Leave No Child Inside – Greater Cincinnati

We know that unstructured outdoor play leads to happier, healthier and smarter children! Last summer, Leave No Child Inside ? Greater Cincinnati sponsored a Child-Friendly Backyard Contest as a fun way to encourage parents to allocate space in their yards for safe, unstructured play. On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the contest winners were announced and received recognition at the Cincinnati Horticultural Society’s Amateur Gardener’s Awards Ceremony.

Since the key words for a Child-Friendly Backyard are “creative” and “unstructured”, the contest guidelines were minimal! The ultimate measure of success for a Child-Friendly Backyard is that it is a place where children want to spend time playing, imagining and learning. The contest was judged based upon creative use of space, not the size of the yard. Some other considerations were:

• The involvement of children in the design process;
• A safe place that also allows for free, undefined and imaginative play;
• Utilization of natural materials and space, making the most of available and accessible resources;
• Evidence that other creatures and other children were also attracted to the space.

Two families were chosen as winners of the contest: The Harrison Family of Wyoming and the Mays Family of Loveland.  The judges also identified three families deserving of Honorable Mention (listed in alphabetical order):  The Dustman Family of Clifton, the McNett/Eicher Family of Loveland and the Miller Family of New Richmond.

Our judges, Corina Bullock of the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, Roberta Paolo of Granny’s Garden School in Loveland and Susan Vonderhaar, coordinator of the Carson/Dater Montessori Nature Center, agreed that they enjoyed seeing the various child friendly backyards and said that the families truly enjoyed showing off their efforts! They commended them all on making the outdoors a priority in their family’s lives.

Their advice to other families interested in creating a Child-Friendly Backyard is to not let size or resources inhibit you from seeing the potential that lies in your space. Use resources you can find to create an open ended play area that has no clearly defined purpose, but where imaginations can take hold – like a fallen log and ornamental grasses. Create nooks and special places in your garden using plantings like a climbing tree or theme gardens. Their best advice: Include children in the dreaming process and you won’t be short of ideas!

The Winners

The Harrison Family Yard

The Harrisons of Wyoming did a wonderful job in the integration of areas for adults and children.  Their more adult focused outdoor space featured nooks and crannies that, with the power of imagination, a child could turn into a magical place.  In their garden design, they incorporated wildlife with a “bird store”, a “butterfly beach” and a garden for their pet rabbit.  With children older than most of other applicants, they also exhibited creative uses of raw materials through garden arts and crafts.

The Mays Family Yard

Even though the Mays Family had been in their Main St. house in Loveland for 2 months, their yard is a magnetic place for their children and for children from the neighborhood.  They demonstrated optimal use of a small area by using plantings, such as ornamental grasses, to create the illusion of separation and space.  The yard highlighted various gardens, grassy areas for play and special places in which children had ownership, all while being visible for subtle parental supervision.  Evidence of the children’s involvement and the communal nature of the Mays’ yard is their 10 year old daughter’s comment, “It takes a family to have a fun backyard”.

Honorable Mentions

The judges also identified three families deserving of Honorable Mention (listed in alphabetical order):

The Dustman Family

The Dustman Family of Clifton put great thought into promoting creativity through their playhouse structure.  In easy viewing distance from the patio area, the children have ownership of that space.  The judges all agreed that the hardscape of stone walls and steps was a subtle natural play area and a great asset to the yard.

The McNett/Eicher Family

The McNett/Eicher Family of Loveland maintained the integrity of the natural landscape and the neighborhood environment.  They were able to keep the front as a manicured lawn and dedicated the back to enhancing their children’s play.  They did a good job of balancing a defined sand play area and fountain with natural wooded paths, food producing gardens and wild flower gardens.

The Miller Family

The Miller Family of New Richmond was working with a large amount of space and took full use of it!  While staying true to the natural landscape of the wooded sloping hillside, the Millers designed various defined spaces – fire pit, picnic area, swing set, sand pit, etc.  The judges appreciated their use of natural building materials ranging from wooden railings to stone enforced pond.

