By Jenn Sepulveda, Elderberries teacher Our wanders through Nature nourish us on so many levels. When I’m out and I feel overflowing with the beauty that unfolds before me at each step, I often want to reciprocate. I want the land to know that I’m witnessing the generous offering of gifts(the breath of the wind rustling leaves and grasses, the dance of sunlight through the morning dew dipped spider webs, the sustained chorus of birds and insects, the intricate patterns of leaves and petals and seeds…). I want to acknowledge and give back… but how? Here is one suggestion that I particularly enjoy: When you’re out exploring with your child in your own back yard or in the nearest open space, consider making a practice of honoring the places you frequent by leaving behind a bit of beauty for Nature to enjoy.
By C.J. Cintas, Cattails teacher
“Sneak a peek” is a game that can be played inside or out. It involves 4-5 items that are small enough to fit under a handkerchief. It is a useful way to extend your child’s pattern recognition, imagination, and to introduce them to just about anything. 1. First, decide what you want to hide. I like to use this game to introduce children to plants. In particular, useful plants that begin to show up in the Spring. So, I might pick 4 or 5 plant leaves or flowers that I want to hide but it could be done with anything. 2. Hide your items underneath the handkerchief or cloth and tell your child you have something to show them. Make sure you are enticing. It’s exciting to have a surprise hiding under something. I often tell them they will need to find a matching leaf to find out what it is. 3. Show your child the item and set them on their finding adventure. I like to point out details such as shape, size, and color as the child looks at the items. How many items are there? 4. Allow your child time to find the items on their own and bring them back to match with yours. It’s important to let your child find the items on their own to strengthen their will and build their self confidence. 5. Continue the game as many times as you’d like. You can increase the number of items or arrange them in a specific pattern under the handkerchief. You can limit the amount of time your child has to peek and so on. Most importantly, have fun! Would you like to deepen healthy communication patterns with your family? Pro-tip #1 Choose a time when your family is all together(dinner or bedtime) and create a ritual of sharing and listening to each family member tell about "the rose" and "the thorn" of their day. This can be as simple as sharing and asking for the "best" and the "hardest" part of the day. Note: the "hardest" part of the day is not the same as the "worst". Sometimes the best and the hardest are the same thing! On April Fool's Day: Pro-tip #2 Play a simple joke on your child(ren) and say, April Fool's! Then enjoy letting them trick you and joke you for the rest of the day. Once we played this with a preschool class, and they all thought we said, "April Foods!" So everything they ate a lunch, they yelled out, "April Foods!" So fun... Pro-tip#2 Give your child a spoon and tell them to sneak it into someone else's back pocket. If you need any specific survival tips, feel free to email us, we got your back! Posted by Erin Boehme, Dandelions teacher Can you remember a time when you felt mostly free? You might think back to childhood, possibly a time when you were outside, on your own, far far away from all the adults? (or maybe in reality just in the backyard or field?) Children need solitude just like adults. Solitude gifts us all the opportunity to process emotions, imagine new possibilities, reflect on our relationships with others, and in fact, solitude enhances our ability to feel empathy and improves our social skills. Children need to "feel" alone, left to their own imagination, left to feel themselves, not under the supervision of an adult. This is a time they will feel truly free. In this time, children will be experiencing emotions that they have no context to understand. They will be picking up on the adults sense of hyperawareness and the collective consciousness of anxiety, uncertainty and, significantly, grief. They are likely also feeling a sense of calm and joy in having their parents home with them all day, every day. All these changes are confusing, yet, with the gift of solitude, they can build the skills needed to process and cope with these emotions in a healthy way. How do you give your child solitude? - Be a model. Show your child that taking some time to yourself is to be respected and desired. Spend some time on your own, you might go on a walk, go to your sit spot or just be on the porch, just enjoy it, your child will understand. -Allow your child to feel like they are wandering off in a safe space outdoors. You can behave as if your distracted and not watching them, but you can follow at a safe distance and tend them from afar. Avoid interacting with them. Allow them to "feel" alone. Trust them. Use your super stealth parent spy skills! Spending time in their room alone, is good, but being outside is different....Why? When we experience the sense of solitude outdoors, we are not alone. With the lack of stimulation from other humans, we pick up on the immense life that is all around us. We are capable of switching our awareness to the vast sky and the tiny ants. We find ourselves in the web of life. We find ourselves internally. This is where your child will really begin to know themselves. Mother Earth is our home, she's bigger than anything we can touch, hold or feel. When emotions are bigger than we can hold, Mama Earth holds them for us. Out on the land is where we build those connections to empathy, trust, wonder, gratitude and the true nature of our purpose. We all know this, because we have each been overwhelmed at some point in our lives and have turned to the sky, the mountains, a bird, a plant, the sunset, the stars or the sea to guide us inward. Children are connected beings, they need to stay connected. Giving them solitude in nature is one of the best parenting skills you can rely on. Let go of being a supervisor and become a ninja parent with super spy skills...you might find yourself in a state of solitude while your at it. ;) Posted by Heather Young, Water Striders teacher
Sing of the earth and sky, sing of our lovely planet, sing of the low and high, of fossils locked in granite. Sing of the strange, the known, the secrets that surround us, sing of the wonders shown, and wonders still around us. --Aileen Fisher Take a walk either alone or with your child. As you walk slowly along try singing or humming in response to what you are noticing around you. Your song can be a tune with or without words. Open up all of your senses and notice what you feel inside of your own body as you perceive the shapes, textures, colors, smells, sounds and sensations of your surroundings. Aboriginal creation myths tell of creator-beings who wandered over the continent in the Dreamtime, singing out the names of everything that crossed their path - birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes; singing the world into existence. As simple as it is, when we sing or hum a known or improvised tune, we participate in ancient medicine. Modern science now confirms what humans have intuited all along, that no matter our age or culture, singing is one of the best ways to help ourselves feel better. When you need some time to yourself: Pro-tip #1 Remember the audio story links we sent in Issue #1. Your children will love hearing the same few stories every day, or every other day for longer than you might imagine. When you need the best toys ever: Pro-tip #2 Give your children an old pot, pan, or bowl, and a spoon and let them play in the dirt with some water. Mud kitchen is likely to allow for great periods of creative, sustained play. *Don’t have an outdoor space for this kind of play? Try filling the sink with a little bit of soapy water and pushing a sturdy chair or step stool up to the sink. Give them a few unbreakable dishes to play with in the sink. A Story to read aloud...
