~Earth Week~Sunday: Entertainment Idea–Loving Nature

We have a rule in my home that every single day we have to spend time in nature. In the spring we tend to spend most of our day outside, but in the winter sometimes all we can do is quickly run outside and catch a snowflake. Children’s lives are becoming more fast paced and high stress at younger and younger ages; they thrive on having time to just “be” in nature.

It gives them the chance to explore, dream, pretend, experiment and come to their own conclusions all at their own pace. One of the most magical things to me about being a parent is to see their creativity grow. When we are in nature I start to see their little eyes sparkle and their excitement and eagerness to explore.

While reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv (a must read for everyone) I decided to start “Nature Days” and invited others to come along. The Nature Days we host with the local community are quite simple and low key. We meet together to explore nature without set activities; we simply let the kids play and explore together in nature.

When I need to calm down, take a breath or get out of a funk, I find myself thinking of times spent in nature as a child.  These events included exploring the woods behind our home in Maryland, walking along the Chesapeake Bay, exploring the tide pools in Maine, hiking the mountains in Utah and impromptu excursions on the side of the road to play in fields of wildflowers. I hope I can teach my children the strength they can take from nature, to allow them to have their own memories involving the outdoors and learn how beautiful everything around them really is.

Tags: Nature, earth week, sunday

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