Posted: May 15, 2020
This spring, ECE and OST professionals and families find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Some programs have remained open to serve families of essential workers. Others closed but are preparing to reopen. Some families are home with their children trying to work, teach, and parent all at once. At times like these a walk is great medicine!
It is okay to just walk (remember your power-walk pace may not work for the children in your group). A walk doesn't always have to be about learning. But if you'd like some fresh ways to use your mind and exercise your senses while you are on a walk, here are some suggestions:
- A Listening Walk--Paul Showers' book The Listening Walk says "I like to take walks. I take walks with my father and our dog…on a listening walk, I do not talk. I listen to all the different sounds." A listening walk provides a change of pace for children who go outside often--experiencing the same world in a new way. Reading the book would be an excellent preamble to a spring walk.
- I-Spy Numbers Walk--Encourage each walker to look for numerals in their surroundings--house numbers, pavement markings, license plates, etc. When they see one, they call out "I spy a 2!" and the other walkers look for and point to the "spied" number. An alternate approach is for the whole group to look for numbers in order, first finding a 1, then finding a 2, and so on.
- Rainbow Walk--This is similar to the number walk but features children looking for and noticing colors of the rainbow in order. Each person looks for and points out to the others something red, then orange, then yellow, going through the ROYGBIV color spectrum.
Even if a child is in arms or in a stroller, stop every once in awhile to notice things together--interesting ornamental grass, a squirrel, sunlight shining on a building in an interesting way, a worm, the sound of a train. Point to things. Allow children to touch and smell natural materials. Ask questions like "What do you think?" "What does it feel like?" "What does it remind you of?" Take a small bag with you to collect interesting items to investigate more carefully when you get back home.
And remember, for those children who are not yet walking, tummy time is one of the best things to provide to get their bodies' muscles strong enough to walk. Placing a child on their stomach is great while they are alert, but if a child falls asleep, their caregiver should immediately place the child on their back.
