I Am a Child of Nature

We don't need scientists and psychologists and environmentalists to tell us why it is important for children to spend time in nature. The children tell us everything we need to know.

The first times I went into nature, you carried me on your back.

You showed me what I can eat in the woods.

Now I make wild food.

I cook it in my sea cauldron and

and on my campfires.

I clear the way through the tall grasses with my stick.

I learn to make toys out of things we find.

I can build a shelter.

When I play in the woods I add layers to my bravery

and to my confidence.

I am small but I am strong. I can carry a fallen tree.

I can climb.

I can jump from up high.

I can throw heavy rocks.

Your interest in nature is contagious.

I learn by touching, so

I love it when you let me play with sand, water, dirt, rocks, sticks and grass.

Sometimes I play with quiet absorption.

Sometimes I am boisterous and rowdy, and I get all my yells out.

When I come back I am tired and merry. I have been where I belong.

I am a child of nature. Nature is a part of me, and I am a part of it.



Take me to the woods today, Mama and Daddy. Be amazed at what I am, and what I can do.


Copyright Beth Curtin 2010

Donni of Magic Onions asked me to write this special posting about our children's connection with nature for a series about waldorf which she is doing on Thursdays on her blog. "I Am a Child of Nature" was published on Magic Onions yesterday, the first in her series. I was happy she gave me such a wonderful assignment. I have been thinking about this important subject for a while now, and welcomed the opportunity to put my ideas down. Please visit Magic Onions and read her series and explore her wonderful crafts for children. Just click on the title of this post to link to Magic Onions, or find it in my blog list. Thank you so much, Donni! love, Beth