Connecting Deeply with Nature this Summer
Many of us are ‘re-wilding’ our gardens and urban spaces; that is, letting Nature take over with its riot of colours, sounds and scents.
Summer is a great time to re-wild our children too; allowing Nature to fill a part of every day, inviting your child to feel its thrill and inspiration; finding this in rivers, in the night sky, in insect life, in a shower of rain, in glimpses of wildlife, or just in going barefoot on different terrains.
Why? Because the UK’s Raising the Nation (Play Commission) says our children are growing up ‘sedentary, scrolling and alone’ due to a dramatic decline in play. The panel of experts, after a year investigating play and childhood in England, called this ‘the least happy generation’ we have on record. In schools in the Global West, we see an epidemic of anxiety and depression among our under-18s.
However, on school residential visits (colonias) to places deep in Nature, we see children and young adults happily forego mobiles and social media when they’re offered irresistible invitations to explore and discover- and to forge strong bonds with each other.
Here are some ideas to help you ‘wild’ your child, and, longer term, to raise ‘anti-fragile’ children- young people who are bold but wise risk-takers, moving through their world with confidence and curiosity.
- 50 Things to Do Before You’re 11 ¾ Print the poster here: https://familybreakfinder.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/english_a4_list_poster_final.pdf
Pin to your kitchen wall; your child can tick them off. Aim for one a day this summer!
- Another great checklist
https://www.ultimateactivity.co.uk/blog/Things-to-do-with-kids-this-summer
This includes some creative indoor activities for the hottest hours of the day.
- Local ideas in the Garraf area
- Pick blackberries and eat them! Along the Riera in Sant Pere de Ribes, best in August. Also figs from the wild fig trees growing along paths in the local area.
- Sketch the moon every night, and plot its waxing and waning.
- Visit a local farm such as Can Pere to see the goats and make cheese or help collect the honey: https://animaldreams.es/barcelona/sant-pere-de-ribes/granja-escola-can-pere/
- Go on a night UV walk: see wildlife / insect / plant life at night & reveal its bioluminescence. Buy a Darkbeam UV torch (£9.99; amazon.com) and see fungi and snails in all their glory.
- Go horse-riding at Tikkota, Canyelles: https://tikotta.com/hipica-sitges/esplais-con-caballos/ Or just visit their lovely refuge / hospital for abandoned horses.
- Go for a moonlit night walk on a country path with an adult but no torch- and discover your natural night vision.
- See and hear the peacocks sing at dusk at the lovely abandoned Masía dels Carçs on the road from school to Sant Pere: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DwKoe5a4iuc2m7f38
- Do the dramatic cliff walk along the sea from Sitges to Vilanova.
- Stargazing: lie in the garden or beach, using an app to spot and identify the various stars, constellations, and even planets. Also check the radar to see if there are any comets or stellar activity to look out for.
- Camp in the garden for a night.
- Make a picnic and take it to the woods to eat (Garraf natural park).
- Make a den / shelter in the woods out of fallen trees and sticks.
- Have an insect hunt: take magnifying glasses and find as many different insects as possible. Sketch / photograph them- then let them go!
- Outdoor movie night: set up a projector screen / a white sheet in the garden to make your own natural cinema!
- Visit the archeological site at Vilanova beach- book their wonderful digging experience for children / teens.
- Go crabbing at the Terramar Beach – and throw them back in.
- Go snorkelling and see the fish close up- Terramar and Aiguadolç Beaches.
- Go kayaking or paddleboarding at Terramar / Aiguadolç Beach.
- Go up into the Garraf natural park near Sitges / Ribes and follow some of the footpaths, collecting pine cones and fallen sticks to create a natural sculpture.
- Spot local birds: hoopoes, swallows, swifts, birds of prey, and draw / photograph them.
- Pick shells on the beach and make a mobile / necklace /collage / ephemeral art sculpture.
Enjoy wilding your child this summer!
Audrey
