outside

On the 4th of July, illegal fireworks in our neck of the woods (and their attendant noise and air pollution) go off in every direction. We took a peaceful walk in a nearby bird sanctuary and garden and wore the boys out, and thankfully, it worked: they slept right through explosions 2-dozen feet from their heads.







The boys are still fearless climbers, but they're also good at it.







Earlier that day, we also stopped by the children's garden that is run by their school, because it was our "week" to caretake the garden. I was so impressed by what we found there. We watered, weeded, and composted.



There are edible herbs, a "shiny things sculpture", and "hopping stones" so the kids can get right in the middle of everything.







This hangs in the garden to give parents and kids a little inspiration:







It's kind of hard to see in the pictures, but the childrens' painted rocks line all the garden beds:


The "secrets box", as the boys call it. (Click on the photo to read the text):


The logs are used like blocks, for looking at the bugs underneath them, and for making the outlines of "houses", among other things.





As I've mentioned before, the boys have their own garden this year, but they enjoy almost every part of our yard. How kids enjoy outdoor space is something that really interests me, and how we use our small space is always evolving. I try to make sure they have some hiding spaces that are private and cozy, because I loved those as a child. I have such fond memories of playing outside alone or with my brother as a child, and what all my favorite places--our backyard in NY, my grandmother's beautiful garden, the tiny patch of woods near our house in California-- had in common was a combination of openness and privacy, formality and wildness, the ability to notice tiny things and also move my muscles and use my strength. I am happy that this is possible even in our own small yard, as the boys hide behind the raspberries or under the spirea bushes, then launch themselves off of their play structure onto a giant plastic ball and vault onto the lawn. Sometimes, they run circles through the front garden and around the crabapple tree, then roll down the hill onto the sidewalk, stopping to look intently at an anthill for several minutes. They have some ownership over being able to grow things in their own space. To help them to be able to observe something of the natural world, we have several bird feeders and pay close attention to the insect life in our yard. Both boys can tell a weed from a vegetable, and will pull pig weed, crabgrass, and clover for the chickens to eat. They can dig in the dirt, and forage, and just generally play in a natural, spontaneous way. Sometimes, I'm right in there with them, and we do quite a bit of talking about it all, but more often I'm doing my own yard work near their play, or even making dinner and glancing out the back window on occasion.

The preschool garden gave me so much inspiration, and gratitude that we've found a school that values some of the same things that we particularly value. The preschool garden is an even smaller space than our backyard, and yet it is such a magical space. Perhaps the boys and I will do some rock painting this summer, or make a "shiny things sculpture" to keep the birds off of our raspberries, or build a bridge out of a plank and some firewood. Perhaps next year we'll put an herb garden in the boulevard and, as I've seen in other neighborhoods and we are doing at church, put up a little sign offering some of our bounty to any neighbors who want to take some. The possibilities are endless, right in our own yard.