Nourishing play....

 

We are finding more and more signs of Spring...here is a buttercup full of sunshine!

We found a stream....

followed it for a long way....

began noticing little fairy homes and possible leprechaun doors among the roots of the trees...

which lead to an earnest search for a fairy or leprechaun who might be in and receptive to visitors...

.

this spot seemed like a good place to look....

look at the grumpy troll I found when I got to that tree..."No visitors!", it shouted out from it's hidey-hole. (That tree was awesome...Toucie and I could both fit in there...now that we've discovered it, we will certainly seek it out again and again)



I'm posting about this simple outing to show how Toucie and I find adventures beyond the playground. This is one of the ways in which I honor my commitment to make space in our lives for her to do her work...her work is to play. If the bathwater is brown at the end of the day, then I know I've done a good job.

Playground structures are designed to give children access to physical activity that may not be part of their everyday lives...activity that is important for proprioception, sensory integration, the vestibular system, motor skills and all the rest. It seems that children of yesterday (playgroundless children) lead lives much richer in physical experiences than our children today. Perhaps they worked more, helping the family with chores that were physical. Perhaps they walked/ran/biked more and spent less/no hours in a car being shuttled around. Perhaps they were presented with  an environment that was just more conducive to good, hard play and physical movement.

This last thing is something I can work on. I am tangled up in a modern life, reliant on my car, my appliances, etc, but I can offer my children a rich, authentic environment - more than just a playground- that gives them opportunities for good, hard, nourishing play...every day. Dig a hole, hang on a limb, climb a tree, carry heavy rocks, race every challenger, roll down a hill, jump off the creek bank, skip stones, build forts, balance on a log, swim in a river, swing on a vine, commune with nature...every day...these are things I can provide. Meeting a grumpy troll along the way is icing on the cake.