Outside with our Children - resources

A MOPS Talk...

A Conversation with Young Moms – Part III
{A Conversation with Young Moms - Part I}
{A Conversation with Young Moms - Part II}

Some resources and fun things to do outside are listed at the end to encourage you as you play in the open air and splash in the puddles!

Here were our questions to get us ready to head out of the house and into the world around us.

How can you be more deliberate in planning free play outside?  What are some ways you can make that easier?

What benefits do you notice or would like to see from being outdoors with your children?

Think of some times when you see how playing together strengthens your relationship with your child and the family.

How can you help foster an interest in the created world?  In what ways can you see being outside as an opportunity to help foster a love for the Creator?

All Things Bright and Beautiful

by Ms. Cecil Francis Alexander

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Practical ways to make it easier to get outside.  Some ideas and resources.

Here are some of the resources, book, and activities I shared when we were together.  I hope you are inspired to get outside!

Children don't need to be taught to wonder, they only need opportunities to walk in its path. ~ Walking in Wonder: Nurturing Virtues in Your Children by Elizabeth White...
and my friend Marcia would add that they need an adult to be willing to wonder beside them. She says…

I encourage people to put their phone away and get down on the level of their child to see things up close.  And bring a few treasures back home to display on the kitchen table for memory...

Create a Nature Table/shelf when you bring those finds back home.  It's easy; use a coffee table and place everything on a tray to set it apart from the other items.  What about an area on a placemat in the center of your kitchen table?  Use some clear mason jars if you need to keep something contained like pebbles or sand or crumbles leaves and acorn caps.  Teach your child to be gentle and let them feel and touch and experience.  Encourage them to look and tell and draw about what they see. 

It's spring.  It is supposed to rain!  Puddles ARE fun to jump in & why not? Dress appropriately for the temperature, put a tub of water by the back door to wash feet and some towels to dry up with and make sure the washer is ready for a new load--no excuses, out EVERYONE goes!   

Right now is a great time to take yarn, embroidery threads cut into strips, small strips of cotton fabrics and put them loosely in a suet frame and hang it for birds to use for nest building.  Then see if you spot any material from your stash in the nests when you go on a neighborhood walk.


Even really little ones can scoop birdseed into a feeder and will love to see who comes to your tree to find food; maybe even some squirrels might try to get your seeds!  Merlin Bird ID is a great app for your phone or ipad that Cornell University has created to easily identify that bird you just saw.  I use it all the time when I'm traveling to new areas with new birds I don't recognize.  It's easy enough to use if you are just getting started noticing birds with your children too!  Then you can look him up in the bird guide when you get home.

If you are planting a garden, grow some kid friendly plants too.  Sunflowers usually grow well if the bunnies don't eat them before they get bigger.  (I usually grow ours inside in cups until they are 10-12 inches tall, then transplant them.) Just one or two by the fence or up against the house will work.  If you are ambitious and have plenty of room, grow a sunflower hut like ours.

Get everything ready ahead of time.  Put your 'Nature Back Pack' together with a couple of water bottles, a few nature guides, some colored pencils and basic spiral drawing pad.  Add some hand wipes and a bug jar--what more could you need? It is a good start anyway and will certainly get you to the park or around the block and back! Get all those outside walking shoes together in a basket in the garage or front closet then they are ready to go next time little feet get too antsy to be inside or everyone is grumpy and needs fresh air!

If you need something to get your nature inspiration and creativity going, you can find many ideas here: www.HandbookofNatureStudy.com & Outdoor Hour Challenge, The Kid's Nature Book by Susan Milord, or Nature All Year Long by Walker are great for year round ideas.

Discover Nature Close to Home by Lawlor or The Handbook of Nature Study by Comstock are two of my favorite resource books for moms.   

Wild Days, Creating Discovery Journals by Rackliffe is wonderful if you can find a copy and Red Mountain Community School has a Calendar of Firsts (see posts: Signs of Spring & Calendar of Firsts follow up) that is a wonderful way to keep track of when things happen in nature each year.  Or just start your own on a wall calendar or a spiral notebook!

I'll share some of my favorite kid's books in a new post of Nature Stories for Children that spark imagination and curiosity.

But remember you don't need specific plans.  Be simple! You don't have to have an elaborate project.  As a matter of fact, it's better if you don't!  Remember - unstructured free play, not mom's 'fun' project!  Just do whatever strikes your child at the moment.  Hop, run, roll, jump, climb...take a walk.  That's the point anyway, getting outside to begin to notice the things around you and the sounds and smells and intricate details that it takes time to learn to look for and discover!

