By Guest Blogger Jordan Ewing, Outdoor Youth Educator 

With the spread of COVID-19, many of us have found ourselves with more free time on our hands. And how better to spend this time than outside, with all the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of the natural world? But with social distancing precautions and public area closures in place, the available activities can begin to feel less than ideal. Natural areas in the city are either restricted or uncomfortably overcrowded, making it difficult to find the outlets we need and desire.

Despite this, we have been given an opportunity to enjoy the natural world in smaller ways. We can let go, livened by the chilled gust of wind as we walk down the street, the sweet honey scent of flower’s first bloom, the sounds of birds chittering to one another and the reminder that we are – wait, hold up… What about those of us who have our families in tow? How can we keep our kids engaged and learning and have some fun while we’re at it? It starts with a willingness to let go, experiment and follow your intuition. And where better to begin than right here and right now?

First off, get everyone out of the house. The house is a great place to feel cozy, safe and warm– ideal sensations for winding down an eventful day. Living in this ease all the time, however, gets boring and we all need to be stimulated. It is not necessary to come with a plan when stepping outside; there is plenty to catch our attention. The first and most important step is to show up. Once we have shown up, there are a variety of things to observe and interact with.

Here are 10 Ways to Create Junior Ranger Experiences in Your Backyard:

Clicking on the image of any item will direct you to Amazon so you can buy and create Junior Ranger experiences in your backyard. The Fund will earn up to 10% of each sale to support critical work in Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks. Also, join us for one of our Junior Ranger Virtual Field Trips.

1 Some books are just perfect for putting you in the mood to have park experiences and we have two excellent recommendations for you: If I Were a Park Ranger by Catherine Steiner, illustrated by Patrick Corrigan, and Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. If I Were a Park Ranger will inspire your 5-7 year-olds to take up a career in the park service — because why wouldn’t you want to spend your days in your favorite place on earth?! And your 4th-8th grader will just love to follow Julie on her epic adventure across the arctic tundra in Julie of the Wolves, and will be inspired to tackle their own life adventures. Also, enjoy this virtual field trip with Rangers Annie Runde and Julie Gonzalez to Mount Rainier National Park where they read If I Were a Park Ranger and answer questions about what it really is like to be a ranger at that beloved park.

   

2 Can you guess how many insects live in your backyard? About 2,000 in every square yard of soil! When I was a kid we would collect bugs to put into terrariums. We would get dirt from our backyard and cut leaves, grass and twigs to create a mini environment to watch them in. It was fascinating to see how they interacted with the plants and with each other. Another favorite pastime was to create mud. There was a dirt area back at our elementary school that was perfect for mud-making. During the winter and spring months when rain fell in abundance, we would compete to make the stickiest mud. Many of us remember the frantic competitions between ‘Waterworks’ and ‘Anti-Waterworks’ to create the highest quality and greatest quantity of mud. Interesting dynamics arose as some remained steadfast allies to their team while others enjoyed changing loyalty at the flip of a dime.

 

3 When I think back on those times, one of the greatest opportunities we received was to explore and interact with our environments with limited intervention. Naturally, loose guidance was in place, but it was not an obvious feature. This leads to an important recommendation: let your kids roam the backyard or available space more freely. Not only does this provide them with more opportunities for fun and learning, it also allows us adults to step back and to take greater care of ourselves. We can talk with a loved one over the phone, prepare a picnic lunch or simply watch the patterns of the birds and trees. Sometimes kids need some guidance, so you may choose to prompt them with a task like building a fort with found materials, collecting as many cool rocks as they can in half an hour or constructing a fire that your whole family can later roast dinner over. Kids quickly take to games, from my experience, so the more time constraints, duties, and rewards you can integrate, the easier it can be to excite them.

