WILD CHILD: Wet + Chilly = Amazing Adventure!
If you looked outside this week you may have felt discouraged. It’s grey, it’s chilly, and it’s wet. For many of our families this weather can be tricky and it’s easy to stay inside, but if you do you will miss out on some of the year’s amazing adventures. Adventures that can only happen when it’s grey and wet and chilly. Here are a few stories to inspire you to take a risk and head outside.
Toddlers and preschoolers practice balancing along a fallen log.
As the weather starts to change our forest changes, so does what we notice and explore. Little feet and hands start practicing that all important skill of balancing and climbing. Children arrive asking if we can “go to the broken log”, the one in this picture. Some mornings we spend most of our time practicing climbing up onto the log (there is a small section that the children know works as a step), walking (or running) along the log, then jumping off. The joy on their faces says it all. This is exactly where they want to be!
A young child stands in the leaf pile he helped gather.
As the leaves fall, we start to make leaf piles. How do you like to play with leaves? The children who join us jump in the piles, hide under them while calling to their friends “bury me”, or make nests of leaves and pretend to be woodland animals. We also ‘pour’ the leaves between buckets and invent complex stories about our play. We can spend an entire morning enjoying the crunchy, dusty smell of dry leaves on a crisp morning.
A toddler sits on her mothers lap as they laugh together.
Autumn is an amazing time where families slow down and connect. After a full morning of playing and laughing, the cooler temperatures seem to naturally draw us together as we share a snack and retell our adventures. “I jumped”, “I splashed”, “I fell down”.
A facilitator and two young children look across the pond.
As the leaves drop, the forest opens up and children notice forgotten parts of our natural spaces. “The water is so big”, “I see the other side”. Some mornings are filled with the (re)discovery of how big and magical our forested spaces are. With fewer hiding spaces this is also the time of year we are most likely to see animals, especially on the dreary raining days when fewer dog walkers are around.
Three children wearing mud suits stand in a muddy puddle.
More rainy days, means more chances to enjoy mud! One of our favourite fall activities is splashing, squishing, and getting mucky. Best of all, those rainy coats and muddy suits keep everyone warm and dry. In some ways clean up is easier in the fall than in the summer, simply remove the rain gear and you will discover a dry and mostly clean child underneath.
This weekend we challenge you to head outside and have fun, EVEN when it rains. You may surprise yourself and make some of your favourite memories of the year!