencing the quantity and quality of children’s play, but also affecting children’s health and well-being.
As adults, we need to support children in learning to enjoy what free play in the outdoors has to offer. We need to inspire imaginations, creative minds, and capable bodies. To do this, we can look toward two simple things: nature and adventure.
What’s Happening to Children’s Play?
Outdoor play is a necessary part of children’s development and is considered essential for children’s play and learning. Playing outdoors provides unique opportunities for learning that the indoor environment cannot offer. For example, children engage in higher levels of creativity, imagination, inventiveness, physical activity, language, and curiosity. Most importantly, they are given the opportunity to play freely. Despite this knowledge, outdoor play has been steadily decreasing for North American children.
When we look at why this disappearance of free play is happening, we realize that there are many factors that contribute to the lack of play. There are increases in structured play activities, an emergence of technology-based play objects, higher concerns related to safety and risk, adult control over children’s play activities, academically oriented schools, and an overall disregard for the value of play. More often than not, we see children engaged in a summer filled with structured sports activities or stuck inside with gaming systems and cell phones. We hear adults saying “don’t pick up the sticks!” “don’t go too far!” and “be careful!”. We know that schools are decreasing recess time or taking it away all together.
Unfortunately, it is all too common that today’s society has an overall disregard for the value of free play and how important it is for children of all ages. It is ultimately these factors that are placing a barrier between children and their right to play freely in the outdoors.
Children who do not have access to outdoor play will miss out on the many benefits that free play in the natural environment has to offer toward their growth.
The Importance of Free Play in the Outdoors
When children are engaged in free play in the outdoors, they are provided opportunities for freedom, choice, and fewer routines. In free play, there is no adult direction or control, so children are able to play how they want to play. When children are given such freedom to play, they are more likely to engage in higher levels of social interaction, cognitive skills such as decision-making and reasoning, empathy, and physical activity. In turn, they are less likely to become inattentive, anxious, or depressed and unhealthy.
The outdoor environment in particular has many benefits. A natural green space allows children to continuously explore ways to use materials, discover the varied environment, and create their own play experiences. The outdoor environment is not a man-made area and, therefore, is diverse and timeless. Children who play outdoors have heightened senses and emotions from the ever-changing topography and the rich stimuli that a natural space affords. This is how children learn – through experience: by seeing, feeling, touching, and hearing. The outdoor environment is a blank canvas on which children are able to place their own thoughts, wonders, and creations.
The Loose Parts Movement for Bringing Back Play
So what can be done now? After this discussion of the importance of free play in the outdoors you may be wondering how you can bring back play for children in your life. There are two things to support you in doing so: nature and adventure.
What you are going to need to do is reintroduce adventure back into children’s outdoor play. To accomplish this, you can use loose parts from inside your home, the garage, the shed or the office. To be honest my children did not play with many toys. They wanted to create, explore or build with odds and ends. And that happened naturally. Waterplay was really big with them. too. But whenever I bought something new for the boys I also knew to get one for the hubby too.
Loose parts are play objects and materials that are open-ended, manipulative, moveable, and non-dictated. They are usually just as fun to search for as it is to play with them. This means that children can use any materials in a variety of ways and there is no suggested way or “story” behind these materials. Loose parts allow children to act upon their environment the way that they want, rather than their imaginations and creativity being predetermined by the materials.
Examples of loose parts are items such as tires, logs, sticks, fabric, rope, and rocks. Loose parts can either be synthetic materials or materials that are commonly found in a natural outdoor environment.
Where else can you find simple objects or supplies for older babies and toddlers?
TOYS at home...puzzle pieces, blocks, cars, balls, Lego's, shapes from her other building toys, animals and action figures, construction pieces from the boys stuff, Mc Donald toys and stuff from her theme bags that I had started, etc.
FREEBIES: Nature, pieces from discovery baskets and sensory bottles, recyclables, kitchen tools, junk drawer, office supplies, etc.
