"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for Children, Play is serious Learning. Play is really the work of childhood" - Fred Rodgers
Remember as a child being sent out to play in the morning and not coming home until you were hungry (and usually with a few friends in tow!), when trees were fortresses, dogs became dragons and holding a stick provided so many possibilities - a Knight, a Superhero, a Princess with a sceptre, a teacher with a pointer?
Somewhere, some how as we grow up we seem to forget the endless possibilities our natural environment can provide for our children, where they see a possible tree house, we see a danger of falling, where they see a creek, we see wet dirty clothes.... While times have changed since our childhood and even more since our parents childhood and it is generally less safe to send children out on their own, we need to find a balance between our fear of breakages and scrapes and dirty clothes and the sheer joy of uninhibited imaginative outdoor play, which is so essential in a child's development.
We have provided a link to the Nature Play SA website to provide some ideas on how to transform your outdoor area, or places to visit with your children, upcoming events and parks of the month. Rug up and don't let the cooler weather stop you - remember how much fun it was to splash in puddles and slide on wet grass? I bet you don't remember feeling cold!
Happy Playing!
https:///natureplaysa.org.au/
