WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

June 11, 2021

A mother and son playing.  So simple but so meaningful.  Play is the gateway to knowledge, experimentation, successes and failures. 

I have been running the Seedlings children’s program at Avalon Nature Preserve for eight years.  More than ever parents are thanking me for play ideas they can bring home and for their children to enjoy. 

For example, shaving cream with colors,  as seen in the photo. Mud play, water play, wet chalk painting, rocks in bottles, water in a shallow pan. All of these simple ideas can engage a child for hours.  If we practice giving kids the tools, they can take it from there.  Just sit and watch the magic happen, no need to tell them what to do.

My Seedlings’ kids leave class with a song in their head and heart. Literally. The  “I Love Nature,” song, which I created by borrowing the melody of a popular song and adding my own words, is sung in all my early childhood classes.  Parents send me hysterical videos of their kids singing this song as they hike, lay in their crib or while shopping!

This is what it is all about, teaching and sharing with the parent community.  There is nothing complex involved, just creative ideas I introduce.  It is up to the parent to take it from there.  Kids need this play at home.  It gives them time to engage their play brain in the outdoors and ignite the creative beings they are.

Thank you to all the parents who have supported me and  my journey with my Seedlings program up to this point.   You light my heart up!