Kathy Brandon's Blog: The Adventures of Nonna

Can you smell that? A common question we may ask while we are exploring the outdoors with our children. Walking fields or forests, mountains or creeks the amount of smells is endless. When we take our time to breath deeply, meditate on the smells and truly work to identify them, we are becoming a part of the whole experience the outdoors brings to our little ones and adults alike.  The slower the pace on our nature walks, the more we can take in and allow for children's natural curiosity to be feed.

Smell: the odor of the damp earth as you walk through the woods and around the water source.

Breathe in deep the smell of the trees around you, pine, oak, maple, dogwood, cherry, all so different.

Walking into or by the water, can you uncover the different smells coming from within?

After a rainfall is a wondrous time to take a nature walk and breathe in deep the smells of the earth, damp tree trunks, moss and so much more.

Flowers tend to be scattered around so many of the places we walk, try to identify the scents that tickle your nose on your walk. Honeysuckle, lavender, lilac, hydrangeas, daisies, tulips, oh so many to explore.

As fall starts to give way to winter you may still smell the crunchy leaves or those that have begun to break down, each offering a unique smell to breathe in deeply.

Did you pick up scents that remind you of your home in the winter months, pinecones, pine needles, red berries, cedar, oak or fir trees.

Roaring campfires may enter your nose as you take some of your hikes in national or local parks.

Listening to nature is such an important skill for children and adults alike. When we can explore the outdoors, the time spent is very valuable, stopping and listening to the world around us. Be sure to do your sound walks in different seasons so you can truly experience the beauty of each time of year in the outdoors.

Sound: listen to the rustling of the leaves on the ground as they blow across the trail

Listen to the chirping of the birds high above your head, do you hear a woodpecker’s beak going into the wood of a sturdy tree? Can you pick up an onomatopoeia sound they might make?

Can you hear the scampering sounds of chipmunks across the forest floor?

Identify what is making the splashing sounds in the water along the trail.

Is that a whistle blowing or the wind singing its song through the trees?

The plunk plunk sound of snow as it melts off the tree branches.

Can you identify that buzzing sound by your ear, is it a bee or a mosquito?

Is that roaring sound a waterfall as it plunges over the rocks and down into the still water below?

Is that the scampering of a squirrel digging up their treasures, or a crunch of leaves under your shoes?

Can you listen closely to the rustling of the tall grasses in the fields?

Does that sound have a vibration, a high or low pitch, a deep or low or soft volume?

What sounds do you hear as you cross a wooden bridge versus a metal bridge, one that crosses water and ones that cross a field?

Something dropped to the ground by you, was it an acorn, a twig, a pinecone? What might you do with each of those items that can become an art project?

Pick up two sticks and listen to the different sounds they make as you tap them on different items in the woods. A rock, a tree trunk, your boots, a fence, a bridge, a bench, a signpost and more.

Is there anything more delightful than watching a child in a state of wonder?

Engaging your senses enhances the experience of being in nature. It is so important to give children opportunities to be in nature, to explore the outside. Nature engages different parts of the brain and allows for growing and learning, all while having a good time. Children don’t mind a bit of rainy weather, don your rain boots and hit some puddles, open your mouth and taste the rain, spin in circles, watch animals in their natural habitats and learn the importance of respecting their homes. Children are naturally curious, full of wonder, and love to ask why. Getting them outside opens doors for those to all be engaged with the adult joining them on the day’s adventure. Try this activity with a little one and watch the wonder that occurs. In the summer months the days are longer and there is plenty of time for exploring the outdoors. The outdoors is a perfect opportunity to let your child take the lead and show you what they want to explore, allowing them to point out what is of interest and having you follow their cues. Making up stories for objects and people found along the way will increase vocabulary, problem/ solutions, and creativity outlets. Being outdoors also greatly increases motor skills for children, reduces stress, and helps boost cognition. All of these are wonderful benefits to being outdoors, while also teaching our youth to respect, care for, and be actively involved with the future of their planet.

With an adult, take a sense walk in the woods.

Try a few exciting activities while in nature to have your own adventure.

Let’s start with sight.
Sight: Look at the light coming through the trees, or reflecting off the water, off the rocks throughout.

Take in the designs of the bark on the trees, find the side with the green moss. Can you name any of the different trees on your walk?

Identify the different colored flowers where you are walking.

See how the water moves over the dirt, rocks and logs.

Those scurrying sounds might be a chipmunk, squirrel, or rabbits across the wooded trail floor, keep an eye out and you just might see them playing nearby.

Can you see the birds flying through the air, or landing in a branch?

Maybe you are lucky enough to find a nest to explore.

Can you spot a firefly, carefully catch one in your hands and watch it glow, then release it



I would love to hear about your time outdoors and what you experienced. Enjoy all that nature has to offer.