Quick and Easy Take-alongs to Inspire Outdoor Play in Children (and Adults)

We had an unseasonably warm and sunny day today (yes, this is just days after our last snowstorm shut down the whole town) and we took advantage of the weather and headed to our amazing local botanical gardens. We are fortunate to live in a location where such a venue is open year round. It may not be prime season, but there is still much to appreciate and explore. Like a rock with S's favorite letter, seed pods in abundance, trees for climbing, dirt and sand to play and explore in... Even as much of the living world lies dormant this time of year, our senses were alive with exploration. Exploring the outdoors with a mobile child often involves a lot of movement--fast movement. Chasing, even! But today, as we were running, skipping, zig-zagging like busy buzzy bees and jumping across the Children's Garden, S said something immensely sweet, innocent and profound: "Mommy, let's stop and look for a minute." And we did. We stopped. We looked. I waited and he gleefully shouted, "Ok, let's go!"

Last week I had a conversation with S's preschool director, a close friend of ours and also my own former supervisor. We were discussing getting children outdoors. As a teacher I was notorious for being the one to "take them out no matter what." Rainy days called for duck waddles across the parking lot. Snowy ones meant we bundled up and painted the playground with every color imaginable to three primary shades of food coloring mixed in water. And sunny, beautiful days? You'd better believe we were outside at least once in the course of our short time together, maybe even twice.

But here's my confession: Throughout my career as a teacher, outdoor time was often more of a time during which children played and I caught up on busy work or managed to sneak a snack while intermittently perusing the playground to visit with the children, support any issues of conflict or safety, and then recede to my adult-stance on the sidelines. And I know I missed a lot. A great deal of exploration, imagination and discovery. Opportunities to support risk-assessment, problem solving, critical thinking and social skill development. And even more--opportunities to join that world of wonder and play--something adults need, too! Sometimes there are aspects of our "stepping back" that are important to children, particularly in an outdoor setting. The child who discovers a cicada by watching a YouTube video has a different experience than the one who is directed by an adult outside saying "do you hear that buzzing sound? It's a cicada!" And the child who discovers a cicada shell shining in the sunlight on a sidewalk has a different experience altogether. All three experiences have value, but there is something altogether priceless about self-discovery.

And with my own children? My second confession is that we hardly get outside these days. I don't mean that we don't leave the house--we do! We go to the library, the store, the mall, museums...sometimes even playgrounds. But hardly ever do we go outside and just play. Some of this is due to time or extremely low temperatures. But a lot is due to laziness. I think of one of my favorite classic Oliver and Amanda Pig stories by Jean Van Leeuwen in which there is a snowstorm and Mother Pig spends an exorbitant amount of time and energy getting her two little pigs dressed and prepared for playing in the snow. At last, she sits those two marshmallow puffed bundles on the couch to go and get herself ready only to return and find them both undressed again. She bursts into tears before getting everyone dressed again and finally going outside. Oh, how I can relate to this story. And somehow, the investment of time and energy of getting a dozen children belonging to other adults ready to go out only to repeat it in reverse after coming back in does not feel nearly as ominous and handling my own little guys.

Well after hearing S's wise statement today and rethinking that brief conversation with his school principal last week, I revisited and reevaluated my own tendency to hole up indoors this time of year. I also thought about those years of "teaching from the sidelines" on the playground. While some children are inherently creative and exploratory outdoors, others need a little nudge to tap into the natural sense of wonder that nature can inspire. And with these simple outdoor take-alongs, you can easily support play with your own family outside or even a group of students. You do not need to spend a lot. You can use what you have on hand. You may just want to step away from the park bench and revisit your own childhood sense of wonder and exploration...

Here are a few of my favorite quick and easy take-alongs to inspire outdoor play in children:

Things for collecting and transporting materials: Recycled containers, small tin, plastic or hard glass jars (like from baby food), baskets and buckets in all sizes are great for collecting found objects and transporting them from place to place. I am in the process of revamping our play garden and will discuss in a future post how I utilize materials like this in our yard. For the sake of travel, a simple basket with a handle and/or a few smaller options can be great. You can recycle containers from food and produce, find baskets inexpensively at secondhand stores or purchase tins and jars very inexpensively at dollar stores or discount stores. S in particular enjoys collecting things in clear jars for Y to be able to safely observe and shake. You may even wish to bring along a bug container for collection of live critters (or a Bell jar with an open top will do). Secondhand pots, pans and dishes can also be great for collecting and transporting--not to mention the element of sound when they are gleefully banged together by an eager baby or toddler! 

Things for the purpose of observation: I love to bring along magnifying glasses or binoculars for observing and exploring parts of nature both far away and close up. Prisms and looking glasses can also add an interesting visual element. If you have a budding photographer, consider bringing along a camera. Even if you do not happen to have any of the above, recycled cardboard tubes make for great binoculars or telescopes.

Speaking of pictures... Recording outdoor adventures can come in many forms for children ranging developmentally as they grow from pre-writers to independent writers and artists. I rarely leave home without a little notepad and some colored pencils. Check out this post about using leaves and textures in nature along with paper and unwrapped broken crayons for nature rubbings. If you need more direction, you can try a color scavenger hunt or another nature-inspired scavenger hunt. You can see what happens if you all decide to stop and draw what you see. Sidewalk chalk is another great take-along and can be used on a variety of outdoor surfaces besides just the sidewalk.

Remember these DIY color cards? We still love toting these along with us, sometimes even adding in some clothes pins for collecting/attaching objects found in particular shades of a color.

Tools & supplies like tweezers, scissors, and masking tape can come in surprisingly handy! You never know when you might need to grasp the tiniest little objects with those tweezers. Scissor lovers reach a whole new level of enjoyment (and fine motor development) outside clipping grass, weeds, bushes and anything else you'll let them. Masking tape can be wrapped around a wrist, sticky side out, for collection of beautiful little fall leaves or spring wildflowers and instantly you have a lovely bracelet fit for a queen (or king). A small tin of leftover clay is great for taking along and making impromptu nature prints or sculptures...

Things I Keep in My Car: So I may or may not have been known to accidentally forget our diaper bag at home on occasion, but I almost always have a basket with a handle in my car and a towel or blanket. A basket is always handy for carrying along things we bring along or treasures we find along the way. A towel/blanket is handy for drying off wet play surfaces as well as for providing a place to sit upon for very little ones or older children who do not prefer to sit directly on grass.

Small world play and dramatic play outdoors? You bet! I made these little wooden peg dolls to add to our outdoor travel packs (and indoor play) and they had a great time on our botanical gardens visit today. S was absolutely enthralled with them, creating and telling stories in every area we explored.

How do I carry all this stuff? With just my own crew, I don't always bring everything along. I might pick one or two take-alongs. Today I only brought the peg dolls (that S dotingly named tree kinder). With a class or large group, I might bring a basket with a selection of take-alongs. My favorite way to store these is in pencil pouches. They can easily be stocked inside an old binder and there you have it, easy transport and easy access.

It goes without saying that the outdoor world needs no add-ons. And yet, adding in some interesting indoor tools, supplies and objects can really inspire and enhance outdoor play for children--and adults alike. Now to get my own little ones back outside before the sun goes down. We have to take these sunny Sundays as they come! 

Happy Playing!