       

4 In these strange times, we all, grownups and children, need to take a deep breath now and then. Observation as an activity can also be used to engage children. I worked at an outdoor skills camp for several summers, and our attempts to motivate children through meditation worked surprisingly well to calm down high-energy groups. We would turn on soothing music and have each kid lie down on the ground, with their eyes closed. We would tell them to notice external sensations, such as the wind, the temperature, smells and sounds. In addition, we would hit the ground close to them with a heavy stick and tell each of them that the vibration was sending calm energy throughout their body. Many of the kids would ask us to come by with the stick multiple times. For older children and adults, it also worked well to find and regularly visit a “sit spot” as a way to cultivate greater belonging to the immediate environment. For your practice, this could be anywhere in the area that you or your child feels drawn to observe. In order to receive the full effect, it helps to spend at least 15 minutes a day in the spot. And if you find it too difficult to sit still, you can take the time to write down 10 things each that you observe with your senses or even draw what you can see from the spot. You can also try sun salutations for kids.

 

5 Now, up to this point, many of the activities listed have been fairly low effort on the adult’s part. If you are wanting to engage more directly with the activities the kids are doing (and possibly get your blood pumping as well), there are other options to look into. One activity that works well for older kids is to teach map and compass. In fact, if your neighbors are keen to help out (and potentially let your kids walk through their yards), you could set up a compass challenge with a reward at the end.

   

6 A park ranger, or really any scientist, who studies plants is called a botanist. For those of us who still have access to local parks, or just have a plethora of plants in our backyards or tree and garden-lined streets, COVID-19 has provided us with a great opportunity to learn plants that are native to the area. There are many plants in the Pacific Northwest that are rich in protein and vitamins or that have been used medicinally for years. Take this opportunity to create home-based botanist experiences. You can spend a few days identifying and learning about uses for some of the plants and then create a scavenger hunt or a competition to discover the best meal or disease cure. Or just set your kid free to roam in your backyard and see if they can identify what plants they may! You can also combine your newfound skills to collect and cook a backyard family feast.

 

7 If you prefer a more chilled-out approach to plants, then gardening can also serve as an engaging hands-on activity for kids and grown-ups alike. Whether we garden for food or simply beauty, there is great joy to be found in digging our hands into the dirt. Gardening also allows a fair amount of flexibility; if you lack the means to go big, you can begin simply with an egg carton, some seeds and a bit of soil and fertilizer.

 

8 There are also a variety of animals to watch outside, including many birds, insects and smaller rodents. A ranger who studies animals is called a zoologist or wildlife biologist, and a ranger who studies birds is called an ornithologist. Installing bird feeders and constructing pollinator hotels can increase your interactions with, and opportunities to observe, these animals. Larger mammals that we often do not see can be found in the local parks, marked by their tracks. Kids that are especially interested in adventure and solving mysteries may latch on quickly to animal tracking, which is an ongoing game of deduction. Learning to identify animals, tracks, and plants native to the area can provide us adults with a greater appreciation for the place we live, as well.

       

9 Finally, we are learning during this time how to connect with other people in new ways, given physical distancing. For those of us who are more social, we must get creative with how to connect with people in person that are outside of our immediate families. One activity that can be a lot of fun is to create a cup telephone system. This will, of course, only work if you and your immediate neighbor(s) are onboard. But, it could also be a good way to build a relationship with the people who are physically closest to you. No big budget is required; just two paper cups, some nylon string, and two paper clips. In the case that you want to connect with neighbors further away, there’s the option to write messages to neighbors with chalk. If you want to make it more interactive, lead with a prompt such as “What are you grateful for?” or “What are you doing to stay sane”? Then others can come by with chalk as they please and write responses, in essence creating a community space. Or simply share your experience with chalk, put down a game of hopscotch, or start a mural that others can add to.

 

10 And if you are all feeling more mobile, go on a walk and pick up trash around your neighborhood. In terms of other concrete-friendly activities, jump-rope and hula-hoop provide more physical options that bring opportunities to pass down rhymes and songs to the next generation.

 

All the activities and projects listed here only begin to scratch the surface of what’s possible. During this time, we have an opportunity to reconnect with our local surroundings and the people in them. There is a lot to learn and it is okay to not feel immediately compelled to any particular activity or project. If you still feel unsure of where to begin, get everyone out of the house and let the kids play freely. Notice how easily it comes to them, how they listen to their bodies. Now find a place to lie down and see where your mind takes you. More often than not, your body will tell you what you need as well if you give it the time. Good luck out there!

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