Outdoor Play is an Investment in the Future – Touch the Soil!

More recently than ever the benefits of the great outdoors have been documented and researched by experts around the globe. Parents have cottoned on to this with outdoor play being something we know we should be facilitating as often as we can. When I grew up in the early nineties much of my childhood was spent outdoors and unsupervised inasmuch deemed safe and appropriate. However, this was not without the well-intended but familiar phrases of ‘don’t get filthy!’ and ‘don’t ruin those clothes’! Well Lorraine knew all too well that those clothes were getting trashed and no amount of Dazz would get that white t-shirt sparkling again (sorry, mum).

Parenting styles move on and pedagogies adapt thankfully. Although it can be weirdly uncomfortable to watch your kid roll around in mud and grass in fits of laughter we are starting to see the benefits of such. I think it is fair to say that our generation of parents are thinking in a more child led way. We see the dirt under the fingernails, and we then weigh up and analyse the experience the child has had and simply shrug our shoulders. Bravo millennials, bravo indeed!

The most obvious advantage for me and my children is the amount of physical exercise they will get from simply being out in the garden, or exploring the woods next to our house. It’s so much more than scheduled, organised Physical Education; to be active in a natural and organic way connects us to the rhythms of the Earth and we take from it what the Earth thinks we need. Moving the right parts of the body to explore, dig and problem solve will forever be more beneficial than any other type of physical exercise. From fresh air into the lungs to strengthening and building the leg muscles needed to do life in a comfortable way.

More recent research has focussed on the microbial benefits of the interaction between the soil and the body. Soil can actively train a child’s immune system to distinguish between harmful pathogens and harmless substances, thus producing more regulatory T-cells otherwise known as disease fighting white blood cells. As a direct result of looking into this further I have actively encouraged all of my children to get stuck in; pick up the stick, plant those seeds, no gloves required! We are lucky enough to have recently acquired an allotment plot and so the children have been very busy indeed sowing all sorts of vegetables and turning over the land.

The baby is a fresh generation for me, she doesn’t really know any different. Being outdoors and dirty is the very essence of play for little Romilly. It can be challenging having an active and inquisitive toddler attempting to pull up the broad beans you’ve just planted but again this is just another opportunity for her, and me, to slow down and set the right example. Show her how things are done. After all, we all learn best by observing and doing: by example, not lecturing and losing it.

With having older children in this tumultuous era we currently find ourselves in, I can say with great conviction that time spent outdoors provides the perfect, balancing level of stimulation they need at this point in their lives. When my teenager appears to be in the grumpiest, most defensive mood I know it’s time for a kick around outside or a little woodland exploration. Within ten minutes he’s found a stick and is busy carving it with his pen knife while mentioning the fluttering orange tip butterflies that are swooping around his feet. The same for my pre-teen daughter who is the biggest wind up merchant and outdoorsy cynic going, but you bet she will pick up on the differing birdsong and consider the best spots to build a tipi stick den. Wild child number three however takes absolutely no encouragement and is barely visible ahead as she jolts through the woods with a handful of nature’s gifts ie. ‘worldclass rocks’, pine cones, daisies and a pocket full of dirt for good measure.

What I’ve noticed after having baby number four is the increase of forest school type playgroups and education available. There are some really great providers in the local Ashby area such as Little Wildings Outdoor Nature Playgroup, Little Acorns, Raksha Forest School to name a few. So if you’re new to this style of play, please do give these a try. They offer a wonderful introduction to nature play and outdoor education which set the foundations for a lifelong love of the natural world which in turn will be the best investment you can make for your little ones.

Please do let me know your thoughts and experiences. I hope you have a great Easter weekend!

Sophie x

The Local Mama Blog Editor

@sophieandteamt