AFGC President Jennifer Moreland encourages garden club members to “Go Wild! Go Green! Go Garden!” There are so many ways to go wild in your yard, but one way few people think about is helping children experience nature with hands-on experiences. Beautifully manicured lawns with walled flower beds are pretty, but they don’t offer children opportunities to experience nature first-hand. Hunting for bugs, playing in a mud puddle, and making mud pies, building a house out of sticks and leaves, chasing lizards, or jumping in a pile of dried leaves are experiences children need.
You can easily make a corner of your backyard a nature’s playground for your children or grandchildren to explore. Find a large, dried log or branch for the anchor piece of your playground. Add a pile of sticks for creative play. Dig a hole in the ground, fill it with water to create a place for kids to splash, get dirty and have fun. For more water fun, dig a hole and place a large metal bowl or plastic container in the hole, fill it with water, and your kids will have plenty of fun splashing! If you want to get fancy, you can purchase a small, rustic fountain for water play. Add sand or a sandbox for digging and imaginative play.
Plant a variety of flowering plants to attract butterflies and birds for your children to observe and admire. Hang a hummingbird feeder to attract hummers and perhaps an oriole or two. Plant a couple of tomato plants for easy picking. In summer, add a small plastic pool for children to splash, play in, and just rest and watch the beauty of nature happening around them. A nature’s playground provides a place where your grandchildren or children can play, explore nature, have hands-on fun, and go wild!
By Karen Bowen
AFGC Blog Manager
Photo 1 Kids outdoors games
Photo 2 Pinterest
Photo 3 Karen Bowen
Photo 4 Willtiptop.
Photo 5 Joyful Toddlers
