When it came to playing, I lived with two experts. Zack had an\nimagination that turned the same stick into a dolphin, fishing pole, race car,\npencil, or gun all in one day. Scott would climb over, under, through and around\nto get to new places, and rarely took no for an answer, all the while telling\nus stories about knights, superheroes or Lego. Both lived to splash,\nhold, dance, chase, catch, throw, climb, jump, grab and laugh. Before children\nI took hikes in the woods; with them, I played in the woods.<\/p>\n
Our favorite place to play was Shu Swamp, a small preserve, only a\n10-minute drive from our house. Shu Swamp is bisected by several streams that\nlead to a pond before flowing into Mill Neck Creek, to Oyster Bay and\neventually Long Island Sound. There is an upland section with 200-year-old Oak\nand Tulip trees that are scented with Spicebush. Along the streams skunk\ncabbage, trout lilies, trilliums and jack in the pulpit grow. The varied\nhabitats invited a lot of opportunity for playing. Each visit was a magical\ncombination of old and new play.<\/p>\n
I wanted to get better at playing in the woods, and at first, I\nthought the boys could just explain it by breaking play into simple steps, the\nsame way I taught them to button a shirt or tie their shoes. They couldn\u2019t.\nWhen I asked Zack, he laughed and ran off on his toy horse that was actually a\nstick. Scott simply explained, \u201cplay is fun.\u201d Learning to play meant spending\ntime with them and learning by doing. They grew up fast, and my research needed\nto get done before it was too late.<\/p>\n
A typical outing began at the \u201cbig bridge.\u201d a wood platform that\noverlooked a small pond. The shallow water covered the muddy bottom where huge\ncarp swam with surprising grace. The boys loved to pick up rocks, throw them\nin, only to watch as they disappeared into a cloud of mucky mud. Scott happily\ntoddled back and forth picking up one rock at a time. Throwing the rocks was\nfun and so was finding them. Scott did not grab just any rock, there were ones\nhe picked up and ones he left on the ground. I never could figure out his\nthought process. He didn\u2019t think to carry a bunch of rocks all at once to\navoid going back and forth. Anything and everything was play. There was no\nmeans to an end getting to the fun part. It was all fun.<\/p>\n
They had their rituals, but part of play is to be open to something new,\notherwise they would miss new opportunities to play. For example, at one small\nstream, Zack discovered how to flip wet leaves out of the water. They waited\npatiently for a leaf to float by and then flicked it with a stick until the\nleaf flew out of the water. Scott called them \u201cbrownies.\u201d Very quickly,\nthey became skilled fishermen. Zack\nloved fishing at our beach, and this was a way to recreate the excitement of\nthe catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next stop was an enormous tulip tree that crashed from wind and rot\nto bridge a mud spot. The boys called it \u201csleeping giant log,\u201d Scott loved\nwalking across and would not let me hold his hand. I hovered next to him\ntiptoeing in the mud ready to catch any slips. He raced back and forth yelling,\n\u201cdid it, did it!\u201d Zack challenged himself by stick collecting. Usually, they\nwere kindling size, but one day he was determined to carry a log-sized\nstick all the way back to the car. As\nfar as I can tell, there was absolutely no reason. However, Zack obviously had\none. That stick\/log laid in our front yard for a month as a trophy to his\nsuccess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Scott did occasionally fall off, it was also part of the fun. Muddy\nspots were always the best. Even puddles near the parking lot were worth a\nstop. Zack had a pitter patter dance for mud, and of course, Scott always\njoined in. Mud splattered everywhere on pants, jackets, bodies. I held my\ntongue by reminding myself that clothes, cars, and bodies could always get\ncleaned. Mud was just another medium to play in, and they loved the sound and\nthe feel of squishy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cLittle Bridge\u201d was the place to race leaves down the stream. The\ngame started when Zack and Scott began to rescue leaves that were floating with\nthe current. Using sticks as rescue poles, they teamed up to pull leaves\nto the stream bank. Over time this teamwork evolved into competitive leaf\nracing. They dropped their leaves in the stream and watched which was the first\nto float out of sight. After a lot of trial and error, they figured out that\nlong thin leaves were the fastest. There was a lot of debate about where to\nstart the races and all the other rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their friends were not all humans. Their animal finding senses were well\nhoned. Frogs, salamanders, snakes, and once in a while a turtle were all\nfriends. They knew the best spots to meet up with them. One such place was the\ntiny, mud-filled pond, where the tadpoles lived. With a skilled grab and a\nsmall net, they almost always captured at least one. They