I love the headline too: Swing back to good old fun.  Couldn’t have said it better myself!  Even after receiving lots of lovely new things for Christmas, my kids are still happiest when they are monkeying around freely in the backyard.  This $12 rope ladder has provided hours of priceless fun and is still going strong after a year outside!

The front page pic is accompanied by a story and photo on page 5 about playscapes.  In the article, Rebekah Hurworth from Your Architect says, “… by incorporating sandpits, rockpools, cubby houses, reading areas and outdoor kitchen areas, children can spend hours entertaining themselves outside.”  If you are interested in natural playscapes, you might also like to read this great pdf fact sheet from Kidsafe.

You can see our sandpit, the dry creek bed and one of the bridges in the background, plus a bucket hanging from a pulley under the trees.  Our playscape is ever changing and growing, and always has something to offer.

What do your kids do in the backyard?  And what did YOU do outside as a kid??

PS – Yes, my kids usually have hats on outside

PPS – Yes, the architect is also my little sister

Two words: Erythrura gouldiae

This handsome guy is a Red headed (dilute mutation) Gouldian finch. Look at that colour!

Red headed Gouldians have a fiery reputation, and this one is certainly The Boss.

This lovely lady is a Black headed (normal) female Gouldian finch.

She is absolutely divine.

I also have a couple of cheeky Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

These two girls are totally BFFs.

*  *  *

I am completely in love.

I have been scouring second hand shops and sites for a while now, hoping to find a small sink for our much-loved dirt kitchen.  So, I was completely delighted to come across this discarded laundry tub recently.  I hadn’t considered a laundry tub, but the deep single trough is perfect for outdoor water play.  I also love the green colour which blends in fantastically with the dirt kitchen and surrounding trees.  (The kids’ needs come first in our playscape, but I’ll admit I still prefer the back yard not to be an eyesore!)

I thought about building a simple wooden structure to support the sink, but the kids were desperate to start using it so I propped it up on some bricks.  I made sure there was enough clearance underneath for the drain to flow freely, and the kids dug their own channel for the water to run out into the yard.  As it turned out, this has worked perfectly – so the bricks are staying for now!  The sink is tucked away beside the existing dirt kitchen, nestled between the trunks of a few big trees.

I’m pleased to report that the grand total for this project was only a couple of dollars.  Yep, the cost of a plug.  I could have spent a hundred dollars on a fancy plastic water table, but I doubt my munchkins would have any more fun with it than they do with this tub.

Please don’t be fooled into thinking you need to spend big dollars on your children.  Keep your eye out for “treasures” and just let your kids be kids outside.

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Like this post? You might also enjoy reading:

• Outdoor Chalkboards
• Backyard Letter Box
• Outdoor Multi Age Play

Although you can go on a bug hunt with nothing but a pair of eyes, kids often respond more enthusiastically when they have a few “tools” to use.  You might even like to make up a bug-kit for your child, with some of the following items.

• Magnifying glass – for looking up close. Even young kids enjoy the magic of magnification.
• Camera or smart phone – our tech savvy kids are quite used to having Mum’s phone on hand to take photos of interesting things!  This is a good way to let them have a go at taking photos independently.
• Notebook and pencil – older children may like to make a list (words or pictures) of the insects they find.
• Tweezers – not for bugs!! These can be useful for gently lifting up leaves and bark from the ground to reveal creatures hidden underneath.  Great activity for developing fine motor skills too.
• Bug catcher – Depending on what your kids find, they may want to put an insect into a bug catcher to observe more closely. Unless we are sure an insect is safe to touch, we put critters into the bug catcher by picking up the leaf or stick they are on, rather than picking up the bug.  I encourage my kids to release any creatures they have caught at the end of the day.

Activities like this also provide an opportunity for conversations about nature. Try asking some of these questions when your child discovers an interesting critter.  Remember that open ended questions require your child to think at a higher level, and create much richer discussions.

Simple Questions

• What colour is it?
• How many legs does it have?
• Where did you find it?
• Is it bigger or smaller than your fingernail?

