Exercise for Mind & Body!
I must admit that I was going to post about "tight jeans" today because of this: "Dr. Minazad says tight, tight jeans can lead to a leg-numbing condition called meralgia paresthetica, also known as "tingling thigh syndrome." OK, don't go there yet!! I can almost hear some of you falling off your chairs laughing!!!! It is a tease & I will post about it Friday!Today, I ran into another great article that made me thing how caught up many of us get in the day to day stresses, to-do lists, laundry, work, housework, please the boss, please the hubby etc. We just don't take time to "smell the roses" as they say. I know that some of you have tackled this but I have not. I do have weekend time where my hubby & I just "veg" and don't feel guilty about it. BUT, this article on the wonders of children & how to see thru their eyes was just cool to me. I know MizFit is really good at this. I think I am going to have to put this into motion when I visit the 7 grandkids this summer. If I can crawl into their minds & shoes for just a few minutes, I think I can be a better person. After reading this article, Kids in the Wild…Nature Detectives, tell me if you feel the same way. Not only can this help clear our mind & soul for a bit of time BUT you are out & enjoying & MOVING too! Every little bit counts & having fun is part of the whole equation! You may not have the forest nearby but how about a park, beach or zoo or anything like that. I am sure there are wonders of all kinds out there for the kids & we can all learn from their innocence. In fact, it is good for us to "regress" back & get away from adulthood for a while! Sometimes we just need that! Read & enjoy:
Kids in the Wild.. Nature Detectives
Unstructured time in nature unleashes incredible creativity in my children. Recently, we met our playgroup in a redwood forest and with the aid of a notebook, pencil, and a camera enjoyed hours of fun as “wilderness detectives.”
On this occasion, I simply didn’t have the time to be bothered with much preparation. It worked perfectly, however, because I simply followed my daughter’s lead and ended up with a wonderful educational adventure.
Here’s what we did:
We arrived at our hiking spot and I took out my notebook and pencil. As Jasmine (nearly 5 years old) began to race up the trail, I asked her to describe what she saw. She ran just a few feet up the trail and began to tell me about a plant with pink flowers. I began to write what she wrote in the notebook and she was impressed. Somehow, recording her words made everything feel very important.
I asked for more details and she counted the petals. She described the shape and color of the leaves. She touched the stems and announced their texture. I wrote it all down in my notebook, asking clarifying questions, “what texture are the leaves? How many points do they have?” checking to make sure I’d accurately recorded her information.
(Interestingly, she does not like to spend time on counting or geometry if we’re working with paper and pencils. But in this environment, she was captivated. It didn’t even occur to her that she was doing “math.”)
I walked up the path and began “searching” for her plant. Because she’s been desperate to use my camera recently, when I found her plant, I handed her my camera and let her take a picture of it. We repeated with all kinds of plants and creatures.
She was thrilled. Meanwhile, little 2-year-old Chloe was racing around the trails picking up sticks, poking in the mud, and galloping after her sister. Whenever she stopped long enough to take notice of something special, I’d stop to talk about it with her.
Jasmine and I filled two pages of notebook paper with her discoveries, which included:
Large banana slugs
Baby banana slugs
Pink flowered bushes
Spittlebugs
Forget-me-nots
Purple flowered bushes
California newts (Chloe found this one)
After we returned home, Jasmine enjoyed hearing the descriptions of the plants she’d found and then viewing the pictures she taken to go with the descriptions. We even tried to learn the names of some of the plants she’d found.
What nature adventures have you enjoyed with your children? Share them here!
Share any story, kids or not, about how you manged to just live in the moment & enjoy. I need help here! 
Adorable!
Weather was nice outside here yesterday, took my entire advanced Karate class (all boys) outside to train at the park.
People passing by would wonder why these boys were hip-tossing each other all over the grass. Was beautiful
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Oh my gosh! That slug is scaring the hell out of me. for real! My stomach is unsettled (I'm a chump, sorry)
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I'm the same way Jody, I have a really hard time just enjoying the moment! Ahh, to be a kid again! Great post, it really makes you think! Life is too short to stress.
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Vegging out is my favorite past time. I could do that every weekend - but I can't
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Hey, we had those banana slugs when we lived in Seattle! One of my fave memories is taking the kids hiking on a trail just rife with the little buggers. Our then-two-year-old FREAKED out and scaled my husband like a tree. When I asked him if he was afraid of the slugs he nodded and added tearfully, "Slugs eat tigers!" Ah, the weird world of a toddler! Glad you had such a good time out with the wee oneS!
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Thx all for reading! It is hard to slow down at times!
Josie, yes, that slug got me at first too! KIDS, all is amazing to them!
Shauna, yup, so hard & really hard when you work long hours & have other obligations!
Amanda, when I was younger & working really long hours, I spent the whole weekend doing errands. No down time & it was UGH! I hope you can find some balance on that front. It really hit home t me when family members started to pass away.. not the way you really want this to hit you!
Charlotte, what a cute story! YES, the world of kids!
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Oh I have to remember to do that with the notebook and being a nature detective--thanks for sharing that Jody! And thanks for all of your advice and thoughtful comments. You are always so sweet and enthusiastic!
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Oh I have to remember to do that with the notebook and being a nature detective--thanks for sharing that Jody! And thanks for all of your advice and thoughtful comments. You are always so sweet and enthusiastic!
But that slug...
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I know.. the slug... creepy but fascinating in it's own special way!
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This information has helped me so much with my studies, thanks ever so much, waiting for the next posts!
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