Peaceful Minds and Playfulness

Summer is upon us at long last. After a rather long, cold and snowy winter we can finally bare our skin to the sun's rays. Nature - that has been awakening during the spring and nurtured by the rain - is in it's full bloom. While many classic American songs extoll the virtue of being lazy and easy during these warm months, today many of us still find ourselves racing along despite the heat.

For many children - although school has ended - they are now rushed into full days of jam packed programming, and a good portion of that time indoors. While focused work and education is necessary, we invite you to consider the many ways that unstructured play and peaceful communing with nature can balance out and recharge busy lifestyles.

For the Young People:
Upper Manhattan Forest Kids has a focus on child-led learning. While it may not be always child-initiated -as we offer optional activities and starter ideas with themes for the day - our emphasis is to follow the children's lead. Often their ideas are better than ours anyway and we may end up exploring a new hidden path or begin a group construction project with sticks, leaves and dirt or enjoy a shared story about horses, birds and castles. The point of the play is to clearly place confidence in the young persons miraculous imagination, and for them to gain trust in their own insight and ideas. Often young people don't get to have that experience of themselves as leaders and creators with something meaningful to say. Mostly because they're just not used to being asked questions or given the power of choice, they may feel uncomfortable or insecure when left to their own devices. They may look to the grown ups to tell them, show them or give them something to do. Luckily, children are malleable and it doesn't take very long for them to rediscover their natural wonder of the world when they're outdoors.

For the Adult Caregiver:
The benefits of being in nature may seem unimportant to grownups with responsibilities and busy lives. However, the research shows that even brief visits to nature improve the health of one's mind and body. Shinrin-yoku is a term that roughly translates to "forest bathing". It was developed in Japan and has become known for its preventive health and healing benefits. Studies show that just a two-hour forest bath will help bring you into the present moment and de-stress and relax you. Now, imagine the impact that can have on the person in charge of caring for that young person. Being outdoors is a great way to take care of the caregiver, by allowing the stress to simply dissolve while listening to the chirping of birds and stepping off the concrete.

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