500 Babies Take A Nature Walk

Want to know what I think are the best toys for kids?  Rocks and sticks and leaves!

On the one day last week when our backyard was finally dry enough to go outside, the kiddos spent the majority of their time playing with rocks, sticks, and leaves. What I love is that using their imaginations to play with these materials comes so naturally to children.

So with the gorgeous weather we had yesterday, I knew we just had to troop out for a little walk and experience a little more of the natural world.  The dynamics you see below stayed the same for the entire walk: Daniel always ran ahead, Joe dutifully stayed in the middle, and Mikea lagged behind always finding something that grabbed  her attention.  At one point we came across the outline of a circle on the path.  Mikea noticed it right away and when I asked her how she thought it got there she answered, "A woodpecker."

Of course the kids found lots of rocks.  Joe said, "Look at this beautiful rock, Mommy."

Sticks were also a big hit.

Dan always had a stick in each hand and every few steps he'd squat down to scrape them on the ground.

Enjoying the glories of nature. . .

There were also thornbushes everywhere.  Even the trees had thorns.

And because a certain child or two couldn't stop from wildly running off the path and "Deal With Puncture Wounds" wasn't on my wish list for the day, we had to cut our walk short.  But we can't wait for the next time!