A lot of the time it is hard to know how to start things. Like changing a habit or how we can get more outdoor time. Finding an outdoor program or occasional family trip to nature is a good start, but let’s make a point to discover the everyday nature first; that local park or ravine in your community. Little explorers are not born to skiing on Whistler or hiking the Rocky Mountains. Exploring starts in your neighborhood, in your backyard and in the many natural space you can find around you.
Organizing outdoor playgroups
Debra, Mari, Kristen and Cinza are all organizing outdoor playgroups in their communities in Toronto. Free and open to anyone who wants join. Why do they do it? Debra organizes so she makes sure that she has one set day that she gets out of the house. Mari is an active woman and loves to spend time outside. Her passion in life is skiing and wants to meet like minded parents and kids. Designer Kristen has a quite connection to nature that she wishes to foster in her children. She is a walker and loves to discover bugs and create nature art Cinza is a new mom and a runner who looks forward to connecting with other moms for a high energy stroller tour around her neighborhood.
Grassroots without any rules
Outdoor playgroups get organized differently for individual reasons. Some have one activity when they meet while others are constantly changing. An outdoor playgroup is not meant to be a program or service to any particular parent, it is suppose to be a place where parents discover nature, play together and build connections between parents, their kids and nature. It is not any different than a indoor playgroup, other than it is just The beauty of an outdoor playgroup is that it is inherently grassroots. There are no rules how you are to do it.
At Activekidsclub.com we like to believe we are living dangerously when we live our motto no bad weather, only bad clothing. Basically we see ourselves as a part of nature and bad weather is… well it is natural.
Making sure that you get your outdoor time
Whether you love to be outside or maybe just want to live healthier and give your kids some much needed green time, being part of an outdoor playgroup is an excellent way to make sure that you get your daily nature time. It is more fun in groups. As an added bonus, it can create friendships among both the kids and the parents.
Wanna start an outdoor playgroup where you live?
Join Debra, Mari,Cinza and Kristen here at Activekidsclub.com and start your own outdoor playgroup. Collectively we know a thing or two about organizing a group and what to do outside so we have created some useful tools for you. We bet you have lots of other ideas that we would of never though of without your input. Together we can move mountains.
Kari Svenneby is the founder of Activekidsclub.com .–Discovering the wonder of nature with kids and adults .Get inspired with simple solutions.Let’s play
With three boys roughly equally spaced I often get the impression that I’ve been here done this before. Not just with clothes, which is inevitable. But with behaviours and play activities.
The first time my oldest threw himself on the floor and let us know how he felt I was stunned, embarrassed and lost. Fast forward the middle one, we could smile and had a few options up our sleeve and now the youngest tried for a week then gave up ( Well right now he’d rather climb than tantrum). We still get thrown a loop don’t get me wrong. Each child is unique and brings a little something the other one didn’t so there is still the challenge but I feel my confidence has grown with each child.
I think play activities can catch you like this too.
We can get a bit like a deer in the headlights. So many options and that crippling tiredness.
Apart from the obvious reach fors. Here are some activities we’ve loved over the years.
5 ways to overcome the play activity blues
If it’s not working, it’s not working try something else
You child may not be ready for crafts, playing by themselves, not creating a mess, always dumpsthe Legos, sit for anything like you expected. Not everyday needs to be a fight. Try something else and come back. Development may happen in steps. I see my children skip steps and fall down the steps all the time. Keep heading toward the goal but don’t get discouraged along the way. My child won’t do craft activities- what now? Childhood games
Repeat. If it worked before it is likely to work again
We all have those moments when the play activity goes well for them, you and the universe. Then we forget what we did or what happened exactly and it’s like a moment of loss. Keep a record of successful activities so when we have, “one of those days” we can try something we know worked well before. That’s not to say it will work well again but we know it did….once.
Getting stuck in a rut is easy. We love routines. Buy the same cereal and coffee. Unless something jumps out at us like a Sale or Advert we’re pretty much creatures of habit. All good except sometimes even we get bored. Trying something new requires more work but the rewards are usually right behind.
