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Working with Nature to Stimulate Your Child’s Senses
by Mark J. Stevens
www.luisasnature.com
From the first week of our child’s birth, we encouraged her connection
to nature through all of her senses. Her ears perked up at the sound of
the nesting birds’ melody. Her eyes opened to the vastness of a mountain
lake and her perception increased gradually with each passing week as we
said the names of the plants animals, insects, stones, etc. She smelled
and felt the grass, leaves, flowers, and water as we passed through our
surroundings. She later tasted the berries we picked for her along the
way. And she is still always intrigued by the sound of a passing brook.
We use our imagination to inspire and develop our senses every day. Here
are some of the ways you can help your child do so, too:
Follow your nose: You can start in your own garden to
stimulate your child’s olfactory senses. Plant a garden of flowers and
vegetables. Let your child smell the flowers, mint leaves, tomatoes,
grass, and other natural wonders in your yard. Also take him or her to
the open fields and forest to smell the flowers, the bark, and the
different growth. Don’t tell them what they must do. Just let them
follow your example. Children like to imitate. Bend down and smell the
wood and see how quickly your child follows suit. Kids are curious and
will be telling you to smell this or that before you know it.
Have a bite: Make sure you clarify to your child that
he should only eat things you give him. But once you know how to
navigate to the edible mushrooms, berries, and vegetables in the woods
and fields, it’s snack time! With time, you will realize how many little
snacks you can enjoy with your kids along the way. In addition, pack a
little picnic with bread, cheese, and fruits. If you are exploring near
a clean stream, have a drink to supplement the drink you have with you.
Open your eyes: Look at those little ants and
caterpillars below you. It is likely that your child will discover them
before you anyway. After all, kids are closer to the ground than you.
Give the animals or insects a name. Encourage your child to hold them or
even to say “good morning,” as our daughter used to do to the ants near
our house. Talk about the different color of lichen on the trees or moss
on the forest floor. This will encourage your child to observe even
closer and to get dirty making new discoveries of their own—opening not
only her eyes, but her mind and other senses.
Touch and feel: Fill your hat with acorns, grass,
wheat, sticks, and stones. Ask your child to feel the things in the
hat—first while looking at the objects. Ask them what each object feels
like. Then ask them to touch the objects without looking at them and to
guess what they are. This improves your child’s sense of feel and his
differentiation between different textures. Soon, your child will be
gathering new objects and expanding on his or her sense of touch. Also,
sit down and feel the wind blowing against your hand and hair. Your
child will likely do the same. This will inspire his ears to do their
part as well.
Hear the magic: Not only will your child feel the
direction in which the wind is blowing, but she will hear the effects of
the wind on objects surrounding her. Your child can hear the branches
swaying in the wind or the rain pitter-pattering on the leaves on the
forest floor. Your child’s ears will be touched by the waves on the lake
caused by the wind. When there is practically no wind at all, the birds,
the bees, and the flowing stream will enchant your child’s ears. When
simply taking a walk, what does the crunch under your feet on different
terrain such as wood, stones, leaves sound like? What is that noise off
in the distance—thunder, a falling tree, a howling wolf?
Getting your kids out in nature is the first step to awakening your
child’s senses for a lifetime of joy and learning. This encourages
creativity, independent thinking, and an appreciation for the natural
world.
About the Author:
Mark J. Stevens, author of LUISA'S NATURE
(Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, Spring 2008), is a news journalist
currently working in Europe. Fluent in French, Spanish, and German, he
has enjoyed extensive travel much of his life. Shaped by the rural New
Jersey setting of his youth, Mark continues to explore the richness of
nature with his wife and two children on the outskirts of Munich,
Germany. He also belongs to several parenting and nature organizations
in the U.S. and Europe. For more information, visit
www.luisasnature.com.
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