Welcome to the June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor fun
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared their stories and tips for playing outside with kids. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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I often say that if Riley’s not dirty by the end of the day, I haven’t done my job properly. It gives me great satisfaction to see her cheeks flushed from being outdoors and her clothes and hands covered in dirt, mud or sand. I’m not particular.
It’s one of the reason we gave up our concrete shoe box, unlimited access to restaraunts and inner city conveniences for a house with a backyard in the middle of nowhere. I exaggerate. It’s not the middle of nowhere. It’s regional – somewhere in between suburban and country and it’s about a 2 hour drive to the city. I know it was the right decision, because I have an outside girl on my hands. I think she would have gone not so quietly mad in the tiny paved courtyard outside our old place.
We are lucky in that not only do we have a decent sized backyard, but we are also walking distance from a park on the lake with a good walking track. We never want for activities to do outside. It’s returning home that’s the problem.
And I have to say our current season, Winter, is my favourite for playing outdoors. There’s puddle jumping, stamping about, the extra slippery slide at the park, and the extra noisy waterfall. But mostly, Riley’s favourite thing to do outside is to go back and forth across an old wooden bridge.
I am committed to her being barefoot as often as possible before she becomes consumed by uniforms and suits. Because nothing beats the feeling of dew on your feet or sand between your toes. And the sense of wonder little ones seem to experience outside is well worth tramping about in the winter cold.
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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
- Garden Treats — Asha at Mom Costume has once again been bitten by the gardening bug — and this time her baby’s tagging along for some fresh air and dirt exploration. (@titbagsandsnoot)
- Outdoor Free Roam — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting follows her daughter’s lead whenever they go outside. (@mamapoekie)
- Summer fun in Austin with a toddler — Jessica at This Is Worthwhile is brainstorming ways to beat the heat in Texas. (@tisworthwhile)
- summer fun… — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children is looking forward to spending the summer outside with her children the way she used to spend summers with her mother.
- Outdoor Fun for Pre-Walkers — Maman A Droit has figured out ways to let her pre-walker enjoy the outdoors. (@MamanADroit)
- Summer Homeschool Fun at Camp Review — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now discusses how Camp Review motivated and captivated her homeschooling family. (@DebChitwood)
- Digging, Tree Climbing and Puddle Jumping — Laura at Laura’s Blog bemoans the loss of her girls’ climbing tree but knows they’ll find something else just as naturally tempting.
- The Sweet Smells of Summer — Erin at A Beatnik’s Beat on Life is looking forward to the many smells of summer she and her daughters enjoy and identify. (@babybeatnik)
- June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor Fun — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker is a confirmed couch potato who can’t help but be inspired by the outdoor opportunities Seattle offers her family. (@sybilryan)
- Take a Hike — Michelle at The Parent Vortex connects with her family and the Earth on frequent hikes in their Pacific wilderness. (@TheParentVortex)
- Following Paul — Julie at Simple Life gives her kids unstructured time to dig in the dirt and pick mulberries. (@homemakerjulie)
- Instilling a Love of the Outdoors in Your Baby/Toddler — Tessasdad at Stay At Home Dad in Lansing offers a photo book of tips for helping your little ones enjoy the outdoors. (@tessasdad)
- Camping, baby! — Jen at Grow With Graces has easy tips for tent camping with a little one. (@growwithgraces)
- Think Outside the Easel for Summertime Fun — Acacia at Be Present Mama finds several ways to bring art fun to the outdoors.
- Outdoor Learning in our Urban Environment — Andrea at Ella-Bean & Co. has found ways to get grass between her daughter’s toes, even in the city.
- Outdoor Education — Alison at BluebirdMama offers parents tips and resources for making each outdoor excursion a learning experience. (@childbearing)
- Turning Inside Out — Christie of Childhood 101 finds kids get a kick out of taking indoor toys outside. (@Childhood101)
- Watching Peas Sprout — Deb at Science@home combines fun with purpose in this educational outdoor activity. (@ScienceMum)
- How To Create a Pirate Treasure Hunt & Other Easy Outdoor Pirate Activities (June Carnival of Natural Parenting) — Dionna at Code Name: Mama has pirate-themed play ideas for ye scurvy landlubbers. (@CodeNameMama)
- What We Do — Luschka at Diary of a First Child has managed to expose her 8-month-old to a wide variety of outdoor fun, even with the notoriously dreary UK weather. (@diaryfirstchild)
- Summer Fun — Darcel at The Mahogany Way finds her family’s visits to the beach refreshing in so many ways. (@MahoganyWayMama)
- Playing outside without a backyard — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes doesn’t let the lack of a backyard stop her family from enjoying the outdoors. There are plenty of things to do outside of your yard! (@sheryljesin)
- Having Fun Outdoors, Playset Free — Guavalicious at They Are So Cute When They Are Sleeping has resisted a backyard playset in favor of the regular backyard. (@guavalicious)
- Moon Gazing with your Toddler — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries is keeping her toddler up at night, but it’s for a good reason: to share the wonders of the night sky! (@babydust)
- the great outdoors — The grumbles at grumbles and grunts wonders whether her urban child can experience the same free-range childhood she enjoyed. (@thegrumbles)
- Let’s Take It Outside! — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing is looking for ideas: how can she spend time with her pre-walker outside this summer? (@BlkWmnDoBF)
- A home by the sea: June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor fun — Lauren at Hobo Mama is living her dream of a home near the beach, and taking full advantage of it. (@Hobo_Mama)
- An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak)
- Neighborhood Nature — Kelly at Kelly Naturally has learned to connect with the nature she has instead of mourning the nature she misses. (@kellynaturally)
- Building Lovely Memories of Swimming, Spiders and Gravestones — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch and her family are simply outdoorsy people. (@kitchenwitch)
- “Buh-Bye” Season — Danielle at born.in.japan must leave laundry behind and follow her son’s call to the outdoors. (@borninjp)
- Backyard Camping — Becoming Mamas took her family camping very close to home! (@becomingmamas)
- The Color of Dreams — Seeking Mother at Woman Seeking Mother makes gardening magical by teaching her son that each flower is a faery. (@seekingmother)
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I am an outdoor barefoot girl myself and though I LOVE the city, and visit frequently, there is something special about having the space to roam especially as a child whether it’s your own land or large parks, beach or forest.
