Hello Reader!
For this post, I'd like you to imagine with me. Imagine a forest of California Pepper and Eucalyptus trees, rolling hills, a beautiful river, and a glittering pond on a three-acre stretch of land. Are you picturing it? This is where I spent most of my childhood climbing the trees, swimming in the pond, and running wild. I grew up in a very rural part of San Diego called Jamul. My closest neighbors were goats, chickens, and emus. Although it was beautiful, it often felt lonely. My only companion was my bother most days, as my mom was wary of strangers as well as an introvert. So most weeks, I did not have peers my age to play with. My step-dad chose this home for us because he wanted my brother and me to have the freedom to run, explore and didn't want us to feel cooped up in a house. By providing this home for us, my step-dad supported my nature-based play and my love for nature. Growing up, I noticed that many of my peers did not have the same freedom I did. Most of my friends preferred to play inside, they felt uncomfortable with the idea of climbing a tree, and they often chose to play games on their computers instead of playing outside.
Please, do not misunderstand me here. I loved a good video game as much as the next person, but I felt saddened that many of my friends didn't see the beauty of the outdoors in the way that I did. Some items that I loved to use were: an inflatable canoe that I would paddle around the pond in, my paint set, which I would use to paint pictures of my backyard, and my fairy wings.
Pictured above are items similar to what I had as a child but are not exact replicas.
These items brought me so much joy, and they enhanced my outdoor play. I loved painting (I still do), and it was a great way to capture the beauty of what I saw. Obviously, at the age of 5, I was not good at painting. Most people could not decipher what I had just painted, but to me, they were beautiful. The inflatable boat that I had was such a fun addition. It had just enough room for two children, so my brother and I would climb in and imagine all types of adventures! Lastly, the fairy wings. I loved wearing fairy wings, and since my backyard was a mini-forest, it was perfect. I also held the belief as a child that I was, in fact, a fairy who hadn't discovered her actual fairy wings yet. Since I held such an ardent love for being in nature, found city life overwhelming, and social situations exhausting, my only logical solution as a child was that I was actually a fairy. So wearing the fairy wings and running around my backyard was such a fun way to spend my evenings.
As I've gotten older, I have noticed a growing movement to make play more nature-based. Some schools are entirely outdoors. I've heard of a local preschool in which it is held outdoors at various national parks around San Diego. Each week is a new park, and the teachers provide the tools to explore or play in the park. Many of the young moms I know are trying to provide a more natural aspect to their child's play. Whether that is allowing their child to play in mud (which I highly recommend) or encouraging their child to splash in rivers. My hope is that this nature-based play will continue to become more prevalent in our society. I find that exposure to nature is so important for the mind, body, and soul. By introducing our future generations to nature's beauty, we lower their cortisol and strengthen their fine and gross motor muscles. Lastly, we instill a long-term love for nature which encourages children to make more earth-conscious decisions later in life.
Play is not exclusive to childhood. According to this article from the Washington Post, as an adult, "play is a basic human need as essential to our well-being as sleep." Play helps us cope, process information, keep our brains healthy, and it allows us to experience more joy in our lives. I hope that each of you takes time this week to play-- whatever that looks like for you. For me, I will probably be painting and embroidering this week. Who knows, maybe I'll even bake a cake.
Hello Itze, You are like me. I grew up in a very rural settings where goats, chickens and sheeps hold sway, although from the other side of the ocean (Africa). I can perfectly understand what are saying. I too I am "tied" to nature should I say. Very often I do take a long walk with my husband (a lover of nature) through a long trail surrounded by nature- it is kind of refreshing walking through the trail. As Mary Jo Putney rightly said, " what one loves in childhood stays in the heart forever."
ReplyDeleteHikes are the best! I live in an apartment now, but I find that a beautiful hike in my local national park provides the same refreshment as the nature of my childhood.
DeleteI live in the country and my uncle is my neighbor. He had goats, chickens, rosters, rabbits, dogs, and hogs we were never able to go near. I loved playing with the animals. Riding the dogs backs and chasing the chickens we my favorite. I did not play with the bunnies a lot. They always escaped from my arms and it's hard trying to catch a rabbit.
ReplyDeleteBunnies are definitely hard to catch! I prefer playing with dogs too. We had 7 in my house growing up. All rescue pups too. My step-dad would hear about the dog's tragic backstory and immediately want to take them home!
DeleteI absolutely love everything about your post! Your childhood play sounds like it was a blast! Being able to get fresh air and spend time with animals is amazing. My mother enjoyed climbing trees as a child, and she talks about it to this day. Thank you for sharing your childhood experiences with us!
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