Adventure Tykes

saying 'Hi' to an ant

My daughter, Viola, is 16 months old and has an addiction…..the outdoors!!!   Right after breakfast every morning, she beats on the front door like a jailed prisoner!  We go outside and she starts exploring.  We walk down the sidewalk and she points out all of the bugs.  She loves to wave and say “hi” to the ants.  Sometimes she will pull along her wagon with her shovel and dig in the dirt.

saying 'hi' to a beatle

There are so many lessons we can learn while out in nature.  I’m trying to teach her to “be kind to nature”- this means NO stepping on bugs or pulling up flowers (because usually these flowers are in our neighbor’s garden!).  She has learned what wind feels like, what birds sound like and how to stay away from prickly plants.   She has learned how to approach strange dogs, never to step into the street without first holding mommy’s  hand and never to throw rocks.  She has learned that the red strawberries and tomatoes taste a lot better than the green ones, she will pick them off of my plants on the deck and have a little feast.  She loves to help me water the plants, too.  My husband  and I have learned that if she doesn’t get adequate  “exploring time outside”, she will start acting up and won’t sleep as well.

exploring

We have just recently moved to Colorado from New York City, so we are slowly learning the ways of being outdoors.  We are a busy family and often don’t have the time to head up to the mountains or find a trail.  For now, we are exploring the adventures in our own neighborhood!

found a leaf

(Laura Downie is a working mom in Colorado.  She splits her time between being a veterinarian, a wife, a caretaker to their 4 cats and dog, and a mom to a very active 16 month old, named Viola (who would rather play in the dirt than do anything else). Thank you Laura for sharing and showing that nature and adventures can be found in your own neighborhood, not just while hiking or camping.)