Current statistics show that the average child in the US spends only 4-7 minutes outdoors engaged in free play on a daily basis. In stark contrast to that figure, our children are spending on average 7.5 hours in front of electronic devices and media. Experts recommend that children should play outside for at least 3 hours daily. You can read more about this topic on the blog 1000 Hours Outside and in this huffpost article. I'm not even close to that target with my own kids, especially during the school year. We do, however, aim to get outside at least once a day. S gets to play outdoors in school once or twice on most days and Y often has a time outdoors in the morning with me at home.
Gone are the days of my own youth when we were tossed lovingly and trustingly into the fenced in backyard to "go out and play" while my mother watched from the kitchen window and tended to indoor tasks or even joined us outside to tend to her garden. But if a generation of children are growing up indoors, what is to be said for the future of outdoor play, childhood experience and development, not to mention hobbies like gardening or even values of conservationism and environmentalism? I think we can all look back and remember joyful outdoor experiences of our own youth. But beyond the happy memories, unstructured outdoor play promotes a variety of other benefits for health and development, including (but not limited to):
- problem solving skills
- healthy risk assessment skills
- creativity
- compassion for the natural world and toward other living beings
- critical thinking and inquiry-based learning
- a healthy body, metabolism and immune system
- good mental health
- pro-social skills
- natural learning in literacy, science, math, natural history, engineering and more...
- executive functioning skills
If these reasons were not enough to drive me out the front door and into our yard, I will confess that my motivation is also quite personal. I enjoy being outside and when I thoughtfully set up my small space out there, I can also enjoy a little break and some time to engage in my own creative endeavors and hobbies (like gardening).
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| The mud kitchen is one of the most utilized spaces in our playgarden. Concocting water, dirt, mulch, rocks, bits of leaves from the ground and even "beautiful" weeds from the grass has become a full time occupation for both S and Y. I've gleaned inspiration from a plethora of setups, from simple to extravagant, but really all you need is a container, something to mix with (can even be a stick), some dirt and a water source! Beyond that, we like secondhand, recycled or dollar store purchases of cookware. Even our little toy barbecue was snagged from the local thrift store for under $5! |
We often put a lot of thought as parents and educators into our indoor spaces, but more often than not, the outdoor spaces in our homes and schools are not quite as tended to. They become a place of escape rather than destination. We may have playground or play equipment out there, we may even have gardens, but do we have areas intentionally set up for discovery and learning as well? And are our outdoor spaces set up to be accessible to the children using them in the same way that our indoor spaces are?
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| The "I Wonder..." hook is a new fixture in our playgarden. It is the perfect place to hang a basket or bag containing an activity to do outside, a question to ponder, a great book, a unique toy or tool, some art or writing supplies or something mysterious to investigate or try outdoors... It draws the children over each time we go outside to see what's hanging! You can change out your materials as frequently or infrequently as you wish. Sometimes the boys will spend a lot of time engaged with something from the I Wonder station and other times, they will quickly depart to previously planned mud kitchen or gardening tasks. The idea is to draw attention, peak curiosity and make the yard a destination. |
It can be intimidating to approach the possibilities of setting up your outdoor space. It is even more intimidating in some ways when that space is shared, public or quite small. I am here to quell your anxiety that all things are possible even when your space is shared, public and quite small, as in the case with our own apartment yard! Recently our apartment management had landscapers come to lay new mulch down in the front gardens of each property. This meant that I (and by I, I mean my husband) had to tear down and move all of our play accessories temporarily and then set it back up. I will admit to having been a little irked and maybe even slightly over-irked by the idea at first, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I really rethought our setup as I set it up again and it was an opportunity to redesign and restructure our space in a new way. (Ok, so that's #mombrain code for "I forgot what it looked like before we moved everything to the back"...)
Here's a visual peek at our playgarden now as it continues to evolve...