If you love reading but 2 hours of reading to your little one is getting old even though you had decided it was what you wanted to do. Try using an Audio story. Love reading yourself but too tired to read at night try a non fiction audio book or parenting podcast.
Change the way you think about play activities. They maybe learning experiences but they need to be fun. Remind yourself of what learning is happening when the button won’t stick with the glue stick ( problem solving). Is our reaction to go and get the white glue or rescue the child? Once you’re retrieved the thrown button and everyone is calmer. What happens next? That lovely activity cut lovingly from the magazine is now a big old mess of high emotions and high expectations but the opportunity to grow socially and emotionally should not be forgotten. Could you change the activity to a science one of investigation, think on your feet? An essential adult skill is the ability to work through problems logically, the knowledge to know when to walk away from situations that are frustrating or dangerous and knowing how to check our feelings. Tell our boss they are a dumb idiot maybe what we want to say, at times but we learn that doesn’t keep us our job and saying something else would have got the same point across.
I guess I’m saying that many times it will be the things you learn as you go along over the end product especially in the Early years. We can help our little guys and appreciate without belittling their efforts.
There will be three interviews this week all short ones because we’re all so busy.
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We are coming up to the end of the year. So do you think we managed more outdoor play?
I have mentioned here before during this year about my struggle with getting enough outdoor play in with all the children. It was on our must improve list this year. Anyone I saw who was doing this I was always asking, ‘How do you get them ( the kids) outside and staying outside?”.
I looked for blogs to follow and connected with a lot of people via #playoutdoors on Twitter. They inspire me and never once judged me for my failings as a mum. Maybe they are commonsense notions for many but previously it just didn’t happen on anything like a regular basis.
Over the year slowly we have been going out more and if you compare my posts this year to last year you’ll have seen a big increase in the outdoor activities we have tried.I have enjoyed the focus on this area. It has been hard for me too to get the right frame of mind to be outside. We have a small garden that slopes, a dog and no space to do much. I have had to adjust my thinking and use what we have more effectively. It’s not been easy but the children really love it.
Connecting with all those talented people and surrounding myself with their ideas rubs off.
When you write about play activities you can give the impression that you know everything but I don’t. I’m a mum who likes to try a variety of play activities with her children that are fun, engaging and have many outcomes. I make mistakes, pick myself up and try again in a different way.
As we close out this year, I know that 2010 will bring some unique challenges with three children and being a married military spouse. I don’t claim to know or do it all. But what I do do I share freely with you all, warts and all.
I know we all have our hang ups about play somewhere, something we don’t do or find hard to do with or for our kids.
How do you overcome? Where did/do you go for support?
Childhood is all about play through imagination, curiosity and no responsibilities….
A while back, I answered a letter about encouraging imaginative play in a reluctant player. The focus then was about interacting, initiating and encouraging play by being present and very active in your child’s play. This highly structured play is good for getting things going and warming everyone up. But eventually you want them to fly solo. Today I have followed up with 9 ways to encourage imaginative play that is more unstructured. Less input from us and more input from them. Depending upon their age and stage you can adapt what you do.
Puppets
Bring some excitement, awe and wonder with a variety of puppets. Children are fascinated with puppets. Once they have a few of their own they soon get the hang of how to use them. There are so many different types;Hand puppets, finger puppets, sock puppets and Marionettes for the older ones. Puppet shows are easy to put on with a box or behind a chair. Using puppets is a fun way of expressing emotions to young children as well as them expressing themselves. Tony the tiger can be quite naughty or can be upset and share his secret. Zoo and museum stores have a good selections of hand puppets that aren’t commercial so the children can have more adventures than with branded puppets. Fireman Sam or Bob the builder puppets are a start but a firefighter or builder puppet is much better.