OTHER TOOLS: animal and flower sponges that I used when painting Hope's room, natural sponges, my scrapbook supplies (stencils, stamps and ink pads, stickers, watercolors, scraps from construction paper and scrapbook pre-printed paper, glitter, gel pens, scissors for fancy edges, paint markers, Sharpies, colored pencils etc. And my art bag was full of kid sized tools from the YMCA Children's Programs
OMG there were lots of things that I already had in my home or at work that we could use.
Loose parts spark children’s curiosity, which then leads to exploration and discovery. For example, if a child is provided with rope, tarp, and wooden pieces, she will become curious about what the materials are and how to use them. She will then begin to explore the materials in different ways through her imagination and creativity.
This leads to discovering that the materials can do many things. This process of curiosity, exploration, and discovery is ultimately what leads to play and learning.
Where Can I Find Loose Parts?
You can find loose parts in many places, and they are often free!
Parks, forests, and green spaces
Go on backyard or community treks and pick up things that interest them.
Thrift stores explorations
Local hardware and lumber stores
Yard sales
Fabric and Craft stores
Grocery stores
Grandma's house
Your own recycling bin
Here is a loose parts list that will inspire you to get out there and collect your own:
To support childrens play, it is important that we create environments that include materials that are fun, engaging, and challenging.
To reintroduce adventure and free play to your children, consider using loose parts. When loose parts are paired with the outdoors, it will lift children’s spirits, make them love playing again, and ultimately make them happier and healthier.
FABULOUS BACKYARDS DO NOT HAVE TO BE EXPENSIVE
Sprinkler fun was always kind of a typical water event that they use to cool off, but use caution -the hose can be full of water heated by the sun. It can also be used to clean them off before coming in in the evening.
We often have our snacks on the deck, and our lunch on a big blanket under the trees. The kids love eating their lunch outside, and I loved how easy it was to clean up.
I normally pile a tray up with sandwiches, drinks, fruits/veggies/cheese etc and carry it out to the blanket under the tree, but last night, I found a great idea over at Michelle’s Charm World. I can’t wait to try it. You load up individual ice-cube trays with veggies, cheese, berries, plain pasta, meat etc., and let each child carry their own lunch tray to the picnic blanket. Brilliant! Thanks, Michelle!
Picnic under the trees
Outside is where we want to play when the weather co-operates. Winter is too long to not make the most of the nice weather when it’s here. There’s a ton of fun to be had in the yard, and the hooligans like it best when we keep the play simple and unstructured.
We are fortunate to have a good-sized back yard, and our neighborhood backs on to a ravine and forest. The kids refer to this area as “the jungle”. In the spring, before the undergrowth gets too high, we spend a lot of time exploring, hiking and “rock-climbing” in the jungle.
The playhouse , the tire swing and the sandbox are where the children spend most of their time, playing make-believe, getting messy, and having good-old-fashioned fun.
On a hot day, a rubber boat filled with water at the bottom of the slide provides a whole day of fun.
So many hours are spent here in our sandox, digging, building, working together, and problem solving.
We are also blessed to have a pond in our backyard.
It’s small but it provides us with countless hours of entertainment, and opportunities for learning.
The children watch the fish and get excited when they discover that the fish have had babies. They learn about life-cycles as we watch tadpoles develop into toads every spring, they scoop out algae, they hunt for snails, and they observe the birds and dragonflies that come for a drink.
The pond is a wonderful feature of our yard; I’m so thankful that we have it. It’s a place to splash your feet on a hot day…
…or to sit and quietly reflect with a friend.
Thanks so much for touring “our big backyard” with me. It’s actually been quite a nostalgic little journey for me. Please feel free to share pictures of your own outdoor play-space with us. I’m always looking for new out-door play ideas, and I’d love to see how your little people spend their days!
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Because babies are still taking in the world, don’t overwhelm them with too much all at once. Let them explore slowly. They might want to crawl around or be happy sitting in one spot. And since they are just little babies they won’t be too bothered if you bring them to the same old park bench or backyard spot time and time again!