Outside with our Children - continued

A MOPS Talk...

A Conversation with Young Moms – Part II
{A Conversation with Young Moms - Part I} 
{A Conversation with Young Moms - Part III} 

 

When you asked me what I did in school today and I say, 'I just played.' Please don’t misunderstand me. For you see, I am learning as I play. I am learning to enjoy and be successful in my work. Today I am a child and my work is play. ~ Anita Wadley, 1974.

The physical, mental and emotional benefits to being outside with your children are truly a good thing as we discussed in Part I.
But most important is the Spiritual benefit to being outside with your little guys.  My friend Marcia often encourages parents to get outside with their children: 

In nature, we can begin to wonder about our creator and the love he shows through the natural world he provided/continues to provide for us...It requires slowing down.  Removing the clock.  Straying away from plastic playsets...to the natural world unencumbered... 

She shared a resource with me to share with you from a book, Walking in Wonder: Nurturing Virtues in Your Children by Elizabeth White. 

If we refuse to nourish ourselves on what is edifying and elevating, we will inevitably be fed by what is not, as the popular culture of American, in all its shallowness and falseness, seeps into our unguarded hearts daily.  If we do not counteract it, if we fail to set the loftiest things before us, we will inevitably let our souls remain choked with artificiality and cheapness.  We will remain mired in the fatal shoddiness of our world and ourselves. 

As our children grow and as they enter our system of education which is information-focused and performance based…most of our children will “know all about” things, but without a broader perspective that you as moms can bring to that.  Many will never “know of” things which begins as you foster the wonder they have now and introduce them to the created world and the God who created it and them (see C.S Lewis’ essay on Meditations in a Tool Shed).  You see they, and we, are in danger of knowing ‘about’ God, but not really knowing Him personally. To really know, we must have a relationship and it must be personal to be true; it can’t be someone else’s understanding to be meaningful; it can’t be something we repeat in a report about things we have studied… it must be integrated into our lives and be part of what we know and who we are!  Our relationship with Christ only comes this way.  Our children are coming to know God through hearing His word in Bible reading, but also as we speak of and introduce them to the things he made—the created world.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, has been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. ~ Romans 1:19-20

They need to be in the created world to see, observe, learn and know—to be taught by the Creator Himself.  

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?   He who brings out their host by number, calling them by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. ~ Isaiah 40:26

When our children observe and wonder in and about nature, it brings to them that sursum corda—our hearts lifted in praise—an understanding and declaration of the praise due our Creator God.

Outside with our Children

A MOPS talk...

A Conversation with Young Moms – Part I
{A Conversation with Young Moms - Part II}
{A Conversation with Young Moms - Part III}

To moms who have been battling pent up energy in their little ones during the cold winter, the spring weather is a Godsend!  Getting outside is easier after being cooped up from winter.  And it’s a good time to start a habit of getting out regularly for walks and just free play outside.  Get some appropriate gear, good shoes and clothing for both your children and yourself and go outside with them!

A while back I gave a MOPS talk (Mothers of Preschoolers) on fostering a love of reading in your child--I will go back next month and write on that one. (I wrote a while back on Reading Books with Little Ones).  Those of you at the talk will remember that it all starts with fostering a love of stories and learning to see those stories all around us.  There are so many stories unfolding outside if we would take the time to actually get out there in that open space with unstructured time to see them!

So besides the obvious benefit to you as a mom, I thought I would give you some support from recent studies for the benefits to your child...physical, mental, emotional & spiritual benefits. 

Physical, Mental & Emotional:

·       Exercise in a natural environment is shown to have greater benefits than in an artificial one (Peninsula College of Medicine, 2011) – climb trees, walk ravines, go on a neighborhood walk…

·       Several experimental studies in recent years show mounting evidence for the cognitive benefits of exercise (Exercise for Children: The Cognitive Benefits, Dewar).  Research consistently shows aerobic exercise boosts BDNF for brain cell growth, stimulates new neurons and genes for brain plasticity.  It can give children better focus and control.  Many tests show that children actually perform better in all kinds of cognitive areas when they are active.  It is also shown that ADHA kids may have better self-control as a result of exercise.  Apparently there is a caveat—it doesn’t show to work as well with forced exercise; it has to be voluntary and FUN to reap the benefits:

Structured activities—like team sports or dance lessons—may be fine options. But so are nature walks, tree-climbing, roller-skating, and playing hide-and-seek.  In fact, play-like exercise is good for the brain. Perhaps the most effective exercise for children is free, unstructured, physical play.