Shining Shell, by Connie Manson © 2012 In the ocean blue, near the shore, the waves rolled this-a way, and they rolled that a-way. A sea shell tumbled and tossed in the water. It rolled and rolled and then came to a stop on the sandy ocean bottom. The sun was shining brightly up above, and little rays of sunshine danced in the water. A tiny blue fish came darting by, swimming up and swimming down, and looking all around. It saw the sea shell lying there. It looked to be as big as a smooth, shining palace! It swam up to the sea shell and called “Shining shell, shining shell, who dwells here?” But no one answered, because no one was inside. “Then I shall live here,” it said, and it made a cozy home inside the shell. Along came goldie the fish. It saw the sea shell and called out, “Shining shell, shining shell, who dwells here?” “I do, tiny blue, oh-so-true, and who are you?” “I am goldie the fish, who darts and dips.” “Come inside, and make yourself a home here.” And so the two of them began to live together. After a time, a little starfish came crawling by. It saw the sea shell and called out, “Shining shell, shining shell, who dwells here?” “I do, goldie the fish, who darts and dips.” “I do, tiny blue, oh-so-true, and who are you?” “I am sandy the starfish who carries a wish.” “Come inside, and make yourself a home here.” And so the three of them began to live together. Along came a sea turtle, paddling by. He saw the sea shell and called out, “Shining shell, shining shell, who dwells here?” “I do, sandy the starfish who carries a wish.” “I do, goldie the fish, who darts and dips.” “I do, tiny blue, oh-so-true, and who are you?” “I am snappy the turtle who paddles and flips.” “Come inside, and make yourself a home here.” And so the four of them began to live together. Suddenly before them darted a little sea horse. He was in a great hurry. He saw the sea shell and cried, “I am horse of the sea, please rescue me, for an octopus, he chases me!” “Let’s bring him inside--a shelter we’ll be!” Little horse of the sea was safely tucked inside. The octopus came gliding by. He looked this-a-way, he looked that-a-way. But nothing could he spy, save a shining shell that sat nearby. Said the octopus, “How could that creature disappear so fast?” Oh-so-quietly the little friends sat, until at last, the octopus went gliding away. And from that day on, the little friends lived ever safe and sound, in their shining home on the sandy ground. Posted by Lia Grippo Creating a nature table in your home can become a source of beauty, reverence, awe for the whole family. A nature table helps us to maintain connections with the greater natural world within our homes. Items gathered while wandering and exploring become touchstones for memories of our adventures, they deepen our awareness of the rhythms of life in the natural world, and offer enrichment for our children’s play and sensory experiences within the home. Setting the Table Find a small table, shelf, or other space at child’s eye level This can even be a box turned upside down and covered with cloth A large space isn’t necessary (less is more). In fact a smaller space will be easier to tend. Choose a spot where the family can see it, where it can become a source of rest for the eyes and the heart. Simplicity is Key Cover the nature table with a beautiful cloth A scarf, table cloth, piece of clothing, pillow case or sheet, etc. Feel free to use more than one cloth to add richness. Make it Beautiful Your loving tending will signal to your children that this is a special place. Place found “treasures” from walks in nature, in the neighborhood, or around the home on your nature table. Keep it Fresh Add cut flowers, branches of blooming trees, etc. to the table. (items that will require intermittent tending keep the space fresh and engaging) You and/or your children can make small items to add to it For example, your child might make a grass nest and fill it with items that remind them of eggs Your child might want to add a drawing of a beloved, bird, animal, or plant. Feel free to add a small animal toy or two if you wish Let the Imagination be the Guide |
AuthorWild Roots staff authors include Erin Boehme, Lia Grippo, CJ Cintas, Anne McCarthy, Tyler Starbard, Jenn Sepulveda, Heather Young, Amalia Smith Hale, Natalia Pareja... Archives
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