Helping Kids Enjoy Nature

I had the privilege this past fall of volunteering for a fundraiser at the same camp that I attended as a camper, with my Camp Fire group, and with my family at weekend “Mix-N-Fix” weekends. The camp is located in Holly, Michigan and is called “Camp Wathana” (the middle “A” is a long “A” pronunciation) which means “Beautiful Place.”

It was a rather rainy, drizzly day and I said that I would help out with old-fashioned games and relay races. We set up for the old-fashioned games by having an assortment of activities available on the lawn in front of one of the cabins. The kids and adults would come by and try one, or in most cases, all of the activities. I didn’t hear a single child say, “I’m bored” or “Where is the T.V.?” The kids didn’t complain about the rain or the mud. They jumped in and tried new things. Here are a few of our activities:
• Hoops: This game dates back to the 1800’s and is played with a large hoop (ours were wood), about three feet across, and a short stick or dowel (about six to eight inches long). You run alongside the hoop while keeping the hoop moving with the dowel on the top of the hoop.
• Graces: This game also dates back to the 1800’s and was a favorite of the participants. Normally played with two people, each person has two dowels which are pointed at the end (18-24 inches long). There is a small hoop, about six inches across that has ribbons wrapped on it. One person starts with the hoop encircling both of their dowels and the dowels crossed in an “X”, pointing the ends of the dowels toward the other person. That person opens the “X” like scissors and thrusts the hoop across to the other person who attempts to catch it with both of the dowels then return it as quickly as possible. When you get good, you can add a second small hoop so each person throws at the same time.
• Stilts: There was a pair of “starter stilts” that were about four inches off the ground and had a nice wide base to walk on. For those who conquered the easier stilts they could graduate to the stilts that were about eight inches off the ground and had about a two inch square post to walk on.
• Pick Up Sticks: While you don’t normally think of Pick Up Sticks as an outdoors game, it really went well when we played it on a brand new garbage bag so we could kneel on the ground without getting wet. Most of these kids had never played Pick Up Sticks but they really enjoyed the challenge.

One key to the kids having such good spirits was the encouragement and good spirits of the adults. If the adults hadn’t been willing to get out there and be active, take photos, and participate as well, the kids would not have had as great of a time. We all would do well to remember how contagious our attitudes are.

Another key to having the kids participate was the cards they were given upon check in. The cards had a list of the activities available and as the children participated, the adult at the activity would use a hole punch to denote that they had tried the event. At the end of the day the kids turned in their punch cards and were awarded a ribbon according to how many activities they tried throughout the day. That extra reward gave some kids the push to try something new so they could get another hole punched on their card.

At the relay races we had to deal with slightly damp earth so we modified some of our plans. We also did a tug-o-war which the kids really got into and I found the toughest time balancing the teams so they were equal in strength. They did a three-legged race, a sack race, and a balancing race (they had a rubber ducky they needed to keep balanced on a serving spoon while they went up and down the course). All in all it was a great time.

Consider the next time you are with kids and you all could have some free time, encouraging everyone to go outside for a game of catch or do some impromptu relay races. Try taking your kids outside in all kinds of weather, not just on the sunny days. The first step to enjoying and appreciating nature is actually being IN nature.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who credits her days at Camp Wathana as her earliest inspiration for her Shaklee business, a company that protects the earth and provides all natural supplementation and green cleaners. You can learn more about the Shaklee products at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com You can learn more about Camp Wathana at www.CampWathana.org