It’s a scary world out there these days. And not just because ghosts and goblins rule in October. From angry people who do actual harm to the unending war of words that bombards us, it’s not a pretty world we’re raising our children in.

At Nearby Nature we often find ourselves thinking things would be much better if people would just follow our three simple rules: be safe, be kind, and be curious.

For kids, rules are an everyday fact of life. And for good reason. Children are precious, and as we say at Nearby Nature, the most important thing is - everyone comes back with all their arms and legs attached!

But rules can also be confusing, hard to remember, too numerous, or imposed without context. You probably remember this from your own childhood. When rules aren’t fair or well thought out, kids ignore them, make bad choices, and suffer the consequences.

The beauty of Nearby Nature’s simple rules (which by the way are up for adoption!), is that they can be expanded upon when necessary — for example, an instructor might say today BE SAFE means we’re gonna stay to the right on the bike path — or they can simply be a lens through which we challenge kids to evaluate their actions independently. Was it KIND when I stomped on that spider? Was I being CURIOUS when I refused to try that new game? Was it SAFE when I didn’t drink any water on our long summer hike?

When kids are asked to think about, rather than mechanically follow rules, they’re much more likely to take personal responsibility for their actions and maybe not need quite so much reminding to be safe, kind, and curious next time around.

While be safe, be kind, and be curious are particularly good rules for exploring the outdoors with kids, they can be equally well used at home. Is it safe to leave your pokey Legos all over the floor? Is it kind to call your sister a toad? Are you being curious when you refuse to take even one teeny-tiny taste of your vegetable soup? The list goes on!

Now, if only adults could take a look through that same safe, kind, and curious lens. Imagine if we all made choices that were SAFE for our communities, used words that were KIND, and were CURIOUS about people who don’t look or live like we do? That feels like a recipe for a world that wouldn’t feel quite so scary as the one we live in right now.

For some safe, kind, and curious seasonal fun, join us at Nearby Nature’s annual Haunted Hike in Alton Baker Park on October 19th. There you’ll safely meet our costumed night critters (who are more kind than scary) and leave curious to learn more! Find more info in Oregon Family Magazine’s online calendar.