As I've talked about before, I am passionate about kids getting more time in nature. I'm trying to raise my son with as much nature and free play as I can. He loves to be outside already! I've read several books on the topic. Here are some of my favorites:
I have decided to try to incorporate nature into my therapy sessions as much as possible. Unfortunately, having therapy sessions outside isn't really possible in my setting (HIPAA). So I've had to be creative in figuring out how to bring nature into my therapy room. Here are a few techniques that I have been implementing in my therapy room. These ideas are for a wide range of ages, as I see patients from birth to 12 years old.
1.) Using natural materials for crafts and sensory bins. You can use leaves, grass, flowers, etc to make various crafts or to fill sensory bins. I used to buy fake versions of these items - which are sometimes still necessary. But now I try to use real as much as possible.
2.) Nature books. Some of my favorites are (affiliate links):
Secrets of the Vegetable Garden
3.) Thinking about nature topics when addressing various goals. For example, if I have a child working on sequencing, I can use topics such as a frog's lifecycle or how a tree changes from spring to winter to address this goal. Or, if we are working on describing, can we compare and contrast specific bugs or flowers? How many nature items can your student think of that have their speech sounds in them? To work on critical thinking, have students think of items they would need to pack to go camping, fishing, hiking, etc.
4.) Sounds of nature - Sometimes I play calming nature sounds during my therapy sessions, just so we can feel like we are outdoors a bit. There are lots of great ones on youtube. Here are some of my favorites:
5.) Using Nature Themes in Pretend Play - can we pretend to go camping? or hiking? Can we pretend to search for animals on a safari? Can we pretend to be specific animals, like a bird flying through the sky? Can we go star gazing (make telescopes with toilet paper tubes and look at stars taped to the ceiling)? I have also cut out white paper into various figures - tape it to the ceiling and figure out what the "clouds" look like.
6.) Apps - I know technology seems like the complete opposite of nature, but there are a few fun apps you can use, especially if you are able to get outside.
NatureID or Picture This- allows you to scan/take pictures of plants to see what they are
Audubon Bird Guide - helps you identify birds
Kids Learn About Animals - Learn animal names and sounds during game play
Care For Our World - animated ebook that teaches kids about caring for their environment
7.) Starting a nature collection - Give each student a ziplock bag. They can find items they would like to add to their bag, but they have to be nature related items. Some examples would be: cool leaves, pretty flowers, interesting rocks, a bird feather, etc. If you are able to get outside, you can have them look for specific items in a scavenger hunt.
8.) Water play - I have been filling a sensory bin with some rocks and water to pretend it is a "creek." Kids love playing in the water. We add fake bugs, fish, boats. It has been calming and fun for my patients. It also helps them to work on self-control (not splashing, getting wet). But there is typically no harm, no foul if they do get wet. It's just water and it will dry.
9.) Social skills - There are some social rules for interacting with nature. You can help facilitate discussions about these unwritten rules with your social skills groups. Topics can include: trespassing, destruction of nature, littering, animal care, safety, what to wear in certain weather, etc.
10.) Class Pet - this is something I haven't been able to do because of the setting I practice in, but I would LOVE to raise and release butterflies or have an ant or worm farm.
I think the important thing to remember is that we want to instill a love of Earth and nature into children so that they WANT to take care of it. In the meantime, connecting them to nature, in any way we can, will do wonders for their physical, mental, and emotional health. And nature isn't just plants and trees - it's animals, stars, space, weather, water, bugs, flowers, gardens, dirt, rocks, clouds - and everything in between. Once you start thinking about it like that, you'll find endless opportunities to incorporate nature into therapy.
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