Friday mornings, I meet up with a local mums group. It’s a nature play based group, and each week we meet at a designated location and let our kids run wild for a couple of hours.
The location changes from week to week, but usually it’s a local piece of public land, that has a creek running through it. Often there is a grassy bank, and the parents gather, spread a picnic blanket and let the kids play. We are encouraged not to bring toys, and I marvel at the ingenuity our little people show, in creating a new and exciting playground from the items at hand. How they allow their imaginations to run riot with the world surrounding them.
A stick becomes a sword, a wand, a snake, a tight-rope, a torch. A collection of them becomes a pretend fire, a nest, a house for fairy, a secret signal left for their friends. The possibilities really are endless. For this in particular, I’m thankful for this weekly meet up and the friendships I’ve forged with like minded parents as we encourage our kids, to just be kids.
I’m already day dreaming about Friday and the fun we’ll have.
Does your local area arrange something similar? Tell me about it in the comments. x
Nature Play Group – Letting Kids be Kids