Open Ended Questions

• Is it similar to any other bugs you have seen? In what way?
• If you were a scientist in charge of naming this creature, what would you call it?
• What do you think it eats? Why?
• What do you think might eat IT?
• Do you think the babies and adults of this bug look the same as each other, or different. Why do you think that?

Happy hunting!

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My kids don’t even know what a sprinkler is.  Water restrictions have been in place for years here in Queensland, and despite the odd flood or cyclone – the grass is still so brown and dry around Brisbane that it crackles under the kids’ feet.  So can you imagine how excited we are that water restrictions have been eased for a week?!

If it’s been a while since your kids enjoyed water play, try some of these ideas:

• Run through the sprinkler.  Make sure you move the sprinkler around the yard every so often so that the garden gets a good watering too.  And for those also in SE Qld, don’t forget that sprinklers do use a lot of water, and we still have to pay for the extra water we use this week.
• Washing up.  This is one of those tasks that mums detest and kids love.  Take a big bowl outside filled with water and a little dishwashing detergent.  Let the kids wash duplo blocks, playdough cutters, dolls, plastic cars, whatever you like. Just sit everything on a towel in the sun to dry.
• Water fights.  Depending on the age of your kids, you might like to try soaking each other with spray bottles, water pistols, water balloons or even just the hose.  Kids love it when parents get involved too.
• Water walls.  I have seen several posts (via Let The Children Play) and pinterest pics lately featuring water walls.  I think my kids would really enjoy the challenge of designing their own wall somewhere outside.
• Free creative play.  Often the best fun is the fun you make yourself.  Simply put out an assortment of objects and a large container of water, or hose with a trigger nozzle, and see what your kids come up with!  They are bound to entertain themselves.
• Bring back the slip’n'slide!  (Just remember that little bodies cope with slippin’ and slidin’ far better than grownup bodies.  A trip down memory lane could result in a trip to the hospital.)

What other water activities do your kids enjoy?  Share in the comments below so that we can all try them!

I enjoyed talking to Allan about how outdoor play has changed over the last couple of generations.  Gone are the days of all kids climbing trees.  Gone are the monkey bars from playgrounds.  Gone are the games of cricket in the street with the neighbourhood kids.  And gone are the mums who say, “Off you go and play, but be back by dinner!”

The result is that many of today’s kids have poor gross motor skills and a lack of confidence in their physical abilities.  This is being seen by early childhood educators and sports coaches alike.

Organised sports activities can be a great way to develop your child’s skills, but sport doesn’t take the place of all important free play.  Different things are learned in each, as I discussed on air this week.

(If you missed it, you can catch the podcast here: 25oct_SquiggleMum_podcast)

The benefits of free play include:

• general gross motor awareness and development
• problem solving
• independence
• creativity and imagination

While the benefits of organised sport include:

• specific skill development
• discipline
• commitment
• cooperation
• “belonging” to a team

My opinion?

I think sport is great, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of free play.  Kids need plenty of free play outdoors during their early childhood and early primary school years, so that they can step confidently into organised sports.

What’s your opinion?  Are your kids involved in organised sport?

.

Thanks to Louisa from Brand Meets Blog

and QLD Cricket for the wonderful afternoon,

and to Hannah Millerick for the amazing photography.

Such excitement over a simple leaf. She then dropped it, of course, and so we set off on a search for another 6-shaped-leaf.  I suggested we look for other numeral shapes as well.

Before long we were all engaged in a hunt for nature’s numbers.  I grabbed a long piece of cardboard for our collection, and we attached each numeral with sticky tape.  Because we didn’t always find numbers in the right order, it was a challenge for Miss 5 to stick them down in the right place, while still leaving enough room for other numerals as we discovered them.

We spent an entire afternoon outside in nature; exploring the leaf litter, collecting sticks, looking for shapes and thinking about numbers.  What a delightful way to learn together.

When I look back at my classroom teaching days, I wonder how many activities like this I could have taken OUTSIDE…

(My daughter took her nature numbers to show at school

and they are now proudly hanging in her classroom.)