learned quickly\nto cup the creatures in their hands right over the water. After a few moments\nof captivity and conversation, the boys always let the tadpoles\ngo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They knew which rotten logs were most likely to give shelter to\nred-backed salamanders and which did not. In one practiced move, they learned\nto flip over a log and grab any salamanders with supreme gentleness. They\ntenderly held them in wet hands, careful not to touch their tails since\nred-backed salamanders can break off their tails as a means to escape from\npredators. One time while catching salamanders a woman chastised me for letting\nZack and Scott hold them. I politely ignored her but wanted to give my\n\u201cextinction of experience\u201d speech concluding with a sermon on the importance of\noutdoor play for children and finally remind her that it is okay to hold\nsalamander with wet, gentle, respectful hands. No matter how many times they\nfound a salamander, it was as if the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On days with extra time we could make it to the triple trunk tulip tree.\nThree trees grew out of one stump; each one was too big to wrap our arms\naround. Zack called it the \u201ctrain tree.\u201d There was room to climb in between\neach trunk. Some days we climbed between the trunks and headed for Boston\n(that is where their cousins live). Other times they used the tree to be\nanything from a laboratory, base camp for studying bobcats, a truck or a fort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shu Swamp is a small patch of trees on Long Island surrounded by suburban\nexcess, but to Zack and Scott, it was their playground. It was their setting\nfor whatever their minds could imagine. Seeing this place through their eyes\nhelped me to play and better understand where we lived. They opened a world to\nme that had been closed since my own childhood. There was no before or later,\nno shoulds, just that moment. It was as they ate ice cream, just the taste with\nnot a thought of calories, price, carbon footprint or any other food guilt. Ice\ncream must taste, a lot better that way. Playing must be more fun that way.\nThat was the lesson they were teaching. Play happens without thinking by\nbeing present and open to the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their playing was also their praying. Outdoors is where we walked with\nGod, life spirit, goodness, whatever anyone wants to call it. Outdoors was time\napart from the media world. It was time for the more than human world, time to\nwalk in the presence of others and not in the presence of products. These were\nwordless prayers that were said by merely being out there, but one had to be out\nthere. They were not prayers of requests, but prayers of celebration. They were\nnot prayers born of fear, but of love and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This kind of play and prayer not only benefits our soul, but it also\nbenefits the soul of the land. It will make Zack and Scott more responsible\ncitizens. They were becoming native to the Long Island and developing a sense\nof place by engaging in play unique to their home ground. This bond to the land\nwill lead them to love and protect their home ground, now and in the future. Faithful\nstewardship is built on love. Like a blankie or a favorite stuffed animal, we\ncare for what we love. Through their play, the land was becoming their security\nblanket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Playing on a computer does not connect one to a place, neither does\nplaying sports. A sports field is a sports field in Arizona or New York. Indoor\nplay is the same in Florida or Alaska. This kind of play does not foster\na love of place. This kind of play could be done anywhere and anyplace. Good\nplay in the wild outdoors is an interaction with the uniqueness of the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether they realize it or not the playing that developed their sense of\nplace gave Zack and Scott an ability to be attentive to the world beyond\nhumans. Being attentive is a forgotten skill that is still needed today.\nIn the past, being an observer of the natural world was critical to survival.\nWe need to give children (and adults) the time to play and pay attention to the\nnatural world, to be aware when new plants are growing, and other plants are\ndying. To realize some birds are arriving earlier in the spring and other\nbirds no longer sing. Without attention, much is missed. The subtle changes\nthat indicate what is happening. We need to notice when the water is different,\nor the soil is changing. It is a particular sadness when a place changes\nand no one notices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The word attention comes from the word attendere which means \u201cto stretch\ntoward,\u201d Attention is an action, something one must do, it is not a passive\nactivity. As with dominoes, being attentive starts a cascade of actions that\nlead to both a more fascinating and sustainable world. Attention leads to\nwonder and that leads to understanding. Only