And it’s true to experience the outside fully, you find traces of it on you everywhere. I’m not one generally to complain about sand caught in all of the crevices, I like to carry my environs but my husband is OCD and likes to see Sash clean and fresh after his time outside. I’m feeling good after reading your post because as he scrubs he often comments, ‘looks like he had fun.” Perhaps dirt is a sign of a job done well.
I have had to *force* my husband and myself to actually encourage Kieran to get dirty. We are slightly clean-obsessed, and Kieran picked it up. It almost breaks my heart a little when he runs to me outside saying “my hands are dirty, mama!” So I have just started getting down into it with him and loudly praising the value of being dirty. “We’ll wash up later – get in the mud! It’s fun to get dirty!” I think he’s slowly getting it.
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
I am an outdoor barefoot girl myself and though I LOVE the city, and visit frequently, there is something special about having the space to roam especially as a child whether it’s your own land or large parks, beach or forest.
And it’s true to experience the outside fully, you find traces of it on you everywhere. I’m not one generally to complain about sand caught in all of the crevices, I like to carry my environs but my husband is OCD and likes to see Sash clean and fresh after his time outside. I’m feeling good after reading your post because as he scrubs he often comments, ‘looks like he had fun.” Perhaps dirt is a sign of a job done well.
I have had to *force* my husband and myself to actually encourage Kieran to get dirty. We are slightly clean-obsessed, and Kieran picked it up. It almost breaks my heart a little when he runs to me outside saying “my hands are dirty, mama!” So I have just started getting down into it with him and loudly praising the value of being dirty. “We’ll wash up later – get in the mud! It’s fun to get dirty!” I think he’s slowly getting it.
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
I think my girls are going quietly mad in our unit with the tiny paved courtyard. Luckily we have a large park with a duck pond, walking tracks and playground near us.
But the best is when we can visit my parents interstate, they live on the beachfront and we can go walking barefoot in the sand just like your picture. It is so special.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lauren Wayne, Zoey Martin. Zoey Martin said: And for #CarNatPar – An Outside Girl http://bit.ly/cT1yGI [...]
I love this post!! My girls just love to get dirty – especially my youngest, who rubbed sauce all through her hair today and was very proud of herself for doing so.Playing out in the yard is their favourite thing to do and, while my husband doesn’t lik them getting dirty, I am glad I let them because it brings them such pure joy.
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
yes yes yes! i was a 100% barefoot little girl, i miss it so much. my husband still complains to this day that i can’t keep my shoes on. there’s something so fabulous about feeling the changes in the ground and getting your toes dirty.
My daughter LOVES to be barefoot too, and it can be quite a struggle to get socks and shoes on. But I know the freedom and feeling of mud and grass between your toes is really great, so I let her go barefoot as much as possible, saving shoes for when we really need them.
very cute.
I love that your daughter is wearing a pink tulle skirt at the beach!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lauren Wayne, Dionna Ford. Dionna Ford said: There will be time for uniforms & suits later; let kids play now! @zoeyspeak http://bit.ly/cDnJnu #CarNatPar [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
Sounds like a great place to be a kid! My baby is only 10 months old and still eats everything, so we don’t let him get tooo dirty yet. And he refuses to crawl on grass. But I’m sure as he gets bigger he’ll love playing outside and getting filthy! I ran cross-country myself and there’s something sort of liberating about being in the woods, covered in mud.
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
Your backyard and access to parks and a lake and a trail sounds wonderful! What a wonderful place to grow up. And I agree that the dirtier my son is by the end of the day, the more fun he has had!
I so agree. It breaks my heart to hear other parents at my daughter’s kindergarden get upset with their kids about getting wet or dirty playing in the grass while they wait for their teacher. I outwardly allow and encourage it.
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
[...] An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak) [...]
There’s nothing like the outdoors for a day of fun. I hate it when my kids are glued to their playstation or computer all day.
Hi! Stopping by from Aussie Mummy Bloggers. Great blog.
Have a nice day!
Love the beautiful writing and that gorgeous picture!
We’ve been surprised at how much our little guy needs to get outdoors every day. He’ll probably still end up kind of a couch potato like his parents, but he gets unmistakably antsier and out of sorts as the day winds on if he hasn’t been out in the fresh air. So, yes, it doesn’t matter what season it is — out we go!
I’m trying to get us used to being dirty as well. I like that every time I pick him up from preschool, he’s usually got paint on his clothes (washable paint, thankfully) — it shows he’s been doing something fun. I’m trying to train myself to be accepting of dirt and sand as well! That’s what the washing machine’s for, after all.