In communities like mine the housing trend of a larger home with a small back yard makes sense-- this is MN after all.  It doesn't make much sense to have a pool in every yard and sacrifice square footage, but I have sometimes found myself at a loss for yard ideas that incorporate natural, outside play into our fun in our tiny yard space. 

As in many townhome and condo communities, there are strict rules governing what may and may not be in the back yards, and things such as play sets and other kids toys are high on the list of prohibited items.  Also under scrutiny more than homes with high privacy fences are

One of the easiest ways to use natural materials in small backyard play is by integrating items that are already in use, such as landscape materials.  Some woodchips and wood products may have splinters, so it is best to stick with materials such as rocks and soft bedding materials. Rocks are great for counting, sorting, color differentiation, building and sharing. 

If your back yard is smaller, it may also be difficult to spare the space for a sandbox or other play storage.  One wonderful idea that I recently found was Prudent Baby's use of a holiday wreath plastic storage box as a small sandbox.  I love the thrifty price-- just $10, and the ability to move and store the box out of sight.  I have seen a similar thing done with an underbed storage box for the storage of toys and collections of natural materials on a deck or patio. The wheeled version can be easily slid under a table or even into a garage and taken out for quick natural play.

Even if you do not have trees aplenty or a large play structure in your yard, there are still ways that you can integrate balance and large muscle activities in free play.  In our back yard, the previous occupants had left several small boards, but this activity can be easily done using short sticks or even a line drawn on a patio with a soft chalky rock.  These small pieces of wood can be used for stacking, crossing a "moat," or simply practicing balancing.  Since these pieces are so much smaller and more mobile than a large playset, they offer more opportunities for creative play than playgrounds where play is scripted and less is left for your little ones fertile minds.

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.