Ever wish your yard or school outdoor space was just a little more fun for your kids? When you send them out to play, do they run out of things to do more quickly than you would like? Want to make changes, but not into spending tons of money? If all this rings true for you, then it’s time to naturalize your landscape!

Here at Nearby Nature, we call our outdoor space in Alton Baker Park the Learnscape. One of only two certified “Nature Explore” classrooms in Oregon (see certified.natureexplore.org), our home base is SO much more than a manicured lawn. Once a lumpy and hard-to-mow grass-scape, today our “yard” is a magical medley of named gardens, natural playscapes, picnic spots, and learning spaces.

When kids visit Nearby Nature for a program, they love making stick forts in the Nature’s Builders area and crawling through leafy twig tunnels in the Nest. On warm days, they balance on tree rounds next to River Run or make mud pies at the Dig Inn Dirt Box. During the growing season, kids crunch on carrots they pull from the Edible Schoolyard or pluck plums for a picnic in the Food Forest. No matter where a child wanders in our space, they are enchanted.

So how can you introduce some of this magic into your space? Try a few of these simple projects.

·      Add tree rounds to your yard. When a friend cuts down a tree and has some slices left over, grab them! Dig holes and sink your stumps into the soil so they are stable. Jumping from round to round helps kids learn to balance and allows them to take fun risks with their bodies, but not actually endanger themselves. Tree rounds also make great tea party tables!

·       Create a space for messing with mud. A plastic tub or an unused raised bed is perfect place for making mud pies in old pots and getting hands dirty. Digging in the soil and carrying around those heavy concoctions are also physically demanding activities that help little ones who want to move all the time focus their energy in a constructive way.

·       Let kids tunnel and build. Make part of your space okay for building forts and creating hidey holes. Let kids tunnel under the bushes or give them a pile of branches for building. Kids love secret spaces where they can disappear into imaginary worlds of their own creation.

·       Grow something yummy. Whether in a garden or simply in pots on the porch, give kids a way to connect with their food. Easy to grow edible flowers, snap peas, or cherry tomatoes will all give kids something tasty to smile about as they snack.

Have some fun with this and before you know it, you will have transformed your space from dull to dynamic. And your kids will never want to come inside again! (For more ideas, check out Nearby Nature’s Learnscape – nearbynature.org/about-us/learnscape.)

 

—Beth Stein is the Executive Director of Nearby Nature, a non-profit education group dedicated to fostering appreciation of nature nearby and providing tools for ecological living. Nearby Nature hosts summer daycamps, after school care, preschool activities, no school day programs, special events, and restoration projects. For more information, call 541-687-9699 or see nearbynature.org.