·       These same findings are corroborated in other research says David Elkind (Can We Play?, 2008) who emphasizes the importance of physical play for children’s learning and development.  The pressure has ratcheted for parents who are trying to make schooling choices for their children and are concerned by the oft repeated notion that their child will be behind and won’t be ready for kindergarten without the push of academic preschool.  That is what some in the education industry maintain, but what does early childhood development research show?

Spending one third of the school day in physical education, art, and music improved not only physical fitness, but attitudes toward learning and test scores. These findings echo those from one analysis of 200 studies on the effects of exercise on cognitive functioning, which also suggests that physical activity promotes learning. In recent years, and most especially since the 2002 passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, we’ve seen educators, policy makers, and many parents embrace the idea that early academics leads to greater success in life. Yet several studies by Kathy Hirsch-Pasek and colleagues have compared the performance of children attending academic preschools with those attending play-oriented preschools. The results showed no advantage in reading and math achievement for children attending the academic preschools. But there was evidence that those children had higher levels of test anxiety, were less creative, and had more negative attitudes toward school than did the children attending the play preschools. So if play is that important, why is it disappearing?

I included a couple of stanzas from a poem entitled, JUST PLAY to consider.

When you see me combing the bushes for bugs, or packing my pockets with choice things I find, don’t pass it off as JUST PLAY. For you see, I am learning as I paly.  I may be a scientist some day.

When you asked me what I did in school today and I say, 'I just played.' Please don’t misunderstand me. For you see, I am learning as I play. I am learning to enjoy and be successful in my work. Today I am a child and my work is play.

Anita Wadley, 1974.

While researching for my talk, I found this wonderful article, “Kids with autism benefit from outdoor classroom” by Andrea Gordon, 2013.  It tells of Kindergarten teacher, Maia Crowther, who was inspired to implement an Outdoor Classroom Project at her school.  She tells the story of how this happened and the amazing results for both her students and the kindergarten classes for autistic children they partnered with!

[Crowther] says she’s never seen young students so motivated and engaged. After she instigated the outdoor classroom project last fall, the two full-day kindergarten classes took turns using the space every day. Each also partnered with one of the two kindergarten classes for children with autism. They spent at least 75 minutes a day outside, sun, rain or snow, and much longer in warm weather. On a typical day of the school year, more than 30 children can be found pouring and scooping at the water centre, playing dress-up, making mud pies or studying ants. In winter, they make ice sculptures, snow angels and learn about melting and freezing. When the rain comes, it’s all about puddles and worms.  Mounting evidence shows hands-on outdoor learning boosts physical activity, mental health, brain power and attention. It also enhances learning by building on children’s curiosity and firsthand observations. 

Some other research suggests that eliminating play as is the trend in preschools and elementary schools may have serious ramifications on a child’s emotional development as well states Professor of Psychology William Crain (Education for Meaning and Justice, 2010).  One study found that not only does “preschool play enhance cognitive capacities such as problem solving and creativity, [but also] the ability to see things from others' perspectives”. And “The American Academy of Pediatrics worries that children who are deprived of free play become depressed and stressed out”.

Another important issue for playing with your children is the benefit to your relationship with your child and family. A guide titled, “The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Development”, from the MSU education department talks about the family relationships that are developed in playing together.

Play connects children with their imagination, their environment, their parents and family and the world.  Parental involvement in a child's world of play is not only beneficial for the child but is extremely beneficial to the parent. Playing with children establishes and strengthens bonds that will last forever. Parent-child play opens doors for the sharing of values, increases communication, allows for teachable moments and assists in problem solving. Playtime provides opportunities for the parent and child to confront and resolve individual differences, as well as family related concerns and issues. Finally, it allows the parent to view the world through the eyes of a child once again.

In Part II & III, I'll talk more about the Spiritual impact of being outside with your children and give you some resources to inspire you to be outside!

Paths to Follow: Together Intentionally

A Chapter in which we all go on an Expedition

“As soon as he saw the Big Boots, Pooh knew that an Adventure was about to happen…” (Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, Ch. 8)

I look at new things as an adventure.  Places to go, people to see, things to learn!  Now adventure brings uncertainty and risk at times.  I often wonder why we are so risk adverse.  We forget to look closer and assess the risks and the implications. We assume change is bad and terribly unpleasant-‘unsettling’ says Eeyore).  So many times I find that it is more my uneasiness and less the reality of what might happen that impedes my path.  I set up my own roadblocks when my fears take over. On making friends: What if we have nothing in common?  On taking a stance: What if I step out there and no one joins me?  On new ideas: What if I look stupid?  What if… you fill in your worries…What if I am just plain wrong about this or that? (I know, it happens occasionally)! Sometimes those things do happen, but the results are generally less of a big deal than my fear says it will be.  So what if I am wrong and look stupid on occasion; usually, I am the only one that cares or remembers since it really is an okay thing to be wrong sometimes; it helps me learn. And that is a positive change!