Finger plays
Take imagination to a whole new level with finger plays. Once your children realise they can use their own body to make animals and create movement with two little Dicky birds sitting in a row they can truly imagine what they can’t see. We love finger plays for queues and lines because it keeps our hands occupied and our attention focused. Action rhymes fall into this same category because you can get big rhymes like, What’s that we see up in the attic it is an elephant……. The fun, laughter and acting you have with these plays fosters a closeness and bonds you all together. Babies love the finger plays you can do on them like round and round the garden. Toddlers and preschoolers have an insatiable appetite for repeating new ones over and over again. By Kindergarten they have a huge amount to draw on they are making up finger plays themselves.
Tents, forts, castles and princesses. This is what childhood is all about. Sheets are great because they are easy to find( easy to clean). The price is reasonable and the play value unlimited. Getting a variety of material types inspires different ways of playing. Having a collection that varies accoding to size, texture, colour, shape, and pattern will encourage a variety of play ideas. Taking the material outside to drape from trees. charity shops are a great place for finding a variety as well as off cuts in fabric shops. The fabric scraps are great for making projects when you need a small piece of felt, rayon, silk, netting etc.
Books & poetry
Finding books that highlight imaginative play between characters can encourage your child to start doing the same. We all know how children love to imitate. There are books like You Choose!Poetry is especially good at taking everyday routines and making the magical in a way a story just can’t. We’ve had many a conversation about poetry long after we’ve read the story because the image really stuck in their mind.
Costume boxes & charity shops
Starting a costume box needn’t be an expensive thing to do. You need the most easily adapted clothes. Many a time the kids can raid our closets. There are plenty of items in charity shops or after Halloween sales. Borrow and swap with friends to change your dressing up box. There are many commercial dressing up clothes of TV characters both sexes will love as well as the generic Chef, wizard, princess. Children do love the security of dressing up as their favourite character- it is familiar and they know just how to act. The knack is having a few other things in there to encourage them to be who ever they want. Some need a little guidance and others just fly with it.
Playdates
Once they are passed the parallel play stage, it is like all of a sudden they realise they have a playmate who can do exactly what they want. Playdates with friends are a sure way of trying a new ways of playing. The other child has read, experienced and has different toys so this shapes how they play. The same for you. We’ve found this is an excellent way of getting out the imagination funk we can get into; playing the same games, activities and the same characters. Playdates introduce new scenarios.
Music
We recently bought a Putumayo kids CD. Our favourite track: #2 Luc Leandry • Votez Zouk • (Guadeloupe) . You can listen to it on the site and see why we love it!
Depending upon which song is playing you can tell the difference in their play and movement. It’s funny to watch. It’s true of all music it changes our mood and inspires us in different ways. Experiment with music from different cultures ( Latin, French, Celtic, Japanese, African) and different genres ( jazz, instrumental, world, classical) Music can calm but it can inspire movement, contemplation, dance, transport you to another time and place plus help with concentration. It is all too easy to use music for calming but rocking out is great on a day when you’re stuck inside.
Playhouses, treehouses, or the forest
Being outdoors gives a whole new dimension to imaginative play especially if they can have a part of the garden to themselves. Playhouses and treehouses are fun additions. During the summer sunflower homes make a welcome shade and lovely place to hide. Fairy friends come out to play along with their special houses. The wide open space gives the chance to develop larger ideas as well as act out familiar stories like Red riding hood, Snow white, Hansel and Gretel etc.
Natural objects
A stone or a rock can be anything you want it to be right now from a piece of buried treasure found washed up on a beach to the last piece of bread for the poor old lady; the magic coin……. helping your child to see how adaptable natural objects are is easy if you allow them plenty of opportunity to play with them. Treasure basket play for the babies and young toddlers is one introduction. Preschoolers soon take up sticks and use them for many different purposes. Books can become fortifications. specific toys for imaginative play are great additions to any home but children can easily get hung up on not having all the ‘right’ things. Natural objects take that feeling away. Plastic plates and 10 cube blocks give a mouthwatering meal and dessert.
What’s your 1oth way to encourage imaginative play?
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Poetry is especially good at taking everyday routines and making the magical in a way a story just can’t. We’ve had many 
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