With March Break coming up, I’m hearing many parents’ concerns about kids and screen time while away from school. Here’s my two cents:
Having worked at Peterborough Green-Up for thirteen years, I had lots of involvement with Ecology Park and never tired of seeing kids experience nature. Playing at the creek, they’d fish little creatures out of the water and examine them carefully; they’d run through the wildflowers and challenge themselves through the cedar maze.
Often, kids who live in apartments or crowded neighbourhoods don’t get the chance to experience the outdoors like they can at Ecology Park.
A walk in Jackson park or the Trent University Wildlife Sanctuary are two of many free parks with trails systems and the Trans Canada Trail cuts across the city and region from the southeast to the northwest with numerous access points.
I grew up on the Lakefield Marsh and spent countless hours exploring the marsh in all seasons and with very little cost to my family. I was so fortunate to be able to experience all this: birds, frogs, bulrushes, skating in the winter, sinking rafts in the spring, climbing trees, building forts.
Years ago, I visited with Jacob Rodenburg at Camp Kawartha for a Garden Gate episode. The kids fed the birds and we learned about vitamin “N”.
I challenge families to put away devices and get outside for some Vitamin N! If the weather’s nasty, stay inside and get crafty with some family-guided creative activities. ~