Lil Nature Admirers

💯

STOP telling kids they are going to get sick when they go outside!

The biggest lies we’ve convinced ourselves to believe is that going outside in the cold is what makes us sick.

Fresh air helps their immune systems, resets moods, and burns energy! Our kids need that. We need that.

So bundle them up.
Double up the socks, zip the snowsuit, and slap on that hat they’ll rip off five minutes later anyway. Then go outside.

The cold won’t make them sick. But keeping them cooped up just might.

❤️

Did you know that occupational therapists will often have children go upside down, spin in circles, and swing in various positions in order to help children develop a strong balance sense and improve attention?

Let children play outdoors often, where the natural landscape both inspires and challenges the senses and muscles. ☺️

💗

Einstein knew what we sometimes forget as parents. Play isn't just fun, it's how children naturally learn everything.

Think back to your own childhood and reflect on all of what you learnt while:
* Building forts
* Playing cafes and shops
* Digging in the dirt
* Climbing up trees
* Playing in the rain

You learnt problem-solving. Creativity. Social negotiation. Physics. Engineering. Emotional regulation. Resilience.

ALL through play. No worksheets required.

Yet we often feel guilty when our children are "just playing" instead of doing something that looks more "educational."

Here's your reminder: Play IS education in its purest form. So show your kids how you used to play. Enjoy the moment, and most importantly enjoy watching the learning happen.

On my drive home from Watertown last night, I reflected a lot on my time presenting at the SDECE conference. I presented Discover the Magic of Outdoor Play on Thursday morning and Friday morning.

Thursday after I was done presenting, a number of ladies came up to talk to me. One in particular had tears in her eyes thanking me for putting words to everything she had been feeling for a number of years about outdoor play.

After I had cleaned up my class--yes I took a makeshift mud kitchen as a "prop"---I went and grabbed lunch and got to listen to the lunch keynote Kayla Klein from KVG. I have known Kayla for years and have worked on a number of projects with her. The biggest project was last summer creating the Family Child Care Business Boot Camp. Kayla asked us to write down on a piece of paper something that we are passionate about. I didn't have paper or a pen, but I knew without a doubt it was Nature Based Learning in Early Childhood Education. Kayla went on to talk about advocating for that "thing" that we are passionate about. My mind went how to adjust my class for Friday morning, this project coming up, and how else I can advocate for nature based outdoor learning.

This one particular lady who talked to me after my class told me about a poem, but I had no paper and pen at the time and totally forgot what she had said. I remembered the words - Love and Unique. All night I was googling different variations of this poem and stumbled upon a statistic that made me sick.........In my class, I use the statistic that American children get an average of 4-7 MINUTES of unstructured outdoor play time a day. That is less than an hour a week. But the statistic I found that made me sick---the average prison inmate gets an average of 2 hours of time outdoors a day. This statistic compared the average inmate outdoor time to the average time a child gets outdoors. I KNOW I NEED to continue advocating for nature based outdoor learning.

I found the gal Friday morning and she reminded me of the name of the poem that I included in my class and on this post.

The highlight of the conference was getting to hug and reconnect with 2 of friends who I first met, I think in 2009. As we were talking, I got to tell each of them about my new project I was asked to join. The way their eyes lit up and got so excited with me......I know I am on the right trajectory for this moment in my life. I know this path is not going to be easy and I have a TON of learning to do and I will be out of my comfort zone A LOT.....I know that we will stumble and fall down a lot, but this is my chance to continue advocating and educating the Black Hills about the importance of outdoor play. Every time we stumble and fall, I promise we will get back up and continue to fight. This fight won't be easy, but we are not alone.

**I found these 2 pictures in classes that I had created before the fire....My Grandpa and I at the farm and a picture of the boys playing outside.

I will be presenting at the SDECE Conference in a couple weeks in Watertown, SD! The class I am presenting is Discover the Magic of Outdoor Play! Hope to see you there!

