When you were a child, what was your favorite outdoor activity? I grew up on a rural island in Puget Sound. We spent countless hours on the beach playing. Driftwood and large rocks were made into secret hideaways. Oyster and clam shells were dishes and kelp turned into musical instruments or whips. My children built sandcastles and rock forts trying to keep the water at bay on the incoming tide. When the tide was too high to be on the beach, we roamed the woods looking for edible berries and nuts to eat. Our son played hide and seek in the tall ferns with his dog. They only way you could find the pair were to watch the tops of the ferns moving.
Today, with all of our electronic gadgets for entertainment, it is easy to let the devices entertain us. Too many children spend hours inside, forgetting there is an outside waiting to engage them. To encourage children to get outside more, we need to design special places where they can play, explore and use their imagination. These spaces do not have to be large nor do they have to take up the entire yard. It needs to be a place where children use their imagination to create fun, magic and memories to last a lifetime.
Using items found in nature and reclaimed materials are a great way to teach children about the outdoors and conservation. Children have great imaginations so get them involved in the design process and let them help to hunt down the materials to be used.
Here are a few ideas to get you started on your outdoor space:
• Plant trees, shrubs and flowers that have color, smell good, encourage touching and have edible fruit.
• 5’ x 10’ concrete-reinforcing wire can be used to make tunnels that lead to tepees and secret hideaways created using thin branches such as willow or bamboo. Plants such as beans, gourds, cucumbers, miniature pumpkins, morning glories, or hops can twist and wind to the top to create a hidden space for reading, napping, or just laying there and daydreaming.
• Bigger branches from trees can be used for climbing and balancing. Stumps can be used to create tables and chairs or a means to jump away from the imaginary alligators in the moat. If you are resourceful, you can find spools from utility companies to use for play.
• There are plenty of rocks in Central Oregon and they can be incorporated into play areas where children can climb. Use the rocks to create a border for a sandbox.
Have fun with your imagination and design and you too can have a Deschutes forest or Smith Rock playground in your backyard. If you are lucky, maybe the children will let you play with them in their special space.