Guest Post: Caroline Webster

“Be careful, there’s a dragon in the back garden…”

… So my young daughter told me recently. Off we set, bravely looking for the evidence. And we found it too.  Dragon poo (large palm seeds dropped by a wayward bird), stomped upon plants (the late night frolicking of our puppies) and a mark on the outdoor table – made by the beating wings of said dragon (remnants of potting mix) were, to my daughter’s mind, irrefutable evidence that a dragon had taken up residence in an average suburban back garden in Sydney.

We spent several hours concocting a truly awesome (and awful) potion to control the antics of this dragon.  An array of objects was harvested from the garden, the laundry and the pantry.  Think washing-up liquid, dog biscuits, food dye, sticks, leaves, soil, bits of carrot, flower petals, the odd sultana and you get a pretty clear picture of the potency of this potion.

What I enjoyed so much about this play session was that my daughter conceptualized, instigated and managed the entire play process.  She led it in its entirety. I was a mere passenger on her creative whirligig – and what a fun ride it was!

I revel in fostering the imagination of a child. Left to explore and discover in an unstructured way outside, you can almost hear their beautiful, creative minds whirring with delight as they hop from one thing to another; touching, smelling, crushing, tasting, questioning, listening, chatting – discovering.  The positive bond they form with nature by doing this will reap incalculable benefits as they move toward adulthood.

When I wrote Small Fry Outdoors, it was very important to me to share my belief that imagination can be fostered in the simplest of places when Mother Nature provides the backdrop.  It doesn’t take huge effort, you need very few props and other than observing commonsense, there need be very few rules.

The best starting place for very young children is their own back garden.  It doesn’t matter the size.  Whether your ‘personal patch’ is a sprawling urban space, small courtyard, balcony or the expanse of a rural property, there’s fun to be had everywhere – your child just needs to know ‘how’ to look.

Here are some ideas you might like to try to kick start your child’s beautiful imagination:

• Start a nature box.  Encourage your child to look for quirky bits and pieces found in nature and pop them into a box or old cake tin for use in a found collection, nature journal or craft activities.

• Start a vegie patch, or if space is limited try growing plants in an old toy, wooden box or pot plant on a balcony or verandah. To begin with, choose ‘fail safe’ plants such as Rocket, lettuce, pumpkin, tomatoes or marigolds to avoid disappointment.

• Go hunting for dragons, fairies and other mystical creatures.  By mixing the imaginary with the real, your child will be mesmerized.

• Take the indoors out.  Grab a book, some colouring pencils, a tea set, Lego (whatever takes your child’s fancy) and play together in the cool shade of your favourite tree.

• Go hunting for some funky stones or pebbles and start a Pet Rock collection.

• If you can manage it, try going for a walk together every day.  You’d be surprised just how far little legs can go all the while chatting happily about what they see, hear and smell.

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All images in this post are copyright and used with the kind permission of Caroline Webster and Katrina Cook.

Caro Webster is a freelance writer, author, fanatical gardener, foodie and a passionate believer in the magic of being outdoors & encouraging lots of unstructured play for children.  She has worked in a variety of industries including advertising, politics, benevolent organizations and publishing, but says writing and being ‘Mum’ to two outdoor warriors suits her best.  She is currently working on a second book about the power of imagination.  She lives in Sydney with her husband and two young children.  You can find her on twitter @salisburydowns or check out the Small Fry website.

You can buy her book here, or enter this comp to win a copy!