Experiencing new adventures

August 21, 2012

Experiencing new adventures

When you were a kid did you go out and search for caves, play in the woods, and make slides out of huge rocks? Did you ride your bike or play in your back yard or in the neighborhood? Did you stay out until it grew dark and you were "forced" to come inside for food or a bath? Most of us did, and it is those experiences that we can credit for our creativity and imaginative ideas and our ability to "think outside the box", as adults. Unfortunately, many kids today don't experience things like that on a regular basis, especially if you live in the city. Our culture has changed and most kids are indoors watching television, playing video games, or they are locked into after school activities where everything is structured FOR them. They are used to being entertained and they start to look for that in every situation, rather than using their imaginations to think up new games or find something to do when they are bored. At Learning on the Log, we have some structured activities, but for the most part, our days are filled with trying new things, coming up with new activities, looking for "props" out in nature that we can use for games, and we give the kids the opportunity to suggest new things and help to guide the games. They use their imaginations, "no idea is a bad idea"; they are challenged to think outside the box, "how can we use those rocks and these trees to introduce a new game"; they use their imaginations, "we are building a fort in the woods for the bears and alligators to live in when we leave". These experiences are so important for these kids. They are learning that they don't need video games to entertain them when they are bored. They are learning how to use whatever is around them to start a game. They are learning to work together with a group of other kids to engage in new games, and even though that is hard because they don't know how it will turn out, that is real life.