Children Naturally

10/10/2026

Let's talk about remembering to have fun this Thanksgiving weekend.

So many of us feel the pressure of family and creating the perfect meal that we often forget to take time to slow down and enjoy the season.
I encourage you to head outside with the children and embrace the beauty of the season.

Look at all the ways you can play with the wonderful, natural, loose parts - leaves? Pile them up and run through them, jump in them, hide in them, or have a leaf fight!!

Then listen to the laughter and see all the memories being made.

🍁Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🍂🍁

10/03/2026

I had a wonderful time this morning talking about Art in the Outdoors at the Manitoba Nature Summit.

I reconnected with some old friends and met lots of new ones. What a great way to spend a fall morning!

09/26/2026

This is so sad and just breaks my heart.

Wow!! 👇
Children desperately need our help to prioritize outdoor play opportunities once again!

09/19/2026

Let's talk about play.

I was recently asked: How do you define play?

This brought to mind many images from my years in child care, quotes from other strong play advocates, various articles and textbooks I have read over the years, and so many conversations.

It can be defined by a simple sentence, a lengthy essay, or it can create a heated debate.

How do you define PLAY?

09/16/2026

Episode 4 drops tomorrow morning.

What does the term Risky Play mean to you? It certainly depends on your perspective.

Think about how you played as a child. How much of your childhood was spent playing in what we would call risky today?

Join me as we unpack and examine Risky Play and talk about how to support children in their play.

09/12/2026

Some posts I make, I feel, will bring controversy and often don't. What often surprises me is that the posts that I feel are tame bring some of the most interesting discussions and a variety of perspectives. I am not sure where this one will land for people.

Let's talk about what we call children.

I have some pretty strong feelings about this. It is one of those things that makes me twitch when I hear it. Calling children "Littles", "Smalls", "Kiddies", "Kiddos" drive me crazy.

I hear it in people's language, and I see it in their posts or articles they have written.

I can not tell you exactly why it bothers me so much, but it feels disrespectful for some reason. It has a feeling of being devalued. I would never want to be referred to as a "big".

And maybe it is hypocritical of me, but I will use the term 'kids'. Why do I see this as different?

What do you feel about terms like this? Do you have your own list that bothers you?

09/05/2026

Let's talk about the value of discovering something through exploration (without an adult leading it!).

I get so excited when I watch children explore their environment and discover something new.

As I watched her, her first interest was in trying to pull out the lights. Then, through her continued interest in the light, she placed her hand on the top of the solar light. To her surprise, the light came on.

She quickly discovered that each time she placed her hand on top, the light went on. She took her hand away, and it went out. She repeated this for several minutes.

Look at the power she has!

How many adults would have moved her along because 'those aren't toys"? If I had told her, "Don't touch that, it's not a toy", I would have robbed her of the opportunity to discover how solar lights worked, cause and effect, and the joy of learning something new all on her own.

09/02/2026

Do you look around at your outdoor space and wonder if it meets the needs of all the children in your program?

Our outdoor spaces tend not to get as much attention as our indoor spaces do. Come with me to look at the outdoors through a reflective lens and a different perspective.

Episode 3 drops tomorrow morning.

08/29/2026

Let's talk about the colour of toys.

When I was purchasing materials and equipment for my family child care program, I was very intentional about not only the durability of what I was buying but also the colour. It frustrated me that I struggled to find a doll highchair and stroller that weren't pink.

I wanted to make sure all the toys and equipment were gender neutral and invited all the children in to play.

There seems to be this underlying message that anything for a 'girl' needs to be pink and purple, or girls just won't want to play with it.

Look at the marketing of various types of building blocks. You can get the original colours or 'girl' colours. Why do they need to be different?

This issue has come back to mind now that I am buying for my granddaughter. I am seeing how much is marketed for 'boys' or 'girls', right down to the lunch containers for her to take to her child care program.

What colours are the equipment in your home or program?