Recognition

Leave No Child Inside-Greater Cincinnati is a collaborative of individuals        and organizations educating the community that time spent in nature        is essential for the physical, mental and emotional health of all      children. The collaborative includes:

By Julie Eldridge

Early Childhood Educator at Cincinnati Nature Center

It wasn’t long ago that I could slip on my hiking boots, snap the leash on my dog’s collar and head out for a hike. The wind rustling through the trees, the gurgling water in the stream and the birds chattering all around soothed my soul and quieted my mind.

That was about 2½ years ago. Now I run through my checklist: diapers … check, wipes … check, snack … check, sippy cup … check, and when I’m really on the ball, extra outfit for falls in the mud … check. All this takes place while my eternally patient dog gives me an annoyed glare, as if to say, “Do we really have to keep this little person? He makes everything more complicated.”

Obviously, my hikes these days are not as quiet and soothing, but they are exciting in a new way. My son delights in seeing new things and checking back on what we have discovered on past hikes. He and I have share so much, I feel compelled to share some of our favorite ways for you and your baby or toddler to explore nature this fall.

Shake-a-Tree

Find a small tree or low hanging branch. Grasp the trunk or branch and gently shake. The leaves will tumble down all around your toddler or baby. Have the camera ready for some really neat pictures.

Stop and Smell the…

Flowers are nice, but there are many other distinct smells in nature for you and your little one. Scratch the green husk of a walnut to smell its spicy scent. Crush or tear leaves to emit a strong smell. Evergreen needles, sap or cones offer wonderful scents as well.

Mrs. Squirrel

Babies and toddlers love to watch squirrels and fall is the perfect time to do so! Next time you see a squirrel busily collecting nuts, describe to your child what she is doing. Then pull out a squirrel puppet. Your toddler will delight in collecting nuts and giving them to Mrs. Squirrel. The puppet can pretend to bury them or eat them right away. Be sure to have the puppet talk to your child and thank her for the help. This can also be done to help your little one understand nest building. Have the squirrel collect leaves and tuck them in a low crotch of a small tree within your child’s sight. Be sure the squirrel describes what she is doing, “Here I go, up, up, up the tree with my leaves. This is the perfect spot for my house. I’ll put the leaves right here. They’ll make a nice soft bed.” Next, encourage your little one to collect leaves and give them to Mrs. Squirrel. Your toddler will love helping and learning what squirrels eat and where they live.

Describe It

By simply describing to your baby what she sees, hears, smells or touches can help build her vocabulary. “This tree is big. Its branches go up into the sky.” “Those geese are loud. They say honk, honk.” “This rock is cold.” Words like big, little, rough, smooth, loud, soft, wet and dry are perfect. For a talkative toddler, ask her to describe what she is experiencing. Asking questions like, “Is the pond water hot or cold?” will easily encourage her. Be sure to give her new words to use by saying things like, “Ouch, that’s prickly. Can you feel how prickly it is?”

Find the Match

My son loves to find things that match. Often it’s that his yellow shirt matches the yellow school bus. The millions of leaves all around in the fall set the stage to play this game outside. Pick up a leaf that has fallen and ask your child to find one that matches. You can encourage her to find one with a matching color or shape.

Tickle, Tickle

A grass leaf, seed head or white pine needles make perfect ticklers. If your little one dislikes being tickled, encourage her to tickle you. She’ll love it!

Touch This

Sweet gum balls, elm leaves, a maple leaf covered with spiky insect galls, bark or a smooth rock are all wonderful items for your youngster to touch. The variety of textures is an excellent form of stimulation for babies. However, please be aware that some plants are poisonous and small natural items can be a choking hazard.

Walking Stumps

After a large tree died in our yard, we had it cut down with specific instructions to leave as many two-foot cross-sections of the trunk as possible. We placed these “stumps” in a circle in our yard. My son has climbed round and round on these stumps hundreds of times. The circle has also turned into a place to discover wild visitors.

Our hikes these days soothe my soul in a different way, as it is good to know that my little one is connecting to the natural world, a world that will teach him so much.

