{"id":426,"date":"2015-05-05T09:48:30","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T13:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forestschoolforall.com\/straffordnh\/2015\/05\/05\/following-a-childs-lead-in-the-woods\/"},"modified":"2015-05-05T09:48:30","modified_gmt":"2015-05-05T13:48:30","slug":"following-a-childs-lead-in-the-woods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forestschoolforall.com\/2straffordnh\/2015\/05\/05\/following-a-childs-lead-in-the-woods\/","title":{"rendered":"Following a Child’s Lead in the Woods"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It didn't take long for me to realize that my young daughter and I can have different intentions\u00a0when we walk through the woods. If it's just me on a walk, I plan to hike or stroll\u00a0from point A to point B - and point B is usually a fair distance away. My daughter, on the other hand, can get about 10 steps into the forest, become completely engrossed in discovery and she's ready to stop. It's as though she's telling me, sure mom, I know there might be exciting things ahead, but what I'm looking at here is so exciting - right here, right now - I can't even thinking about what may or may not be down the path.<\/em><\/p>\n

I see this\u00a0happening all the time. And it makes sense,\u00a0we\u00a0are\u00a0all simply\u00a0different people,\u00a0different ages and sometimes that means, we have different plans.\u00a0The great thing about exploring in the\u00a0woods though, is that the forest allows for my daughter's plans, as well as mine.\u00a0Maybe not all at once or even in the same visit, but\u00a0there is time and space and beauty in both\u00a0sharing or discovering a particular experience\u00a0I have in mind with my daughter, as much as there is in my daughter sharing her's with me. This means there are times she is leading me through the woods.<\/p>\n

Here are a few ways we've come to find this balance, and have the whole family get elements of what they want out\u00a0of an outdoor experience.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

01. Plan (with Kids!) and Prepare\u00a0Expectations<\/p>\n

Want a balance of both child-led and parent-led exploration? Try planning - and when possible, do it\u00a0with your kids - for outdoor experiences that are devoted to each one separately. Maybe you plan one outing as a hike to a particular destination, another as an activity-based experience, and another still as unstructured, child-led free play. If you know there is balance in your overall schedule, then each experience can be what it is without trying to be it all at once.\u00a0At the same time, then we can set the tone for the experience, preparing our children\u00a0and ourselves mentally for what will come from the\u00a0outing that day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

02. Create a Yes Environment<\/p>\n

Children\u00a0wandering off the path, tromping through tall grass, stomping in puddles and creek beds, digging in the dirt, climbing fallen trees, collecting sticks and rocks and leaves. All in a day in the woods, especially with kids as leaders. The process is empowering and energizing for them, but can be filled with moments where we're tempted to say \"no\". \u00a0Let's\u00a0ask ourselves why we say no. We can\u00a0try and create as much of a yes environment as possible with minimal preparation and an open-mind. The more you know about the area your child is exploring and the weather you'll likely encounter, along with having the proper gear on hand, the more confident you will feel about saying \"yes\"!<\/p>\n

03. Engage as a Parent + Friend<\/p>\n

As\u00a0parents, we play such an important role, even with our children taking the lead. We help remind them of safety precautions, when necessary, we can point out interesting elements in nature, we see ways to deepen their play and we see when to take a step back and let them explore on their own or with their friends. But\u00a0there is something quite\u00a0memorable about us being friends, ourselves, with our little ones in the woods. Have you puddle stomped with your kids? Run in the rain with them? Been right there alongside their wildest (and usually messiest) adventures? It can be silly and fun and outside our comfort zones - but chances are, even if for a moment, you'll smile wider than you did all day.<\/p>\n

So, go ahead and enjoy the outdoors through your children's footsteps.\u00a0The fun is in where they'll take you, what they'll imagine and watching this little child you love so much being truly happy.<\/p>\n

See you in the forest!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It didn’t take long for me to realize that my young daughter and I can have different intentions\u00a0when we walk through the woods. If it’s just me on a walk, I plan to hike or stroll\u00a0from point A to point B – and point B is usually a fair distance\u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[5,7,9],"class_list":["post-426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-benefits","tag-outdoor-play","tag-unstructured-play"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nFollowing a Child's Lead in the Woods - Forest School, Strafford, NH<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/forestschoolforall.com\/2straffordnh\/2015\/05\/05\/following-a-childs-lead-in-the-woods\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Following a Child's Lead in the Woods - Forest School, Strafford, NH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It didn't take long for me to realize that my young daughter and I can have different intentions\u00a0when we walk through the woods. 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