As an educator of young children, a parent and now a grandparent, there is one major truth I have found in the understanding of children’s needs and that is the need to enjoy and explore the outdoors!  You only need to be with a child for a few minutes outdoors to witness the “joy” and “exuberance” they exhibit as soon as they are allowed freedom in an outdoor environment.   The movements of hopping, skipping, jumping and running that is allowed in an outdoor setting is freeing to the child and is important to their physical development!  So many times we limit children to a short playground time that is 30 minutes or less in an area that has little to do with nature.  What has now become the norm is cushioned artificial turf with steel or plastic playground equipment, which is covered with a canvas awning.  Yes, this is an outdoor environment that allows some fresh air and climbing skills, which are important but….what about the elements of nature? 

One of my favorite Montessori quotes is one that many of you have read……

“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.”

In our Montessori environments we need to bring the elements of nature from our beautiful Earth into the child’s universe.  It starts with being in nature!  My desire in writing this article is to hopefully inspire you to spend more time in nature this spring and summer with the children in your life.  Create memories that bring the child in touch with the outdoors and give them appreciation of the elements of our world.

Experiencing nature can be as simple as being in the presence of a tree, the world’s largest plant!   A tree in a child’s world is a marvelous thing to enjoy.  A tree gives them cool shade from the hot sun, and many different sensorial experiences.  For example, the rustling of the leaves as the wind blows.  The observation of animal life in a tree is another lesson of nature, such as birds, squirrels, and even ants on the bark!  One of my impulse buys was a peach tree as I was walking out of a local hardware store.  That little peach tree has brought our entire family so much joy as we harvest the abundant crop of peaches each year.  The children love to “pick peaches!”

I have listed a few of my favorite things I have done with children in the outdoor environment:

1.  Visiting blueberry farm and picking blueberries!

2.  I have taken numerous classes to the Dallas Arboretum in all the different seasons.

3.  Just allow children to play in the rain!  So much fun!

4.  Do crayon rubbings of the bark of a tree, trace or do leaf rubbings and compare with the botany cabinet.

5.  Go on a hike or a nature walk

6.  Enjoy a picnic!

7.  Set up a bird feeder and watch the birds flock around!

8.  Walk along a creek, pond or river and watch the wildlife.

9.  Plant a tree and a garden!

10.  Play in the fall leaves…..

11.  Read a book outdoors!

12.  Go boating and enjoy the experience on a river or local lake.

The experiences outdoors are endless and the results of time spent in nature give the children and adults a sense of peace, calm and appreciation of our world.  “Children learn best through their everyday experiences with the people they love and trust, when the learning is fun.  And the best place for these experiences is outdoors, in the natural world.” (The Center for Families, Communities, Schools and Children’s Learning)