Calendar of the Soul

Kids in Nature

Ideas for Connecting Kids to Nature...
-Leave the suckers on the Redwood trees.  It was my daughter’s favorite place to play in kindergarten.
-Create frog houses.  We can’t keep them out of them.
-Play in water – creeks, puddles, low fountains, the ocean
-Paint rocks outside together, and then find special places to put them in the garden.
-Make concoctions – torn leaves, flowers, berries, water, etc.
-Build a playhouse away from the house
-Play in Sand
-Make June 30th a national mud play day, and help your kids make a wallow to play in
-Plant bulbs
-Unstructured play in the woods
-Lie on the grass at night and look at the night sky
-Draw a plant in the garden
-Create habitat – add a shallow pond or birdbath, add pebbles in low spots for butterflies to puddle and create a butterfly garden. Build a dry stone wall - lizards love them.
-Buy ladybugs and release them in the evening in your garden (spray down the plants first)
-Play in fall leaves and look at all the different kinds
-Take a silent walk in nature with one child
-Give children their own garden bed
-Collect seeds and pods
-Play with kites in March and appreciate the wind
-Plant a fruit tree on New Years Day with a child and watch it grow
-Get on your belly and turn over rocks to see who’s underneath. Use a magnifying glass for a closer look.
-Grid out an unused area of the school yard,  count and identify all living things. Then add native plants and a little spot of water and continue to inventory through the year.
-Climb trees
-Read outside
-Plant tall grasses kids can turn into a playroom
-Go camping locally.  We used to go camp at Sanborn and then go out to breakfast Sunday morning.
-Cook and eat outside
-Visit an organic farm or go to the farmers market
-Pick “you pick” fruit at a strawberry farm, orchard, etc.
-Do nothing, just be in nature