Natural Wonder by Heather Doherty was originally published in the BFEC Newsletter, Vol. 20/No. 1, Winter 2016.
I read an article recently in which a parent claimed that time spent outdoors with her children seemed easier than parenting indoors. Really? Was that before or after their kid fell halfway into a pond and tearfully demanded an exit?
After an initial skepticism (based on the recent real-life incident described above), I stopped to consider my own experiences as a parent of two young children. Barring these kinds of missteps, I’ve noticed that when we’re outside, they often (not always) stop complaining about being bored and demanding new things and activities. They become immersed in what’s in front of them, making up games to go along with it.
Being well-fed and having warm clothes, of course, makes this scenario much more likely. Throw in a few tools like magnifying glasses or binoculars, and they’re off.
The article I referred to above showcased the experiences of Liza Sullivan of the Alliance for Early Childhood. She claims that, “It’s very liberating to parent in the outdoors. You don’t have to say, 'Be quiet.' You don’t have to say, ‘Don’t run.’ Your relationship changes because you don’t have to constantly be disciplining.” While children will follow your lead if you go outside with them, you might just find that they get lost in their own games, and you get a chance to sit down.
For children, the outdoors offer an unscripted environment where they are free to exercise their imaginations. As much as children love slides and benefit from physical activity at traditional playgrounds, they also need experiences where they decide how to interact and play. Through play, they work through problems and anxieties. Some doctors are even writing prescriptions for outside activity to address physical and mental health.
When we let kids play outside, we’re also giving them the opportunity to build personal connections with nature. Unstructured free time and the presence of a mentor have been found to be the strongest influences on a child’s likelihood of becoming interested in caring for their environment in adulthood. Though activities at school or elsewhere that teach stewardship are helpful, we must also give them opportunities to develop an affinity for nature through play, which creates the fertile ground for those lessons to take root.
Unstructured free play doesn’t necessarily mean unsupervised play. If you are with children walking in the woods or the backyard, it can mean simply letting go of your own agenda and letting go of your own agenda and letting them take the lead. You could also slowly build up time and situations where they do operate independently, which helps the quickly build self-confidence. If possible, let them play in the backyard and periodically check on them through the kitchen window.
Research continues to indicate that spending time in green space tends to make people more patient and cooperative. In his book The Nature Principle, well-known children-and-nature advocate Richard Louv states that “Nature improves clarity of thinking, increases productivity and physical health, calms one’s natural rhythms, and generally puts people in a happier, freer, more receptive state of mind. In other words, to experience our family members in nature is to experience them at their best.”
What’s more calming than watching a sunset, or lapping waves or bees visiting flowers? Psychology researchers have dubbed this state of mind “soft fascination,” in which a person’s mind freely observes and follows interests. This is very different than the focused, goal-oriented attention required while working at a computer screen to finish a report. Being in green spaces, or even looking at pictures of natural environments, offers a freedom from focused attention and stress that our brains need. And it is powerfully restorative of our mental capacity when its time to get back to that focused task.
Plenty of research also shows positive effects of green space on lowering blood sugar, blood pressure and stress hormones. Studies have also begun correlating neighborhood green space with community-wide health benefits, some of which are as powerful predictors of health as unemployment. (See article at marksdailyapple.com title "16 Ways Green Space Improves Your Life" for a review of recent literature).
If you find yourself at a loss for what to do once you reach your park destination, see below for our list of fun kid activities to try out at the BFEC. But while making a trip to the BFEC to enjoy nature at our expansive preserve is great, let’s be honest: it’s not something that’s feasible weekly or even monthly for some of us.
What’s even better is discovering nature in your own backyard or neighborhood on a more regular basis, especially considering that the American Association for Pediatrics recommends at least one hour of free play for children every day. Almost any yard is bound to have a lightning bug or two, or birds flying through that you might not have previously noticed. And while the cluster of trees or dry creek bed in the neighborhood doesn’t seem like much to grown-ups, it can be as good as wilderness in the eyes of a child.
If your yard seems nature-poor, let us suggest native plants, which will have it buzzing with birds and butterflies in no time. Visit the BFEC’s native plant garden to get ideas, or see our short list of ringers to the right
If you plant shrubs, think about clustering them to create “secret” spaces for children. (You will feel like the kids are safely playing in the backyard, they will feel like special agents.) Add stumps for seating or for tipping to find beetles or salamanders underneath. Stop periodically to smell the flowers you plant; the whole family will be happy that you did.
While getting to a park for a nature-fix is great, creating nature in your backyard is even better. Here are a few plants that are ringers for bring in the birds and butterflies.
Serviceberry: a small tree with white flowers in April, followed by berries that people and birds find delicious. Enjoy visits by robins, bluebirds and orioles.
Milkweed: butterflies love the flowers, and monarchs require this plant for laying eggs. Look for “butterfly milkweed” (asclepias tuberosa) at nurseries.
Purple coneflower: Another bee and butterfly favorite, plus gold finches dine on its seeds in winter.
*Or at many other wonderful places to get outside in Knox County and beyond.
“I’m in nature. Now what?” If you find yourself saying these words when you venture into greenspace, we’re here to help! While this list is a great place to start, don’t stop here. Let your interests be the guide, or better yet, let children take the lead.