What is nature play?
Nature play is about letting children of all ages experience the freedom of limitless imagination. Unlike structured forms of play, nature provides an amazingly abundant source of “props”: water, trees, bugs, flowers, twigs, logs, places to sit, things to climb, things to smell, touch, taste. Nature changes, nature interacts, nature is profound, nature is calming, nature is frightful, nature protects, nature warns, nature reveals a sense of self - a connection to something larger. Nature breeds creativity. Nature fosters poets, musicians, scientists, engineers, compassion, problem solving, introspection.
Most of all, nature is reflected in our capacity for wonder.
In his ground breaking book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv explains that “For children, nature comes in many forms. A newborn calf; a pet that lives and dies; a worn path through the woods; a fort nested in stinging nettles; a damp, mysterious edge of a vacant lot - whatever shape nature takes, it offers each child an older, larger world... Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it... It serves as a blank slate upon which a child draws and reinterprets the culture’s fantasies. Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses. Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in a creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of that confusion... In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy... a separate peace.”
Learn more about the Parks Foundation Nature Play Initiative
Check out the Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Nature Play web page
