Columbia REI store manager Joe Hohn calls his young sons “outdoor kids.” Biking, camping and mucking about in muddy creek beds are favorite family pastimes. As typical boys, said Hohn, “If there’s some dirt, they’d like to be part of it.”
Yet such traditional outdoor activities are not so typical for most kids anymore, said Marianne Pettis, executive director of the James and Anne Robinson Foundation (www.robinsonfoundation.org). Today’s children, said Pettis, are more often found inside, playing computer games or searching the Internet.
Pettis said, “Research shows a marked decline in the amount of time children spend climbing trees, running in parks or playing outdoor games their parents and grandparents enjoyed.”
A local nonprofit focusing on environmental education, the Robinson Foundation, is dedicated to helping all Howard County’s children enjoy nature like Joe Hohn’s sons. Last fall, the Foundation approached REI with a proposal to design a portable natural play space where children can rediscover the joys of unstructured play outside.
Said Hohn, the project was an excellent match for the company’s mission to “inspire, educate and outfit” nature enthusiasts. In December 2011, REI awarded a Community Project Grant to the Robinson Foundation, which will debut its pilot play space at Howard County GreenFest on April 14.
Loose Parts Play
Branches, tree stumps, grapevines and bamboo poles are just a few of the natural materials the Foundation will provide. Children will be invited to build forts and hideaways to crawl inside, or to craft tiny dwellings for trolls and fairies. “But no one will be telling kids what to do,” said Pettis. “The point is to ignite children’s imaginations so everyone comes up with something unique.”
Expect the unexpected, advised Mary Hardcastle, an environmental educator with the Parks & People Foundation. Parks & People has demonstrated natural play spaces at public events and neighborhood festivals around Baltimore for the past two years. Adults learn as much as children from the experience, said Hardcastle, and children often devise games the educators never thought of. She said, “It’s a place where they do what kids do best — use their imaginations and creativity.”
In fact, natural, so-called “loose” parts are key ingredients in outdoor play. Educators believe that climbing bars and other static playground equipment restrict children’s play. Studies show that just adding a few loose components, such as buckets of sand and water, results in play that is longer, less aggressive and more inventive.
“Standard playgrounds offer passive play,” said Hardcastle, “while a natural play space offers variety, flexibility and stimulation for all the senses.”
A GreenFest of Fun
The Robinson Foundation’s own natural play space will be ready for action at the fifth annual GreenFest at Howard Community College. Last spring, GreenFest attracted more than 2,000 visitors, all seeking tools and techniques for more sustainable living.
According to event Co-Chair Lyndsay DeMarzo, about half of GreenFest participants are families with children. She predicts they will flock to the quad to experience building, water play, storytelling, problem-solving and other activities inspired by the play space.
The play space is an especially good fit for this year’s GreenFest theme, “Saving the Environment, One Yard at a Time.” Indoors, families can take workshops on creating backyard habitats, learn about kid-safe lawn care, and even meet owls and other local wildlife. Outdoors, they can join a tree planting, pick up a free compost bin and join a guided hike in search of neighborhood toads and turtles.
DeMarzo feels the Foundation’s play space especially will help urban parents with limited outdoor experience. Marianne Pettis agreed, adding that suburban yards are landscaped for adult tastes, not for children’s play. Materials in the play space will be chosen so any parent or caregiver can use the ideas inexpensively at home.
Said Pettis, “Even families without backyards will learn at GreenFest how to take a few supplies — a small pail, a few building supplies and a blanket — to a park or common space and enjoy what nature has to offer.”
The Future of Outdoor Play
Foundation volunteers will observe kids’ play at GreenFest, learning what works and what doesn’t at the demonstration. Building on their observations, the Robinson Foundation plans to develop a flexible, portable space that can be part of major outdoor gatherings throughout the year.
“We greatly appreciate REI’s support of our pilot natural play space,” said Pettis. “The company has a strong reputation for backing efforts to protect and restore the local environment. We think encouraging kids to love outdoor play is one of the best ways to make sure people always care about nature.”
Said Pettis, “We’re a local part of a national movement to reconnect children and the natural world. Thanks to partners like REI, we’ll be reaching out to families throughout our community, reminding everyone that Howard County is a great place to play as well as to live and work.”
For more information about the Howard County GreenFest, planned for April 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Howard Community College, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/DisplayPrimary.aspx?id=4294967857.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
What a great idea to engage kids in the outdoors. Kudos to the Robinson Foundation and REI for partnering to benefit families!