Activity 2-3: Let a Child Take You for a Walk
Motivation
Children often have a curiosity about the world around them that has not yet been molded to the way things are "supposed" to be. They approach what they see with wonder and often notice things that adults don't. Watching a child explore the park can give you a new perspective and help you reconnect to your own sense of curiosity and wonder.
Of course, a walk in a park is great for the child too! Time outdoors, especially in unstructured play, nurtures curiosity, builds confidence, improves physical and mental health, and fosters eco-friendly attitudes.
Children often have a curiosity about the world around them that has not yet been molded to the way things are "supposed" to be. They approach what they see with wonder and often notice things that adults don't. Watching a child explore the park can give you a new perspective and help you reconnect to your own sense of curiosity and wonder.
Of course, a walk in a park is great for the child too! Time outdoors, especially in unstructured play, nurtures curiosity, builds confidence, improves physical and mental health, and fosters eco-friendly attitudes.
What to do
Connect with a child. If you are a parent or other caregiver, this part should be easy. If not, you may be able to arrange a "park date" with a niece/nephew (a.k.a. nibling, my favorite gender-neutral term), cousin, child of a friend, or neighbor. If you can't connect with a child, you can do a variation of this activity with another adult or with a dog.
Let the child lead. The goal of this activity is to help you experience the park as a child does. To do that, the child should be the leader. Once you arrive at the park, refrain from pointing out things that you notice or making suggestions about what to do. You may be able to simply step back and let the child go where they wish. If the child is initially hesitant to explore, asking them where they want to go or what they see, hear, or feel may be enough to get them started. Give the child space to wander and to discover what interests them. This doesn't mean you have to try to pretend you aren't there. Continue to be available if the child asks questions or wants to share things with you.
Note: If there is a playground at your park, it may be a significant distraction for the purposes of this activity. If you can start in an area where the playground is not visible, that may be sufficient. Otherwise, you may need to build in some initial time to play on the playground, then find an enticing feature elsewhere in the park to encourage the child to explore the more natural areas.
Watch and learn. Pay attention to how the child moves through the space. What type of path do they take? What draws their attention? Where do they move quickly and where do they pause to linger and investigate further?
While adults tend to simply walk though a park, children are much more likely to interact with what they encounter. Notice what the child touches, picks up, moves, climbs, or manipulates.
Notice the child's reactions. What makes them smile, laugh, or get excited? What brings on moments of intense concentration? Do they get puzzled or frustrated?
Repeat. Of course, you can do this activity more than once. You may want to try it with different aged children, more than one child at a time, or different times of day or year.
Connect with a child. If you are a parent or other caregiver, this part should be easy. If not, you may be able to arrange a "park date" with a niece/nephew (a.k.a. nibling, my favorite gender-neutral term), cousin, child of a friend, or neighbor. If you can't connect with a child, you can do a variation of this activity with another adult or with a dog.
Let the child lead. The goal of this activity is to help you experience the park as a child does. To do that, the child should be the leader. Once you arrive at the park, refrain from pointing out things that you notice or making suggestions about what to do. You may be able to simply step back and let the child go where they wish. If the child is initially hesitant to explore, asking them where they want to go or what they see, hear, or feel may be enough to get them started. Give the child space to wander and to discover what interests them. This doesn't mean you have to try to pretend you aren't there. Continue to be available if the child asks questions or wants to share things with you.
Note: If there is a playground at your park, it may be a significant distraction for the purposes of this activity. If you can start in an area where the playground is not visible, that may be sufficient. Otherwise, you may need to build in some initial time to play on the playground, then find an enticing feature elsewhere in the park to encourage the child to explore the more natural areas.
Watch and learn. Pay attention to how the child moves through the space. What type of path do they take? What draws their attention? Where do they move quickly and where do they pause to linger and investigate further?
While adults tend to simply walk though a park, children are much more likely to interact with what they encounter. Notice what the child touches, picks up, moves, climbs, or manipulates.
Notice the child's reactions. What makes them smile, laugh, or get excited? What brings on moments of intense concentration? Do they get puzzled or frustrated?
Repeat. Of course, you can do this activity more than once. You may want to try it with different aged children, more than one child at a time, or different times of day or year.
Resources
Children & Nature Network - Co-founded by Richard Louv (see below), the mission of the Children & Nature Network is "to increase equitable access to nature so that children--and the natural world--can thrive." They provide programs and resources for youth, families, educators, and community groups to encourage and support outdoor learning and play.
Turning School Inside Out - This 20-minute video tells the story what happened when a traditional indoor school obtained access to a nearby section of wooded land and began incorporating significant outdoor learning. Spoiler: The approach sparked creativity, enthusiasm, and joy among students, teachers, staff, parents, and the community.
Natural Start Alliance - The Natural Start Alliance connects schools, park districts, environmental education centers, and other organizations and individuals engaged in and advocating for nature-based education, especially for young children. The Alliance hosts conferences, publishes research and resources, and makes connections among its members. To learn more about early childhood nature-based education, their feature story, Flow Learning in a Forest Kindergarten, is a good place to start.
Dodge Nature Center - For those in the Twin Cities area, the Dodge Nature Center offers a preschool, as well as a variety of day programs and camps for families and children of all ages. For a glimpse into their naturalist/teachers' favorite experiences, check out their blog post, Magic and nature of teaching.
Suggested Reading
Braiding Sweetgrass chapter: "The Sound of Silverbells" - Kimmerer tells the story of a field class early in her teaching career. She tries to lure her students into appreciation of the Smokey Mountain ecosystem by showing them the science of its relationships, but ends up learning a lesson from the students about approaching the world with wonder.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv - Louv reviews the research about the multi-faceted benefits of outdoor time for children, along with the problems that a lack of outdoor time contributes to, and offers ideas for increasing children's participation in outdoor play and learning.
Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors, by David Sobel - David Sobel is an environmental educator and author who has written several books on nature-based learning and place-based education. In Wild Play, he focuses on his own children and ways that he made sure outdoor play and exploration was an integral part of their childhood. For a shorter snippet of his writing, check out his article, Look, Don't Touch, in Orion Magazine, encouraging a hands-on, exploratory approach to ecological education.