Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder I addressed the issue of finding ways to bring my son in contact with nature in a way that allows him to explore despite us currently living in a townhome community with a small backyard.  This week we visited a place that is a perfect illustration of the way that even for families who do not have a large backyard can enjoy time in the natural world with some freedom.

Inside the nature center with Noah.

Our community is known for its many parks and trails, and so we are lucky in this, and it seems that many families realize this because the number of townhome or single family homes with extremely small lots is amazing.  What is also soon apparent is the number of people who rely on the trails and parkland for their outdoor experiences, which can mean that there is a lack of privacy when you are enjoying them. 

However, the nearby 4,900 acre Elm Creek Park Reserve excels at providing plenty of outdoor room where there is no one in sight.  The land is parkland though, and the concept of "take only photos, leave only footprints" is in effect, and so the nature center has taken advantage of their available land to create a nature exploration area for kids, and kids at heart.

Just down the trail from the nature center, and near enough for potty breaks and a snack from the new snack bar, "Kids can dig, climb, make a fort or dam, and engage their imaginations, while adults play along or observe nearby." A relatively new trend in nature centers and exploration, many nature centers are offering areas where "Leave No Trace" is not in effect.  At our local spot, kids are encouraged to use sticks and leaves to build natural shelters, practice damming the nearby water runoff creek and to pretend through all sorts of nature play.


This area puts to use the concepts described by Louv, as well as Loose Parts Theory, as described here in one of my favorite child play blogs.  According to Jenny, the author, loose parts are "materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials."   Loose parts can include things like sticks, leaves or rocks, as well as any other number of natural and manufactured materials. In following posts I will describe a few ways in which we can put to use playing with loose parts in suburban communities like my own where freedom to fill up our yard with miscellaneous sticks and other natural play materials is lacking.