Since adding basket storage to our fences, I have seen the potential in using fences to enhance the playspace rather than merely marking the garden’s boundaries.  So, we attached the large blackboard directly to the fence!  I also made a couple of extra smaller blackboards which can be moved around and used as needed.  One is a menu board in the dirt kitchen, the other is waiting for playful inspiration…

Purchasing large chalk boards can be expensive. Making them yourself isn’t!  We bought marine ply for our boards so that they would withstand the outdoor conditions.  The cost was less than $15.  We then gave the plywood two coats of chalkboard paint.  The paint was under $20 and we still have a LOT left over for future projects.

Oh, and an old teacher-tip for you: to make chalk drawings semi-permanent, soak the chalk in a strong solution of sugar and water before using.  I drew the leaves in a corner of the large board, and the word Menu on one of the smaller boards in sugar-soaked chalk.  The kids can rub over them, and they won’t rub off!  This trick lasts a long time inside, but a good soaking rain will still wash it away outside.  (We used to do this to draw the blue-and-white handwriting lines on the classroom blackboards to save ruling them up every day).

What do you think? Anyone else want to try this easy project?

Yesterday afternoon, my 5 year old fell out of her favourite climbing tree.  I was out in the backyard with the kids, saw her fall, and was by her side within seconds. She lost consciousness and suffered an impact seizure, which was scary for both of us. This type of seizure can occur with a concussive brain injury and happens just seconds after impact.  When she came to, she was understandably frightened and confused.

The emergency department of our local hospital saw her immediately.  (I am so grateful for the way Australian medical professionals prioritise children.)  Although shaken, and very overwhelmed by the sights and smells of a hospital – she was alert and cooperative.  I cuddled and reassured her, talked her through what was happening, and stayed as calm as I could.  She was closely monitored for the first hour or two, then checked hourly until the recommended 6hrs had passed.  She was back to her usual self in a few hours though, and spent the last part of her hospital visit bored out of her little brain!

During those six hours at her bedside, I had plenty of time to think about my parenting choices. Could I have prevented her fall? Should I have prevented her fall? Was I doing the right thing allowing her to climb trees? Would I still encourage her to take reasonable risks?  Would I change any of my beliefs about children and nature…?

The doctors helped me to retain a commonsense view.  One doctor reminded me that she could have fallen anywhere… inside or out.  Another laughed about his own tree climbing adventures as a child, and reminisced about the way his mother handled it when he fell.  When we were finally discharged at 10pm, he also encouraged Miss 5 to keep climbing and exploring the world.

Today, she is at home enjoying a quiet day under Mummy’s watchful eye.  Tomorrow, she’ll be back at school with a great story to tell.  Next week, she’ll probably be back up the tree! And me?  I guess I’m a little shaken too.  No parent ever likes to see their child hurt.  There is a little part of my mama-heart that wishes I could wrap my kids up and hold them close to keep them safe.  There is a much bigger part of my mama-brain though that reminds me I cannot parent out of fear, and I cannot protect them from all of life’s falls.

And so, I STILL believe that kids and nature belong together, and I will continue to encourage my children to play daily outside, exploring their backyard and the natural elements in it.  I still believe that tree climbing is one of childhood’s greatest joys.  I still believe that happy kids require both freedom and boundaries.  I still believe children’s environments should be as safe as necessary, rather than as safe as possible.  And I still believe that falling down is a normal part of an active childhood.

“Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

The simple ideas are always the best. I simply screwed a couple of old brass hooks (which were lying unused in the bottom of a toolbox) onto the fence at child height.  We were already using the two green baskets for outdoor toy storage.  I love them because:

• dirt and sand fall out through the gaps
• rain water doesn’t collect in the bottom
• there are no dark corners so it’s less likely a redback will move in
• the kids can see into them
• they are lightweight and easy to move around
• they were only $2 each

Hanging them on the fence was a stroke of genius (if I do say so myself).  I also added a couple of S hooks to the vine on the fence for the kids’ stilts.  These weren’t getting much use in the bottom of a box, but are much more inviting hanging up like this.  Wonder what else I can attach to the fence…?!

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