Off-Season Creativity!

Turn your nature walks with the kids into a creative adventure.

By Morri Stewart    

I have lived in a lot of ski towns. Waking to see snow falling outside always quickens my heart with the thought of all the fun winter activities just waiting out the door. But, what about the inevitable ‘off-season’ when all that snow starts to melt, the streets become slushy piles of brown slurpies and sleds, snowboards and skis become nothing more than objects tripped over in a corner? What to do then? With a good pair of kids’ hiking boots and the right creative attitude, your children’s adventures outside can be a great way to, well, play outdoors!

Creative outlets come in all shapes and sizes. Creative individuals do too. On a recent outing, I chaperoned four children ranging in age from three to seven. Armed with a camera and small plastic bags, we set off on a hike around our neighborhood with the goal of capturing beauty in all the slushiness around us. Each child took turns taking a photograph of something that caught their eye: A leaf on the sidewalk, droplets of water on grass, a partially frozen mud puddle. Some of the images were nicely in focus, while others captured the slight blur of an inexperienced hand movement, but all of the photos were unique to each child and served to ‘open’ their eyes to their surroundings in a creative and unique way.

As we wandered, their bags began to fill with objects they found. Our intent was to take these treasures home and let them stand alone as a tabletop centerpiece or window garnish, or create ‘found object art’ by piecing several objects together and adorning them with glitter, colored paper or any other item the child found to make their art uniquely their own. Our gallery of photos and found object art not only brought beauty in to our home, but served to change my and the children’s attitude toward this ‘off season’ into a positive, fun transition from winter to spring.

Being a parent constantly on the go, I also came away with a new understanding of the four children with whom I slowly walked the neighborhood. Taking the time to slow down and embrace their creative pondering prior to taking their photographs, I was exposed, if you will, to their unique eye. I found that by leaving them to discover, I in turn, discovered things I didn’t know about them. I would say that is a good outing!

Comments

[The Campfire Blog]

@Debi,

Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for outdoor family nature walks. Thinking of creative and unique activities for the kiddos can be tedious, so sharing ideas is what we love.

Do you have any family favorites?

[Debi]

Great post! I am a huge fan of taking family walks in the neighborhood. Slowing down always brings a connectedness to our little troupe, too.