This morning, my little friends, my program, my mud kitchen, my outdoor classroom, our "beyond" space, walking barefoot in the grass, relaxing under the shade of the huge trees in our backyard.......mornings like today after a long hot summer were my absolute favorite in my Child Care program.
I am working on 3 different projects and during the night, it came to me how 1 piece of evidence could benefit all 3 completely different situations. So today, I am creating the photo books that were on my heart YEARS ago to add to my child care environment---and I never did. IF ONLY, I had the resource of my computer with all the amazing photos. However, I have created quite the collection from Facebook, text messages, FB messenger, presentations I had created.
Today I am creating from the heart.....so speaking from the heart......a child's brain does the most developing in the first five years of life. By providing hands-on learning environments, where the children are allowed to explore, discover and wonder about the world around them, we are helping with that healthy brain development. My program used authentic, real "adult" items for the children to use as they wanted. I had started eliminating "plastic", "battery-operated", "closed-end", colorful TOYS in 2014. I had eliminated teacher-directed, cookie-cutter art activities and worksheets even before that.
I wish time and life had allowed me to continue to create this magical oasis for the children to learn and grow. I truly miss observing them discovering new abilities and wonders of the nature around around them. But until then, I have my memories and the desire to guide other adults to see this magic.

❤️

Every time you set about to "teach" a young child something, you are sending them the message that you view them as inferior learners, incapable of constructing their own learning and knowledge through their experience in their own way and time, for that is the way young children learn.

Is that the message you want to send to your children?

💕

And learning doesn’t just happen during school hours❤️

💯

Unstructured Play is a term used frequently in Early Childhood Education and Play. Is it really "unstructured," though?

The child structures their own play - play is a process that unfolds at the right place for each player.

Take a step back and observe children structuring their own play.

One year ago memories are popping up……then I found a few more photos the other night. We lost our house, we lost all our “things”, we lost sentimental items, we lost our babies — Tuff and Aspen, G lost his pickup…….but the hardest for me ….. I lost Lil Nature Admirers…….i poured my heart and soul into my program.

Someone told me a few weeks ago, all the centers are hiring — you COULD get a job. While that is completely true, not a single center aligns with my philosophy and vision. Nature play is not a widely accepted concept around South Dakota…. Not sure a daycare center is for me. Guaranteed - I had more training hours in the first 6 weeks in 2023 than the center employees get in a year. And…..I know the struggles of running a business, I know they can’t pay a decent wage.

I wish I knew what the future holds…… I miss creating magically play spaces for the kids. I miss searching and finding loose parts and then seeing where their imaginations take the items. I miss talking “nature play” and “loose parts” and “provocations” and “Reggio-inspired” and ….. I miss my little friends.

I was asked to be a part of an upcoming event. I got so excited and tears came to my eyes…..it made me feel alive.

I saw a post a fb friend who is a teacher shared……about the amount of screen time small children get and how it is affecting their development. My program was created to offset that post. Screen time was limited to when I was making lunch. I was lucky enough to see how their imaginations emerged…..

I am sure I still have the photo somewhere — a boy was sitting in a chair wearing a hard hat. He had 2 PLAY plungers (never used as intended, solely for play and art) and I sent a picture to his parents—-saying what are we today? Dad immediately sent back is he driving a bobcat?

Our indoor area allowed for lots of imaginative play. We spent very little time in the summer inside, so winter was special time to be inside for the kids.

Nature play is not a widely accepted practice in South Dakota. I saw a post the other day - the average child gets 4-7 minutes a day outside. Sad that statistic isn’t improving—-this statistic was the driving factor to me changing my program back in 2020.

I have started taking classes again. No clue where it will lead me, but it ignites a passion in me I can’t describe. Our goal was to spend 1000 hours outside a year in our outdoor classroom and beyond space. Before the fire, I was completing a nature certification from UNL - I miss Katie’s classes. I was involved in a group taking mindstretcher classes with Dr Claire Warden from Scotland. The US has a lot to learn from European countries on child development.

I miss teaching classes and inspiring other child care providers. But until we are back on our feet, I will look at my photos and remember all the good times.

💕 what a beautiful thought! 🌲🌳🌴🏝️

🌳🌲via Druids of the Tuatha De Danann