Get outside to take in all the sensations, beauty, freedom, and curiosities. Nature is a gift that costs nothing and will make a huge meaningful impact on your children. In an outdoor environment, you can utilize nature’s resources to present sensorial, practical life, and cultural (science/geography) concepts to your child. Use several different sized rocks for them to put in order, weigh, stack. Use sticks to compare length or thickness/thinness. Hang clothes out to dry. Give the dog a bath. Collect leaves, flowers, plant a garden, etc. The tools are free and organic. All you need is a little creativity.
Free Forest School
Free Forest School is a meet up group for parents and preschool age kids. They get together at local outdoor spaces and let their kids explore all that nature (rain or shine) has to offer. Children are allowed to have unstructured playtime. They splash in streams, climb trees, build forts, etc. Free Forest School promotes an atmosphere where adults relax control, intervene less, slow down, and become observers in a quiet natural environment. In Free Forest School, kids are allowed to take risks. Social dynamics are allowed to play out (within reason, think of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood). When children are given this freedom, they become more confident in their ability to manage risk and solve problems.
Plant a Garden
Planting a garden opens up so many learning opportunities. Now, your child might not be able to fully assist you in gardening. However, allowing them to dig around in the dirt and play with the rocks and worms, will help them grow an interest in gardening, life cycles, and ecosystems. Let your child lead the conversation, whether it’s about the weeds that are being pulled from the root, the squirl that is constantly burying its nuts, the new birds that are coming to check out what you are doing, or the bee’s collecting pollen. Don’t stress too much about the garden, it doesn’t need to be pretty (although it probably will) try to have fun with it with your child.
Other Outdoor Activities to Try:
- Create a fairy garden
- Visit a park
- Go hiking, biking, canoeing
- Go camping
- Collect pressed flowers and leaves
- Go on walks around your neighborhood
- Visit a farm or orchard
- Play in a sandbox or go to a beach