with a genuine understanding, can\nthere be effective stewardship. Once in motion, the energy that is created, this\nability to do work, works. It makes a difference by creating a web of\nknowledge, wonder, and stewardship. But nothing would get started if not for\npaying attention and paying attention would not happen without playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems so simple: play-attention-action equals a more sustainable\nplanet, plus each step along the way is meshed with fun. With so many benefits,\nwhy don\u2019t more children play outdoors? Too many children are stuck\nindoors, cut off from wild places and living a domesticated life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fear is stealing play from children. There is a fear that time playing is\ntime wasted. Parents fear that children are not using their time \u201cproductively\u201d\nwhich leads to over scheduling a child\u2019s time with sports, art, music lessons,\nafter-school activities and more, all in hopes of creating the successful child\nwho will get into the perfect college. Schools jump on the bandwagon to show\nhow educationally sound they are by giving more and more homework and\nstandardized tests. There is a fear of the outdoors based on an overreaction to\nthe slim possibilities of Lyme disease, kidnappers and other hazards.\nWhile awareness is needed and common sense precautions are valid, these fears\nshould not keep children indoors and need to be held in perspective. Another problem\nis that there are fewer open spaces where children can build, throw, climb,\nbreak, catch, dig, run, get dirty, get lost, find wonder, and have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another factor is that children\u2019s attention is being hijacked by screens.\nChildren used to walk upright with eyes facing the world. Now they walk heads\ndown, bent at the neck, hands in the texting position, missing the wonder of\nbeing in the moment. Children spend unbelievable amounts of time in front of\nthe screen. The numbers seem impossible. I fear for what screens are doing to\nthe attention children have to the right now, the right around them world. They\nare not learning the knowledge of place that comes directly from their place.\nThe gain in information from smartphones is not worth the loss of information from\nsmartphones. The solution is heart-achingly simple: Take the phones and let\nchildren out, it is an act of environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the boys got older, things changed. Instead of a bag of Cheerios and\ncarrots, we would get a bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. There was more\nwalking and talking but even as teenagers they would there be sword fights with\nJoe Pye Weed stalks or dam building with rocks. In the winter breaking ice\nbecame another favorite pastime. When the boys return home as young adults they\nhumor me and return for an occasional walk. We recall stories and share new\nones. The racing stream no longer flows, cut off by erosion, more trees\nhave fallen making more bridges to cross and there are deer in the woods now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All those hours playing in the outdoors did not guarantee that the boys would grow up to be environmental activists, bird watchers, backpackers or biologists and that\u2019s okay. I am confident that no matter what, they will be more aware and make better decisions to live ethically on the planet. They will have childhood memories of fun, and I am grateful for what they taught me about being in the outdoors by playing in the outdoors. Free play in the outdoors will not solve all our environmental problems. However, effective stewardship can\u2019t be learned without playing around, being around and holding life.<\/p>\n\n\nDan Kriesberg is the author of A Sense of Place, Teaching Children about the Environment with Picture Books <\/em>and Think Green, Books and Activities for Kids<\/em>, as well as over 100 articles on environmental education and essays about his personal experiences in the outdoors. He lives on Long Island with his wife, Karen and two sons, Zack and Scott. Dan is a sixth-grade science teacher at Friends Academy. Whenever possible he spends his time in wild places backpacking, hiking and hanging out. You can view his work at Witness to the Wild: https:\/\/www.dankriesberg.com\/<\/a>.\n\n\n When it came to playing, I lived with two experts. Zack had an imagination that turned the same stick into a dolphin, fishing pole, race car, pencil, or gun all in one day. Scott would climb over, under, through and around to get to new places, and rarely took no for an answer, all the [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-nonfictionmemoir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7499"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7974,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7499\/revisions\/7974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/narrativenortheast.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<\/code><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"