Keeping Kids in Touch with Nature

Want to see first-hand just how much of a difference one person can make? Plan a trip to Granny’s Garden School in Loveland!

Seeing how disconnected kids are becoming from the natural world and their
communities, Roberta Paolo (aka “Granny”) decided to do something
about it. As a grandmother and gardener, she had seen the positive impact
exposure to flowers had on the kids and adults who visited her gardens;
even the neighborhood tough guys. In the spring of 2002, she started Granny’s
Garden School to give kids a chance to pick flowers and ended up changing
the school system. Granny uses school the grounds to turn kids on to growing
and eating vegetables and inspires them to “stop and smell the roses” and
pick one to share!

She began by mobilizing volunteers to develop the school grounds into teaching gardens, then taught the teachers how to use them. Today, teachers use the 100 vegetable garden beds and ¾ mile nature trail to
teach a variety of academic and life lessons to the 1,700 first through fourth graders in Loveland, Ohio. Produce is used for the kids to snack on while still in the gardens, served in the cafeteria and donated to the local food pantry. And, there are lots of flowers to pick!

Granny believes in getting the most out of every resource, be it money, people or in kind donations.

• Each spring, a supermarket donates sweet potatoes that the first
  graders use to grow slips to sell to local farms. Some are planted in the sweet potato patch. In the fall, when they return to school as second graders, the students dig the sweet potatoes and prepare and eat them as part of their harvest party.
• For a donation of $50 people become members in Granny’s Garden
  Club which entitles them to pick 10 bouquets and to receive discounts on plant sales.
• The students gather and package seeds that are donated to other schools and sold at a Spring Garden Party, along with surplus perennials dug from the gardens.
• This spring, Granny’s Garden School will offer chefs the opportunity to harvest herbs and fresh produce throughout the summer.
• During the summer Granny offers outdoor gardening, cooking
  and how-to craft camps where kids can learn useful life skills, like how to cook and use a drill.

The program is a study in creative ways to use resources and attract
and utilize volunteers. Realizing that the parent pool was not going to provide enough volunteers, Granny launched Community
Service Weekend (April and October) and then publicized it at high schools and colleges that require students to do community service. She used the same approach to attract business and church groups who help to maintain the gardens in the summer.

Granny’s Garden School is a shining example of how one person with a great idea and a lot of determination can influence many lives and engage an entire community. If you would like to tour Granny’s Garden School, contact Roberta Paolo via their website, www.grannysgardenschool.com.

Feburary, 2008

Photos courtesy of Imago

Eco-Families (nee Eco-Babies), is a monthly potluck for families and their young children, hosted by Imago. For parents, it is a way to learn more about ecological subjects and to hang out with other parents who share similar values. Children take part in songs, stories and hikes. Afterwards, it’s dinnertime!

Led by Dr. Amy Murdoch, a school psychologist specializing in early education and Chris Clements, Executive Director of Imago, each month features a theme and several activities revolving around that theme. Recent programs have included composting, birds, making gifts for wildlife, family yoga, gardening, and green cleaning products. A core group of Eco-Family friends have all brought their expertise and interests and added to the richness of the experience. The group also goes on two camping trips a year at local state parks.

Any person is welcome. Eco-Families takes place on the third Saturday of the month from 5:00-7:00 pm. Imago is located in Price Hill, just west of downtown Cincinnati at 700 Enright Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45205. For directions and a calendar of themes visit their website at www.imagoearth.org or call (513) 921-5124.

Feburary, 2008

On February 13, 2008, Ohio’s Physical Activity Plan was released. This plan, created by a consortium including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association, is a statewide plan of action to address the epidemic of physical inactivity and its consequences. It incorporates strategies to influence behaviors and lifestyles, focusing on Community, School, Transportation, and Worksite. This report addresses health issues not only for Ohio’s children, but for the population in general. Leave No Child Inside – Greater Cincinnati has endorsed the plan. Click here to view either the Executive Summary or the complete Ohio Physical Activity Plan.