Creating an Outdoor Weather Station:
We talk and teach about weather inside our homes as we dress for the day and often inside early childhood classrooms as children sit at Circle Time. But for all intensive purposes, weather happens outside. Setting up a space outdoors that encourages weather and seasonal observation can be as simple as installing a rain gauge (you can even make your own), "planting" some pinwheels to observe wind patterns, or creating your own "weather rock" (oh the Pinterest inspiration!). Perhaps you'll expand to include a sundial or outdoor thermometer or even DIY your own rain barrel. We also upcycled this metal A-frame from last summer's climbing garden to accommodate a collection of ribbon kites, some clothes pins and a basket of ribbons for hanging and weaving and observing wind patterns in action.
There are some things I always like to keep outside. A child sized broom reserved for outdoor sweeping has always been a favorite here of both boys. Gardening tools and child sized tools for digging, raking, pushing/transferring, buckets and pales for collecting etc. are also available. I like to limit the amount of plastic tools and materials as their shelf life outdoors is not quite as long as their wooden/metal counterparts, but we have both. These items can be found secondhand and even in the dollar store. Additionally, I like having baskets (all purchased secondhand) for storing smaller tools in while we use shower curtain rings for hanging larger ones in between use.
Outdoor storage and protection from the elements are things to think about when setting up. I've learned (sometimes the hard way) what can withstand a very wet summer and what cannot. Some things we store inside between play sessions and for others, a tightly sealing tin can work wonders (like our sidewalk chalk collection). Some less traditional outdoor toys and tools we like are mortars and pestles, magnifying glasses, prisms, prism lenses, binoculars, scissors for cutting grass and plants, paint brushes/sponges for use with water and don't forget your ever growing collection of natural loose parts found and collected outdoors!
The great outdoors is the perfect space for fine and gross motor development to happen naturally. Grinding, drawing, digging, transferring, filling, pouring, planting, pulling, climbing and running around all work those muscles from tiny to large while instilling balance, body and vestibular awareness. Larger equipment and toys like climbers and swings if you have the space and desire for them can be great. If you don't, plenty of large muscle movement can happen just from climbing and exploring a variety of natural (and man-made) surfaces. Large objects like a wheelbarrow or even large logs can encourage pushing and heavy lifting as children navigate coordination and strength. Riding toys like bikes and scooters also apply here.
Now that we've explored the very big things outdoors, we crouch down to explore the very small wonders. Taking things down in size and stature to a child's level--and then even lower to a bug's level can truly spark curiosity and encourage deep observation. Perhaps the I Wonder station is stocked with some small toys and loose parts for building an outdoor fairy house. Or maybe a tin pale holding your ever growing collection of sticks, I mean, magic wands, draws over a young wizard or fairy at play. Garden signs in a variety of forms are whimsical, beautiful, artistic, and bring a print rich environment outdoors even for the pre-literate. For children you are young at reading, you can also include pictures. I would not recommend leaving books outside in the elements, but I would recommend bringing books outside with you and expanding on literacy through nature based play and exploration.
This is one that is a bit trickier when, like us, you do not have a hose hookup outdoors. We use a plastic jug with a spigot and the boys are able to fill and access water from there. They use it for everything from watering plants with a watering can to adding a vital ingredient to mud recipes to filling up spray bottles, washing hands, or even just observing the trajectory of a puddle. You can also DIY your own rain barrel to make use and reuse of precipitation. Just make sure that in terms of drinking water, you bring what you need from indoors or a clean source! Be mindful, as well, of stagnant water in locations where mosquitoes are a concern in the warm months of the year. That said, we also keep a shallow pan of water ready and available for birds, bees and butterflies in our pollinators garden!
Outdoor learning spaces, like their indoor counterparts, can be changed up as frequently as desired and needed. We make shifts, swaps and additions to honor the boys' interests, seasonal changes and events. Our playgarden is set up to accommodate play and learning year round and we aim to have adequate outerwear available for everyone so we can be comfortable in a variety of elements and seasons. Sometimes, however, it is necessary and good to be indoors. And we bring a bit of the outside in with our Nature Table, which recently had its own little makeover to officially welcome the Spring season!
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| It was time for our sleepy little root children to wake up... |
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| ...so last night Mother Earth (with the help from another mother here) did a little bit of interior design and renovating and the boys were surprised this morning to see that the root children had indeed blossomed overnight as our Spring Nature Table greeted them first thing in the morning! |
Happy Spring and Happy Playing!
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