The nature loving child
How do children connect to nature?
So many many articles + books written on the importance of sending our kids outside. Less screens & more play, right?
Of course, but what I’m here to share with you right here + right now, is just how simple it is to raise a nature loving child. It doesn’t require you to book four expensive plane tickets to a national park, or even require you to get into the car. If you have a patch of grass, that is enough.
When my kids were young, I started leaning towards more of a minimal lifestyle. Honestly we had to! Our first home was a tiny 600 sq foot apartment.
4 people and tiny home ment we just couldn’t keep it all. We needed space to breath and all in all just wanted to be more mindful of our living areas.
Less stuff, more life!
During this time of purging + also having a toddler & a baby, I started heading outside more. I witnessed a different side of my kids as they explored, collected flowers and stacked sticks. Nature became their toy.
Then they wanted to learn about the birds that flew over our head and why worms came out after it rained. So much curiosity! & I’ll tell ya- I learned right next to them! Their curiosity sparked mine as well.
Keep it simple and uncomplicated
First invest in a good wrap + structured carrier if you are starting out with young babes or even toddlers. Babywearing was a huge life saver for me. I’m not joking when I say that I wore our youngest, Quinn for the first 8 months of her life! At one point I wore both of them, one on the front and one on the back. If we wanted to hike in the forest that’s what I needed to do at the time. When they got older I still kept one rolled up in my backpack in case their little legs got tired. Getting outside with the right gear made things a lot easier. Plus the connection to my child when I wore them… Don’t get me started. Miss those days!
Next up, G O S L O W & what I really mean is have no expectations on how the hike or walk is going to go. Sometimes you can start a walk and five minutes in - your child loses his mind and is not into it. That’s ok! Try again tomorrow! We are building a foundation here and as long as we keep trying you will see the pay off in a few years.
Like I mentioned above, explore what’s around your own home. Even if you have a tiny lawn, it truly doesn’t matter to them! They will find something to explore. A rock, stick and even noticing an ant hill is all so very exciting to them!
It’s interesting to hear the memories my kids have as well. We just went to a park we haven’t hiked at for probably a year. They had no memory of even going here. Even though it was a hike I remember very vividly.
What they do remember is going on our morning walks that were many years back. Saying hi to all our neighbors, visiting the gardens and the museum, the cat that would follow us on the sidewalk, going to the library, buying fresh veggies at the farmers market and hugging the biggest tree in our neighborhood. This was all done on our daily walk within a mile or so from our home.
A DAILY WALK! So simple these moments of connecting to nature.
The simple act of opening the front door and enjoying what’s right in our own backyard.
After 5-7 years of building our nature loving foundation they still express excitement when they find a cool leaf or a racoon footprint. I’ve noticed that because I have tended to their curious nature in the early years, that now the tables have turned. Now I stand back and watch them find treasure and listen to them talk about the river flowing. It’s just so beautiful to witness this connection they have to nature and now they want to share it with me.