 I wonder why we view change so uneasily.  Things are always changing-even the mundane days are part of moving forward, continuing on… doing the next thing.  The next thing may look just the same as today’s thing or something entirely new.  Adventure, risk, change-sometimes that takes courage. Maybe even strength we don’t think we have.  But we can’t get to step two without step one.  I love this year’s theme for Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS), “Be You, Bravely”.  Stepping out might just be stepping on to the next stone & reaching back to hold a hand as someone follows, or it might be looking ahead to grab the hand in front of us.  People are important, friends are important, relationships are important, Christian community is important (Colossians is a good place to read more on this)! Being brave in friendships can also mean being intentional. Maybe right now you are the one reaching back, another time, you may be reaching ahead-in either place, we are reaching deliberately! We need that friend to balance us when we are unsettled. So we walk bravely together. Sometimes we just don’t see the way clearly and that sister ahead is all we can see. We don’t always know what’s further ahead and the next step uncertain.  But what we do know is the faithfulness of our God; what we do know is grace.  As we do the next thing or meet changes, both smooth going mundane days and challenging and uneven hikes, let us come along side each other and remember that we make our plans-we walk our paths, but the Lord directs our steps (Proverbs 16:9).  As we follow the path ahead toward new adventures, Let’s Live Life Together Intentionally.

“It’s an Expedition.  That’s what an Expedition means.  A long line of everybody.” (Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, Ch. 8)

Looking forward to getting to know more of you and encouraging you along the paths,

Grace for the day,

Kelli

The Joy of Mother Culture

‘Mother Culture’: n.  an atmosphere or attitude which exemplifies a consciously active pursuit of development toward the whole person and being of motherhood. 

Karen Andreola is credited with reviving this term and speaks and blogs about creative ways of being a mom and an individual-simultaneously.  Imagine that! 

Perspectives are so important-how we see ourselves, others, our situations, or seasons in life.  Remember last time we talked about that ‘comparison trap’ when we emphasized that we are all different people with different perspectives, and yet we share so many things.  We are all complete persons-not just MOPS moms on Friday mornings, not just accountants or homemakers or human resources executives, not just wives to our husbands, not just Christians on Sundays.  We are a whole person with all of those things bringing to bear on our uniqueness.  We can’t compartmentalize ourselves and imagine we are complete, healthy souls.  We know that the only completeness we have is through Jesus Christ.  Joy spills over in our daily life with this perspective - When our love for Jesus is so consuming that nothing can displace him in our affections. We see and understand more of his beauty. Our true joy is found only in him; yet because of this love, it allows us freedom to enjoy all he gives in an abundant life!  We need an abundant life perspective!

True joy in Christ gives us the freedom to see the beauty of God.  The overall atmosphere of our homes can be a reflection of that truth. As moms, we often set the tone of our homes, and an abundant life perspective can be a blessing to our families.  A great gift to give your children is to keep learning and growing.  Take time to look at things from a new view. Don’t just watch your little ones – enjoy it yourself.  Learn along side.  Don’t miss the joy!  After all, who doesn’t enjoy Pooh stories and Robert Louis Stevenson poems, spotting the Barred owl, or watching squirrels race?  Practice Mother Culture! Think outside the box.  OK, so maybe this isn’t the season of dedicated time on some personal pursuit, but you can learn amazing things with your preschool child!  There are some really profound thinkers in our midst.  They ask the most amazing questions and wonder about truly worthwhile ideas.  Don’t you wonder why that girl with the pearl earring Vermeer painted is dressed in such unusual clothes?  Why do Bach fugues sound like they belong to medieval castles?  How do those squirrels know which limbs will hold their weight when they jump to the next tree?  Why do candles look so bright in a dark room?  What makes Grandma’s quilts so heavy?  You can’t know things you don’t think about.  You need things to think on just as much as your children. What discoverers we can be together.  It starts with a Mother Culture attitude and a consciously active pursuit of knowing, creating relationships with things and ideas.  If we forget to enjoy the same things our children do, we miss so much fun and learning.  To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we are old enough that it’s time to start reading fairy tales again.

The Comparison Trap, a talk for MOPS: Follow up Q's

I am a child of God,
I ought to do His will.
I can do what He tells me,
And by His GRACE, I will.

