A sacred place to call ...

I was talking with a friend a few days ago about the reasons why engaging in unstructured, outdoor play is beneficial to children and adults' well-being. I started listing some of those benefits such as:

Cognitive benefits:
-Studies have found that children who engage in outdoor play are better at problem solving because, play integrates planning, organizing, sequencing, and decision making. All those are higher-level skills that are required for later academic success, and everyday life.

Socio-Emotional benefits:
Children who play outdoors are more likely to engage in play with other children which gives them opportunities  to feel that they belong and are affiliated to something and/or others. Also, during play outdoors children practice how to create friendships, help each other, lead activities, and follow others. This play does not only have to happen with other children; siblings, parents and other adults play a huge role helping children develop these necessary skills which are the basis for school success and relationships with others during childhood, and adult years. How can our children be successful at building relationships with friends, coworkers, and neighbors in their adult years if they don't get a chance to practice those skills as children?

I was a bit surprised at my friends response to my comments. She agreed that my ideas about outdoor play were good, and that I do spend a lot of quality time outdoors. However, she considered that most adults do not have realistic opportunities to be outdoors as much as we do. This made me wonder if most people feel the way she feels and if so why? Her response was that there are not many safe places where she would be willing to bring her kids and that most places had a fee that can be hard on a family budget.

Because of this conversation I decided to share with you a few of my near home sacred places that keep me connected with nature, sane and active. All those places are 100% kid friendly, free, and offer lots and lots of fun adventures and opportunities for fun discoveries.

The closest place is our front and back yard.

Here we have planted some butterfly bushes, sage, rosemary and lavender .... These plants attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, ladybugs, .... We watch these insects feed around our garden and have learned so much about their life cycles and how seasons affect what we see. Also, when I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, I go out and water the plants. This is not a place to participate in strenuous physical activity, but it is a place were adults and kids can interact with nature and feel a connection.

Our back yard has veggies that vary based on the season and we enjoy watching the veggies grow, learning about how the weather affects them, and picking fresh produce for our meals.

In this picture you can see the beginning stages of lettuce, celery, broccoli, and multicolored chard. Yummy!














Sutter's Landing  is a safe place away from cars where children can run, build sand castles and see nature all around. It is just a few blocks from Midtown.











American River and Sacramento River connect very close to midtown at the Sacramento
River Parkway area.  There are many green areas that can be access, the river is right there and you can always see boats, birds, fish, ducks, kayaks, and more.
             

In this picture we were following dinosaur tracks ;-) 

Paradise Beach is one of my favorite places. I drive my car here, but it offers many areas to run, ride bikes, fish, find shells and treasures, watch the ducks... your imagination is the limit! I go to have picnics there and each trip brings new fun adventures where we meet new people and dogs each time! By the way, you don't need to bring toys here, the children will find plenty of entertaining things to play with and explore.

Mather Vernal Pools. A place where children and adults can learn about wild flowers, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, and enjoy being in a beautiful place! Sacramento Splash has tours to the vernal pools April 8-29th. Visit their website for info about this tour and many other programs they offer http://www.sacsplash.org/

You don't need to go far or spend any money to have unstructured, fun play and interact with nature. All you need to do is explore your city and find a place to call your own.

What places do you visit or plan to visit to give you and your children outdoor play time?

May your day be full of laughter and fun adventures!

Silvia