When you’re down on the ground with your baby, pick up things and hand it to them to explore, like leaves, larger rocks, and pine cones.
You can point out birds or describe how the breeze feels on their skin. Direct them to look at the dancing leaves or the bright flowers. You are simply a guide for them… connecting words and feelings to what their senses are discovering.
A great outdoor space for a baby or toddler doesn’t have to be huge or cost a fortune. All you need is a safe, obstruction-free patio, porch, or grassy patch with a shady area nearby, where your cutie can test new skills, investigate, play, and experiment.
Setting up a safe, stimulating outdoor space involves more than just pointing them toward the garden. The right gear for the discovering in the garden matters — especially for toddlers who are learning to walk, who tumble frequently and explore with reckless, joyful abandon. That's why we've rounded up the best outdoor play essentials, from sensory water tables to backyard climbing frames, plus one absolute non-negotiable for any parent of a new walker: quality head protection backpack for those inevitable stumbles on uneven terrain.
Depending on the space, you can create up to fun activity centers by rigging up, investing in, or repurposing a few simple, low-cost, or forgotten toys and equipment. If you follow your baby’s skills and interests as a guide, the activity centers here can keep your little one busy for hours.
Build a Deck Pergola
A pergola will instantly improve the look of your deck and make your entire back yard seem more interesting. And, it’s something that is really easy to build and probably much less expensive than you may think. Of course, you could always hire someone to build you a pergola but why spend money that you don’t have to spend? You can have plants vining up the sides, hang baskets on the side with plants or dress it up with clear lights. It’s a great choice for improving the look of your deck and adding a focal point to the back yard in general.
DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Lowes - Popmechanics
Useing the unique natural gifts of your backyard
Okay, sometimes when you have a lemon you need to make lemonade. We had just built a new home in the Rocky Mountains…so our yard was a tad bit rocky and about one half of it was sloped. We had already carved out a path to the house and built stairs with wooden fencing posts laying on their sides and pavers when we found out that we were going to get to adopt a baby from my friends’ teenager.
I wanted flower paths to run on each side of them to add some color and a touch of playfulness. That seemed like it was going to be easy to do while waiting for our baby. It was really interesting how grow flowers on such an incline. And it was charming in the end. When she was a baby we would sit on the stairs and play by the flower/herbs on both sides of them. Just like I hoped she would! She loved the smell of lavendar.
NOTE: If you just recently planted new seeds and you planted them on a incline or you know that heavy rain storm is coming then the best bet is to provide protection. We can provide protection by doing the following:
• Add a piece of cardboard, paper grocery bags, burlap, or a sheet over top of the planting area.
• Add a layer (a 1–2-inch layer) of small mulch such as straw or fine wood chips/sawdust to help keep the seeds from floating away. You can just leave it there It because also makes a softer layer for their feet.
• Use soaker hoses instead of sprinkler to water them. Also, water in the evening when it can soak in.
Then I planned a wildflower garden in the side yard with a more gentle slope.
Our front yard overlooked our neighbors massive breathtaking flower bed. So, I planted a ½ acre of our open space with wildflowers…my way. I mixed a bunch of Rocky Mountain Wildflower seeds with perennial flowers and herbs together that peaked at different times over the spring summer and fall. One thing I loved about growing up in the Finger Lakes was the way the wildflowers on the roadside changed. I was trying to duplicate that.
OMG I did not even imagine how important this became to our little community’s children. There were lots of outside naps at first.
Then came all the teddy bear tea parties, daily wild bug hunts, family blanket picnics, sensory jar making parties, stone collecting and dipping them in glitter glue or paint (DIY glow in the dark paint was popular), wildflower potpourri and bouquet making for drying, winter sledding: and let’s not forget the water play while “giving the flowers something to drink”.
More Garden Play
Some children are at home up to their elbows in the soil, while others may be a bit leery of getting dirty. Some have a curiosity for the creatures that inhabit the space and others may get the willies from all the creepy crawlies. Regardless of the differences in background, attitude, or experience, the garden can be a fun place to play. Some kids just need a little help getting interested.