• Do you know for certain that you are a Child of God? (I am)  
• When do you most often find yourself in the ‘comparison trap’? (by His GRACE) 
• What is a useful distraction for you (and/or your child) to use when you find yourself in those situations?(I will) 
• In what ways you can obey God more as you pursue holiness? (I ought) 
• What is a practical way you can incorporate the Word of God into your everyday life? (I can) 

Read The Comparison Trap posts...

The Comparison Trap - a talk for MOPS, Part 3

Dear MOPS moms and other fellow Beautiful Messes,Part 3-Enduring GRACE

I have shared this poem with you before.  It's taken from our educational philosophy (Charlotte Mason) but applies anywhere and actually to any age.  Alongside my children through the years, I have learned how very true this is for my life. And I want to start with this and weave it into our discussion on 'Comparing Ourselves to Others'.

I am a child of God, 
I ought to do His will.
I can do what He tells me,
And by His GRACE, I will.  

We are all so different!  Yet, we make comparisons all the time… Is the grass really greener on the other side?

To answer rightly I should clarify our context for today  - Comparisons vs. assessments. I want to move us from a ‘comparison point’ to a ‘grace point'. Part 1: PERSPECTIVE, Part 2: FOCUS, Part 3: Enduring GRACE.

The Comparison Trap - a talk for MOPS, Part 2

Dear MOPS moms and other fellow Beautiful Messes,Part 2- Focus

I have shared this poem with you before.  It's taken from our educational philosophy (Charlotte Mason) but applies anywhere and actually to any age.  Alongside my children through the years, I have learned how very true this is for my life. And I want to start with this and weave it into our discussion on 'Comparing Ourselves to Others'.

I am a child of God, 
I ought to do His will.
I can do what He tells me,
And by His GRACE, I will.  

We are all so different!  Yet, we make comparisons all the time… Is the grass really greener on the other side?

To answer rightly I should clarify our context for today  - Comparisons vs. assessments. I want to move us from a ‘comparison point’ to a ‘grace point'. Part 1 was all about PERSPECTIVE...In Part 2, Let's FOCUS...

Get Out of that Trap!

'Comparison Trap' Resources from a talk for Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meeting on...

"Is the Grass Really Greener?

Keeping the proper perspective will keep us out of the ‘comparison trap’ and give us a right focus. What our focus is as moms will be a huge part of our children's as well. That is back to that whole person and real life thing. Where you spend your time and energy is what becomes your focus. Habits of the heart are cultivated.

Thoughts on Oughts

Dear Friends and Fellow Beautiful Messes,

The real question:

We thought about the 'Comparison Trap' yesterday and the question of, "Is the grass greener?".  A wise comment was made during a discussion time about the positives a comparison can bring as it inspires us to do better.  True, comparisons can give us a goal and be that impetus to get us moving toward change.  If we look deeper at that, the motivation is in response to the question we decided was the better-"Am I reflecting Christ?".  A comparison of that sort is really a legitimate assessment and, though it is about 'me' in the sense of what I need to do better, it is ultimately a focus on God, who he is, and whether or not am I showing that in my life.  That is the good sort of comparison.

I Ought to?:

We need to be careful, as we try to stay out of the negative 'Comparison Trap', that we don't go back to that 'me' focus by confusing our 'Oughts' with preferences or just the reality of who we are.  Here's what I mean...  Ought I to like the color purple?,  Ought I to want pink marshmallow fluff? Ought I to be as organized as my friend? Not necessarily.

The Comparison Trap - a talk for MOPS, Part 1

Dear MOPS moms and other fellow Beautiful Messes,Part 1 - Perspectives

I have shared this poem with you before.  It's taken from our educational philosophy (Charlotte Mason), but applies anywhere and actually to any age.  Alongside my children through the years, I have learned how very true this is for my life. And I want to start with this and weave it into our discussion on 'Comparing Ourselves to Others'.

I am a child of God, 
I ought to do His will.
I can do what He tells me,
And by His GRACE, I will.  

We are all different people.  We are each created a whole person.  What I mean by that is that we don’t live compartmentalized lives.  One person at home, one person at MOPS, one person at church, one part as a parent, or wife or Christian… we are all of those together, a conglomerate… a beautiful mess. We are real people (our children are just as much persons as we, only shorter).  We live real lives.

Wasn't it interesting to see all the differences we found in our approaches and personalities as we took the Mommy Personality Test based on the Myers/Briggs.  We are all so different!  Yet, we make comparisons all the time… "Is the grass really greener on the other side?"