Nature Activities

Kids go wild for nature in a variety of ways. How about picking berries with kids for some outside fun and connecting to nature time? We had a sunny day to do just that. Picking berries is a double treat; not only do kids get to be outside, but they get to enjoy eating the berries too. While picking berries, kids learn some important lessons about nature and about life.

One of these is that nature has both good and bad, or easy and hard. Berry bushes often have some form of protection, like prickles. Blackberries are particularly tricky with long, sharp thorns that catch at clothing and skin. Other berries might be easier to pick but they might be harder to see. Kids have to figure out how to cope with the challenges to get the treats.

Nature provides us with food. Most food comes from stores, these days. But where does it come from before? Unless families have a garden, kids are not part of planting, tending, and harvesting. They are isolated from the growing of food. Berry picking is one way kids can be involved in the process of meeting our need for food.

There are you-pick outlets for berries in most areas. Where we live, blackberries grow along roadsides and on vacant spaces. The kids have helped pick them for a few years and watch the bushes all year to see the development. They know the spring blossoms mean a new crop in a few months. Once the little green berries appear, they check often.

Last month, while looking at the blackberry bushes, we found a few wild strawberries. Barely big enough to see, these were like a hidden treasure. Eating the blackberries was another. Nature has other treasures for us to find, different ones depending on where we live. How about kids go wild for nature with a treasure hunt for picking berries?

(Besides connecting to nature, we can connect on Facebook. Check out the posts and Like 123Kindergarten‘s page. )

Nature play with grass really is one place where kids go wild for nature. Grass stains on the body or clothing are like a badge of honor for nature play.

Babies explore nature through the medium of grass from the time they can sit up or crawl outside. We’ve all seen little ones that were unsure about crawling in grass and tried to lift up their knees from that new sort of floor that is so tickly. There’s so much that’s new to explore.

Older kids like to pull out clumps of grass or throw glass clippings up in the air to create clouds that swirl and twirl down to the ground. Grass appeals to most of the senses with different textures to feel with hands or feet.

There are colors and shapes to see, and a very specific smell when cut or mowed. Most kids only try tasting it once. Grass makes only the softest sounds if it’s long enough to swish from the wind or walking. Part of the appeal is there is no sound at all when we walk on the grass.

Grass invites all sorts of play like running, chasing, kicking balls, dancing like fairies, and if long enough, even hiding. Another way to experience nature through grass is to roll down a grass-covered hill.

Grass is also a wonderful place to lie down on the ground and stretch out, especially when combined with a sunny patch or shady spot, depending on the temperature. Occasionally, it’s also a wonderful patch to take a nap and it is certainly a preferred location for pitching a tent or building a blanket fort or Gorf, that is a Good ol’ reliable fort.

Falling down hurts much less on soft grass. Maybe grass is nature’s padding so kids can have a softer place to play? Do these ideas of nature play in the grass encourage some outside nature time for your child?

(P.S. Do these ideas tempt you to get in touch with more nature and outside fun ways to play?)

Another go wild activity is to take a hike for nature. Nearly every neighborhood will have some place where we can walk with kids and be outside. Younger kids may not be able to walk as far as older ones, but a hike is a wonderful way for experiencing and connecting to nature. One of … Continue reading # 4 Take a Hike for Nature →