Break down barriers to experiencing the garden at a young age by engaging the senses.
SIGHT: Kids can see all that grows in the garden, but they can also use their eyes to inspect it. Have them pick flowers and pull them apart to get a closer look. Collect bugs in a Mason jar and feed them some leaves. Play “I Spy” and see how many new things they can observe in the outdoor space.
SMELL: The aroma of the garden is intoxicating! Try smelling different flowers to see how they differ from each other, or even try smelling different colors of flowers of the same kind and talk about what you learn.
TASTE: Picking berries fresh from the garden to eat must be the single most powerful form of garden play. I plant blueberries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and ground cherries all for the simple pleasure of snacking out in the garden. I never grow enough to bring indoors and all the kids who visit my house know how to pick a bush clean in no time flat!
Herb leaves and edible flowers make for a fun filled morning in the garden kitchen and offer a fun tasting project as well. I would pick a few different kinds of fresh herbs and let kids try to guess what food I used them in when cooking inside. But if you try it get ready for some funny faces when chives or rosemary get chomped. Their palettes will mature the more they pick a snack for themselves. You may even get them to fall in love with sweet basil. I often used mint leaves to flavor their water.
TOUCH: Feel the soft leaves of mint, the spiky casing of a chestnut, the warmth of river stones set in the sun, or the squishy guts of a freshly-harvested tomato. There is no end to what little hands can get into in the garden.
SOUND: Ask kids to identify the sounds they hear in the garden. Is there running water, buzzing bees, or chirping birds? How many different things make up the musical score which plays in the background? Ask kids to imitate the sounds and find the source.
Creative expression, learning, and confidence will all develop naturally from a comfortable place to play.
Bring some nature inside with you. Use clear containers or bottles for specimen examinations.
Laminate nature for a safer up close exploration.
Use them in crafts.
Exploring & enjoying nature with babies:
Keep in mind that the more senses that you stimulate, the easier it is for babies to learn or remember.
Babies don’t need planned activities or outdoor toys. Let them experience nature for what it is. Take them for walks outdoors. Let them touch the leaves as you walk by. Point out birds and animals. Encourage them to gently touch the flowers and feel sand, water, rocks, and grass on their feet.
You can throw down a blanket if you like or let them sit on the bare ground. Let them pick up the leaves and lay in the grass. Sure, you need to keep choking hazards out of their hands and away from their mouths and you’ll probably want to make sure the puppy hasn’t left a present in the lawn.
But, other than that, a little dirt and germs are totally fine (and in fact are beneficial ) to growing healthy immune systems.
A couple tips for getting outside exploring and enjoying nature with your infants and babies more often:
Have a stroller that is easy to maneuver and that you enjoy using. Keep an extra diaper, baby blanket, and some wet wipes in the pocket.
Keep a picnic blanket in the stroller, car, or by the door to make you more likely to take a break at the park and have a seat on the ground.
You don’t actually need any gear to get babies outside!
Go for little toddling walks.
Sit on the grass.
Watch the birds from your porch.
Even in the garden, the first experience of toes and fingers in the soft grass areworth remembering.
How about feeling the damp sand at the beach or sand pit, trailing little fingers in water or over smooth pebbles, deliberately standing in the wind, going out at night to see how dark it is and look at the stars together!
They all lead to wonderful enrichment for your babies and are so valuable as a way to learn together about the world we live in.
You can lay your babies on their belly on a blanket or sit them up on a blanket in the grass. Help them to explore their new environment by touching and feeling all the outdoor things:
grass
sand
pinecones
smooth rocks
rough rocks
twigs
flowers
Leaves
Just make sure you maintain close supervision, so they don’t put these items in their mouth. Also, start building language and vocabulary by talking to your baby about these things that they are seeing, hearing, and feeling.
Your baby is learning so much at this age and taking in everything you are telling him. Here are some ideas of ways to talk about the outside to your baby:
