First Words Summer 2017 | Page 29

Nature Play is… Every week

Repetition makes connections stronger, so it makes sense to keep repeating the experience of being ‘surrounded by nature’ to create a love and first hand knowledge of nature and the earth that we live on.

Nature Play is… All weather

Nature offers a host of experiences and different weather is a large part of that; the sound of the wind in new leaves, the smell of wet undergrowth, the taste of wild blackberries. A change in conditions can provide a whole new play experience in the same spot.

Nature Play is… All seasons

The changing seasons can influence the mind and body. What better way to understand the seasons than to experience them, to observe them, to feel them, to be a part of them as much as they are you?

Nature Play is… Free

Nature is available to everyone; a first-hand connection to the earth is every child’s right. Nature Play is free. By keeping this group free we are making it available to everyone in the area. Nature is always there, nature does not 'close' for the day, and admission is always free.

It is our hope that our children will keep this close bond with nature they develop at Nature Play, and that they will pass it on to their children, who will pass it on to their children, and on and on...

In order for our children to bond with nature and the earth, they must spend time outside.