Get Summer Started Right– Get Outdoors and Have Fun with the Ultimate Staycation!
By Geoff McCannEducation Program Manager & Summer Camp Director
Now that school is almost out and summer is here, families across town and beyond are faced with an important question…what do we do now? The quick and easy answer is to get outside, soak up the summer sun, and have some fun. But many might be wondering, “How do we do that?” And the best answer is…go for an adventure in your back yard or local park. Keep it simple and convenient or else it becomes too much to do.
Backyards and local parks all across town are teeming with endless possibilities for children young and old alike. It is here that imaginations run wild and true creative play happens. An ever-increasing body of research continues to point to the power of nature to positively impact our lives and the lives of our children. Free play in nature increases cognitive capacity, develops higher learning and problem solving skills, and expands creative thinking. Whether it be dancing with shadows created by the sun, digging for some worms in the soil, chasing after butterflies and lightning bugs that flit about the air, climbing a tree or log, or simply splashing about in puddles created by the latest summer rain – each opportunity delights in its own unique way and draws us ever closer to the natural world that surrounds our neighborhoods. What’s even better is that activities such as these help children to possess improved coordination, balance, agility, and overall fitness. Believe it or not, future academic skills are improved by time in and children who play in nature regularly are sick less often.
Backyards, too, are places for community. Time spent in nature is indeed time well spent for it is here that research shows our social interactions are stimulated and our social skills can easily be practiced. Backyards also lend themselves to becoming places where family and friends share in the common experience of taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life. Nature has actually been shown to act as a buffer that lessens the impact of life stress upon children. The outdoors also helps them and us to better deal with adversity by building confidence and self-esteem. Just think about those times when you nervously leapt across the creek (hoping and praying that you wouldn’t fall in) and realized that you actually did have it in you to make it the distance (or if not – you could simply find a log to help you get across). Or perhaps that time that you precariously had to keep your balance while walking across a fallen log. If all the above reasons are not enough to get your children outside then what about the fact that it is just plain fun!
To get the summer started off with a bang, the New Canaan Nature Center welcomes you and yours to get back to nature and come play in our backyard. Our Campapalooza 2013 celebration is just around the corner and offers families a unique experience of pitching a tent and camping out right in the heart of New Canaan. In celebration of the Great American Backyard Campout, this fun-filled family event kicks off with a barbeque, followed by music and fun on the Green (including local musician John Moses), and then a special night hike to explore the grounds after dark. For those first time campers, we will have the quintessential campfire and S’mores to round out the evening (plus restroom access available throughout the night and some fresh coffee and bagels to get you up and going in the morning). If you can’t make it down on June 22nd, we cordially invite you to stop in any time over the summer to grab a net and catch some frogs, chase some butterflies, try your hand at our brand new orienteering course, or simply delight in splashing about in the puddles made by the refreshing summer showers.
For more information, please visit our website: http://www.newcanaannature.org/programs/youth.php#301#301
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