Welcome to Joyful Toddlers!

This space is about increasing our enjoyment of the young children in our lives through concrete action and by adjusting the lens through which we view them. My work comes out of LifeWays, which is inspired by Waldorf education. I welcome your comments, and questions about increasing your enjoyment of the children in YOUR life.

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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Time to Play Outside!

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          Spring has truly sprung, and in many places, summer is in full swing (unless you're in the southern hemisphere, of course!).  Let me take a minute to inspire you, or re-inspire you, to spend lots and lots of time outside with your children!  The outdoors is stimulating in all the right ways for young kids.  There are interesting things on every level, and everywhere you look there is something new.  Sunlight changes and wind changes and humidity changes, and they affect our whole bodies, but in a gentle way.  Even on days with intense weather, dress appropriately and go outside!  On a VERY windy day, you and your child can be birds, running and soaring through the gale.  On rainy days, the worms come up and the robins go down.  The dirt turns to mud and everything becomes slippery.  Allow your child to experience all of these things, both with you, and (as much as possible) on his own.
          If your child is not used to spending lots of time outside, it may take him a little while to get used to it.  But it's worth it, on every level!   I find that the more time I spend outdoors with kids, the better and nicer our indoor time is.  I find that the more time we spend outdoors, the more easily they go down for nap.  I find that the more time we spend outdoors, the less picky the children are about their food.  And I find that the more time we spend outdoors, the more magnanimous I feel.
          So, how to spend more time outdoors?  Well, build it into your day as a regular staple.  Go outside as early as possible, and stay out there as long as possible.  When the weather is nice, go outside twice a day!  Eat snacks or meals outside.  If there's a neighborhood park that you've always meant to spend more time at but only get to every few months, start going every day or every other day.
          Next, look at your own back yard, and figure out how you can make it a little more magical.  Yards become magical by having lots of texture, different spaces with different terrain, and lots of hidey-places.  Find a place where two fences meet, and curve a plastic trellis from Home Depot to make a little trellis house!  This one I did at Boulder Waldorf Kindergarten, and trained a grape vine over it.  The grapes would grow down through the holes.  Fantastic!

 Plant a bean teepee that's large enough for children to play inside.  Plant a blackberry patch.  Have a bushy area?  Cut the bottoms of the bushes up three or four feet, so that it turns into a living fort.  Make pathways out of paving stones or wood chips.  Put a row of stumps just about anywhere.  Get a pile of bricks for kids to build stuff with, or a pile of river-rocks.  A stump cut into 1-inch rounds make great stepping-stones, pathways, plates, boats for mice, and many other magical things.  But most of all, just do it!  The more time you spend outside, the better everyone feels.  Any corner of your yard that's not currently being used can be infused with energy by putting up a tent, tying a tarp overhead, planting a raised garden bed, piling up rocks, or anything that generates interest.  Be sure to bring snacks, and drink lots of water, and then put out a picnic blanket and lie back in the shade while your children explore.

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17 comments:

  1. Thanks for the wonderful ideas for natural play spaces. I love the pole bean tee pee!

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  2. I have been reading and using the tips provided in this blog for months. It really works. My spouse and I enjoy a very, very happy, content and at peace toddler. Love this blog.

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  3. Thanks for your kind words! I'm glad this is feeling helpful.

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  4. I love that fort, it is darling. Wonder what the neighbors would think about a grown woman playing in a natural fort like that? :D

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  5. I was wondering the same thing! ; )

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  6. Hello!
    Can you tell me vine you used on your teepee??? 😊
    Thanks bunches!

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    1. Sorry for the slow reply...they are Scarlet Runner Beans

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  7. What an AWESOME idea! I'm so excited reading about your tepee and can't wait to get my own girls involved in planting our own. Thanks so much sharing this. Found your project via Pinterest and am now following along, looking forward to reading more. :-)

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  8. Great! I like reading your blog. It is necessary to allow your kids to play outside because it makes them smarter which they learn the ways of the world.
    Piggyback Rider

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. The vine was sweet peas I believe.

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