go outside and play!

There's something missing in the world of today's child...
When I was a kid my brothers and I would run out the front door and play for hours with little or no toys and then head back in when it got dark out. I remember playing in the dirt, building forts in the woods, and riding a wagon down a steep driveway over and over again. Those were good times, different times.
With what we know about safety today we can't just open the door and let our children out. I could get in trouble or worse, my kid could get abducted. It's good that we as a society have decided that we are going to be more active in watching our kids while outside, even though it may only be for an hour here and a half an hour there. The thing is this... now our kids don't really know how to play outside and enjoy, explore, and appreciate nature. Kids today are very quick to kill a bug, spider, or reptile that they catch scurrying past instead of observing it, watching it, and maybe even trying to make it their pet, they kill it.
I have been watchful over the last 3 years of how children interact with nature. My own kids and friends and neighbor's kids too. Because the times have changed and little ones can't run around outside all day anymore, they have lost their natural instinct to enjoy nature the way generations of kids in the past used to.
Last week we had to punish Thing 1. While we(mom and dad) met with the church, we dropped him off with the kids. We have a very strict no video game rule in our family. Thing 1 played video games while with his friends. At first we were going to just let it slide, but in the end decided that he needed to know we are serious about this rule. In trying to decide his punishment Chris and I had a great conversation about why it's so important to us. This is the picture that came to mind:
I love candy. I need it every single day. Not kidding, I am hopelessly hooked on candy. I like all kinds and enjoy and savor every bite. I know that fruit is better for me. I know that the Lord gave me my sweet tooth so that I would desire to eat the fruits that are needed to stay healthy. Unfortunately, I began eating a lot of candy at a young age and so my taste for fruit never really developed. Had I not gotten hooked on candy, fruit would probably satisfy my sweet tooth.
I have the same view on video games vs. playing outside in nature. I don't hate the games. I just know that in today's world it's already so hard for kids to go outside and enjoy and appreciate butterflies and squirrels-without throwing in the instant gratification video games bring. Nature studies and keeping a field guide/nature journal is not an appealing way to spend a day when a hand held entertainment contraption beckons, but in the end, a day in nature is so much more gratifying.
Going outside and playing came naturally for my kids. From the beginning I would go sit in the yard on a big blanket and read or just watch them. We didn't bring toys out and they could only play with the bikes and toys that we kept in the garage(scooters, baseball bats, all kinds of balls). A long time ago I watched a little boy who was a friend's son. He begged to go outside after lunch. He was really bored inside and just kept talking about going out. So after lunch I grabbed my blanket and water bottles and we headed out. In less than five minutes the little one was asking to go back in. He was bored. I tried to encourage him to grab a bike a go for a ride or run around and kick the ball, or play with the other kids. He didn't want to. The next day his mommy dropped him off with a hand held video game thing to play with while the other kids played outside. This was not the first time I saw this. I began to notice it happening everywhere I worked with or spent time with children. Some were used to plating outside and just needed the fresh air and imagination! And some were completely lost, bored out of their minds, and not even sure what to do.
We used to have a great big yard, but now we practically have none. There is a beautiful nature park with trails and a stream within walking distance so we spend a lot of time there. I actually bought a book about 2 years ago called "Enjoying Nature With Children." It has so many simple suggested activities to get their little minds going while outside. More than that, it is teaching them to respect nature. If I ever decide to watch children again(as a job), I will definately use the tips in this book to encourage freedom and joy while playing outside!
It pains me to see children destroying beautiful spider webs spanning between trees that must have taken hours and hours to build(get that darn spider in my house and it's a whole other story, pests in my home get sprayed by cans of poison shaving cream). I have seen little ones try to kick in every ant hole they can find. An animal's home being destroyed for no good reason symbolizes a generation of kids who don't care for or respect nature. Children who do these types of things don't feel a sense of joy, serenity, belonging to the natural world. This world was given to us as a gift. We are to care for it and "till" it, not dominate and destroy it.
I think it's important to be my kid's nature guide. It's important in giving them a classical education and in helping them to be happy and comfortable in their environment.
One thing that we do is make home made bird feeders out of empty containers or coconut shells when we have them. Spread some peanut butter and some seeds and tie it somewhere so it can't be carried off. We don't mind if squirrels eat from it too. Each day we note the weather, check our outdoor thermometer, and make note of any animals we see in our small yard. We also notice if the leaves are beginning to fall off, change color, grow back, etc. We note any butterflies that cross our path while out. We collect leaves and make leave rubbings before looking it up and labeling it. We notice the difference in the number of mosquito bites before and after the lawn gets mowed. All of this goes into a notebook in words, pictures, and graphs. They record this information however they see fit. As a parent I am thrilled to have beautiful, rich notebook pages at the end of the year and the kids are proud of their books.
I am sad that my kids can't play and explore the way I used to as a kid. What I can do is defend their childhood play outside, in the natural world. I will encourage them to look, really look at the plants, animals, trees, and even the soil in order that they may see and appreciate their world.
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Jackie