The Thrill of Nature: Inspiring the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards

WILD CHILD participants 

Written by Nadine Reeves, ChildReach

Childreach is demystifying the risks of outdoor play and building parents' confidence in taking children outside through their WILD CHILD outdoor playgroups. WILD CHILD is offered three times a week all year long no matter the weather right here in London, ON.  

WILD CHILD is a conduit to accessible green space where parents can expose their children to natural experience and cultivate children's positive pro-environmental knowledge of biology and ecology, empathetic connection to the world around them, assessment of the risk associated with wildlife, injury, or getting lost, mastery of personal challenges, and evaluation of their abilities in the natural settings. By paying close attention to children's interactions with nature, following their lead and tailoring experiences and questions to their specific interests, facilitators are on the best path toward igniting a passion for the natural world.

These forest playgroups allow children to gain independence, lead their own adventure, and test their abilities and limits outside in the natural environment. This project creates safe and equitable access for families with children to enjoy the outdoors and engage parents in the long-term social, mental and physical health benefits of spending significant time outside learning and playing with their children. WILD CHILD is offered to families at no cost, registration is not required, and all WILD CHILD playgroup locations are accessible by public transit.

In an age where screens dominate much of our attention, the concept of risky play can seem daunting. However, allowing children to engage in activities that involve a bit of risk has numerous benefits for both children and their caregivers. This type of play develops life-long skills that set the foundation for future learning such as problem solving skills, emotional resilience, social skills, and critical thinking. Encouraging caregivers to participate in the play experience gives them the knowledge and confidence to recreate similar outdoor play opportunities for their children beyond the playgroups and allows them to meet other families and connect with community.

While some may be hesitant for their child to engage in “risky” play, it is important to remember that a risk is not a hazard. A hazard is something that can’t be seen that will cause harm to the child (i.e. broken glass). On the other hand, a risk is something that can be identified and offers a challenge and thrill with a possibility of injury to the child, and the child has a choice of how to interact with the risk, based on their evaluation and judgement (i.e. climbing a tree, balancing on a log). Participating in child-led risky play is incredible for a child's development, while a child may choose to balance on a slippery log which results in them falling the first time; with experience, they grow more cautious and calculated and learn to discern which risks they are willing and able to take.

An evaluation of the WILD CHILD program performed by Western University’s Human Environments Analysis Laboratory (HEAL), revealed that participants tend to visit natural spaces for outdoor play more frequently, and that both child and parent participants reported that their well-being was positively impacted by the outdoor programming. This study revealed that WILD CHILD enables children, inclusive of different ages, genders, and ethno-cultural backgrounds, to collaborate through nature-based play. Furthermore, through exposure to risky play in natural environments, children participating in the WILD CHILD outdoor playgroup learn to assess risk, collaborate with others, improve creative thinking and develop strategies to understand their own abilities.

Prioritizing getting children outside in nature inspires curiosity, ignites passions and cultivates their creativity. Let’s embrace the thrill of outdoor adventures and the lessons they bring, ensuring our children have the freedom to explore and learn in nature’s vast, exciting playground!  Get muddy, balance on logs, climb trees, find bugs, dig holes, skin a few knees, get tired, and be happy.