This peaceful moment helped me think about how nature can support children’s learning. When children play pretend games, they enjoy being in nature. Collecting and crunching leaves can be a fun and learning activity. As they walk around and pick up different kinds of leaves, they start to notice how the leaves change in different seasons bright green in spring, colourful in autumn, and no leaves in winter. This helps them learn about the life cycle of trees and understand more about nature.

As they collect leaves, children see that the leaves are different in colour, size, and texture. They can sort the leaves into groups by size, shape, or pattern which helps them build early maths skills. When they touch and feel the leaves, they are also using their senses and developing their sensory skills. The sound of leaves crunching when they walk or jump on them is exciting and helps with their physical development.

These outdoor activities give children a chance to connect with nature. They help children grow curious and interested in the world around them.

Children are busy people. They like to touch, taste, poke, dig, tear, shake, pull, push, and climb. They’re curious and eager to follow the path of curiosity. They’re observant and imaginative – often seeing patterns, shapes, and possibilities that adults rarely notice. Children are intense, sensitive, and highly competent. They’re also philosophical and spiritual (Schein 2017, Wilson and Schein 2017).

Studies of children in different types of environments show that children play more creatively (like pretend and fantasy play) in natural spaces like parks and rivers than in playgrounds or indoor play areas (Louv, 2006, as cited in Wilson, 2007; Moore & Cosco, 2006, as cited in Wilson, 2007).