4 Tips For Helping City Kids Connect to Nature

We often make the mistake of thinking of nature as being synonymous with wilderness, and forget that even city sidewalks and public parks offer fertile ground for fostering a nature connection.

The puddles in the gutter, the dandelion growing through a crack in the sidewalk, and the pigeon cooing on a ledge are all part of nature! But if we never take time to step outside, slow down, and look around, we miss them altogether.

Challenge yourself to go for weekly exploration walks in your neighborhood, and keep track of how many signs of nature you can spot along the way. This practice will sharpen your kiddo’s observation (and counting!) skills, and you’ll probably be shocked at just how much nature there is to discover. For deeper learning, consider bringing along pocket field guides to identify plants, insects, and birds that you discover on your walks.

Even in the busiest of cities, there are trees to be found! Take a walk, and pick out one to “adopt.” It could be in a local park, or even just in the little strip between street and sidewalk. Just make sure it’s close enough for you to visit regularly.

Really get to know your tree. Do some research to find out what kind it is. Measure its circumference. Use crayons and paper to create leaf and bark rubbings. Check to see if any creatures are using your tree as a home. Perhaps a bird has made a nest, a squirrel has moved in to a hollow cavity, or insects have taken up residence in the bark or in the dirt around the base of the tree. Get to know these “neighbors.”

Continue to visit your tree regularly to keep track of how it changes season to season. You can even keep a journal to record your observations.

By learning to see a tree as a distinct individual and understanding its role in your local ecosystem, you lay the foundation for a deep personal connection with the natural world!

Feeling short on nature? Why not grow your own! There are plenty of plants – both edible and decorative – that will thrive in pots on a balcony or sunny windowsill. Take a trip to a local farmer’s market or garden center to pick up seedlings or established plants, or try growing your own from seed. Including your child in the process of selecting and caring for a small collection of plants helps them feel a sense of responsibility and a greater appreciation for nature.

Not sure where to start? An assortment of herbs is a great place to begin. Plants like mint, basil, thyme, sage, and rosemary are easy to grow even in small pots indoors and offer a wonderful sensory learning experience. One of our favorite activities is snipping bits of fresh picked herbs into homemade uncolored play dough – a great project for building fine motor skills and strengthening sensory awareness!

Research shows that frequent, unstructured experiences in nature are the most common influence on the development of life-long conservation values. If you want your child to love and care for the earth, the most important thing you can do it make time for them to go outdoors and play! But building a habit of regular outdoor play and exploration with your child can feel daunting. The good news is, you don’t have to go it alone!

Find another parent to go on regular outdoor playdates with, or check out Free Forest School, an organization that provides free opportunities for young children and their parents and caregivers to explore, play, and connect in public parks across the U.S.

Still feeling overwhelmed? I get it! That’s why I recently launched Wonderkin, a monthly subscription box that provides parents with everything they need to jumpstart engaging outdoor play and learning, no matter where they live or how crazy their schedule is.

Each box is curated around a different natural theme, like hibernation and pollination, and includes a high-quality children’s book, materials and guidelines for 3-5 hands-on learning and outdoor exploration activities, and a parent “cheat sheet” to help you answer all your little explorer’s questions. Subscribers also receive access to our Wonderkin Insiders Facebook group, where they can connect with a community of like-minded parents. If you’re interested in trying it out, you can get $5 off your first box with promo code “SAYNPLAY.”