Everybody out!
20 August, 2020
This article is intended to be a little moment to rethink September , but also the entire school year that is beginning. To try to find ways to make our daily lives filled with uncertainties, changes and sometimes stress gentler for our children, but also for us.
A start to thinking...
During the summer, I noticed that when I felt more stressed or when I had too much energy, I went outside. The sun, the calm, the trees , the flowers... it made me feel good. I also noticed that when my children are very boisterous and need to get their energy out, I send them outside to play. They can run and let off steam; being outside does us good! It allows us to refocus on ourselves and find our balance again.
Summer also allowed me to read and reflect on my practices as a teacher, but also as a mother. My readings led me to the book "Perdus sans la nature" by François Cardinal . A book that touched me , but also shook me up at times, confronting me with some of my ideas or ways of doing things. The author explains thatchildren need free play time, but especially free time outdoors . He says that in general , as parents, we tend to overload our children's schedules and that they no longer have time to be bored and develop their creativity. The experts cited also mention that our children lack time outdoors to exercise and be in contact with nature . This has a big impact on stress, anxiety, concentration/attention, obesity, knowledge of nature, etc.
I continue my thoughts and I come across the Instagram account of 1000 hours or tside . There I meet Gin ny, a mother of five children who wants to revolutionize childhood with nature. In fact, she challenges us to spend 1000 hours outside with our children in a year . Wow! Basically, that's almost three hours a day! At home, that's a big challenge! In winter, I'm not a big outdoor person and I appreciate the warmth of the house! However, I like her point which suggests encouraging time outdoors . It goes without saying that she includes parents in the process and invites us to take part in the challenge .
New tools to help you
We know from experience that children learn by imitation . So, if I send them outside to play, but I stay inside , I am not being consistent. So, let's all go together! For my tribe , I am not aiming for 1000 hours for the year, but I plan to spend more time outside, a little bit every day!
Endless possibilities
Daily life is often full of unexpected events and this can generate a lot of stress for each member of our family. Nature can allow us to maintain a certain balance and allow ourselves a little gentleness to get through it. I encourage all parents, but also all teachers to spend more time outdoors with their children. In addition to giving us a ton of learning opportunities, the time spent outside also allows us to offer children a special time (a little bit every day) to spend all the accumulated stress ; this great big energy, but also all the tension that they can feel in their daily lives. Children will also certainly have a ton of ideas to fill this time! Let's give ourselves this family time outside . Let's take it one step at a time and welcome the unknown together in nature!
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