How to bring nature play home

April 3, 2020

Time spent with nature is a prescription for better physical and mental health. Families can encourage nature play at home both in the home and outdoors. Here are 6 ways to recreate some of the areas at the Gaffield Children’s Garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at home.

At home, indoors:

Allow fort building using materials at hand.

At home, outdoors:

· Allow fort building play using found or collected natural materials.

· Climb trees.

· Build balance beams or seesaws.

At home, indoors:

Forage small items on outdoor walks then use them inside when building tiny homes for imaginary creatures.

At home, outdoors:

Use found natural objects to build tiny homes or villages for imaginary creatures.

At home, indoors:

Grow plants on window sill or in containers.

At home, outdoors:

· Cultivate a garden or a couple of food plants in containers on a balcony.

· Consider joining a local community garden.

· Let your child choose a food plant to grow.

At home, indoors:

· Listen to rain and make music with it.

· Use bubble play, water-pouring play.

At home, outdoors:

Make mud, mud pies, earthworks, and riverworks play.

At home, indoors:

Arrange flowers purchased at a market or bodega.

At home, outdoors:

Grow flowers in backyard or on balcony; notice whether the flowers draw insects.

At home, indoors:

· Do a “window watch”: Look out the window together in search of something living- birds, insects, trees, even stars.

· Older kids might enjoy “citizen science” recordkeeping by creating written logs with lists.

At home, outdoors:

· Take walks in the neighborhood, schoolyards, parks, to the bus stop. Look for things that are living and let your child direct conversations and interactions.

· Look for “signs of spring,” etc.

· Lead a worm rescue or test puddles on rainy days.

· Organize a family nature play group.