“Be home when the street lights come on”.

That was it. I could go play in the woods, splash in the creek, climb trees, wander on my own, and explore to my hearts content, just as long as I was home when the street lights came on. There was no texting. No snapchat or instagram. We rode our bikes around the neighborhood and discovered where the hangout house of the day was when we saw a pile of bikes in a front yard. That was our signal that we were all playing there that day. It was a different time back then, but the kids who grew up with a childhood devoid of electronic entertainment learned how to create their own adventures. We learned how to explore. We learned physics and biology and the properties of liquids all while playing in the creek. I remember I could entertain myself for hours just wading in the water, turning over rocks, and looking for crawdads and salamanders. Truth be told I can still get lost just wading in the water and seeing where the stream takes me. I still look for crawdads and salamanders too.

I remember when I was little, my sister and I used to play with our friend Rebekah and her brother Matt. We would all be out in the middle of the woods building a treehouse out of scrap lumber or making a fort of some sort. We would be completely engrossed in our play for hours. HOURS. I remember that her dad had an old police whistle he would blow to summon everyone from their playground deep in the forest. When they heard the whistle, Rebekah and Matt would drop everything and take off running through the woods in a full sprint. My sister and I struggled to keep up. 

Parents today are juggling more than ever. If you are a parent of a preschooler you know just how tempting it is to buy 3 minutes of peace in the grocery store checkout line by opening a toddler friendly app on your phone. And that’s ok! There is ZERO judgement here! It can also be hard to keep the digital device use in check and not go overboard. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “A 2013 study revealed that 38% of US children younger than 2 years and 80% of 2 to 4 year-old children have used a mobile electronic media device; this has more than doubled when compared with data collected in 2011. More recent data presented in 2015 suggests that 96.9% of children have used mobile devices, and most started using them before 1 year of age. For young children, the increase in screen time, which has evolved over the past decade, has taken place in association with a decrease in play, including both active play and play with toys.”


What’s a mom to do? 

Neighborhood play dates, story time at the library, and other child friendly activities are fun, but what if I told you there’s a movement sweeping the nation that offers something a bit more like your childhood…. 

Free Forest School.  I learned about this fascinating concept when my friend Rebekah (now a mom to a toddler herself) posted her adventures on social media. I went to one of their events to check it out, and….

It’s AWESOME!

From their website:

“Free Forest School ignites children’s innate capacity to learn through unstructured play in nature, fostering healthy development and nurturing the next generation of creative thinkers, collaborative leaders and environmental stewards.”

The Free Forest School concept encourages toddlers and preschoolers to explore, splash, play, and roam with limited adult intervention. Adults will step in to prevent a child from getting hurt but aside from that it’s child-led.  It’s also free. Who doesn’t like free? There are FFS chapters all over the country, and if you’re in Metro Atlanta you have several options. I visited the group that meets at Old Rope Mill Park in Woodstock. It started with a shared peanut-free snack for all the kids (everyone brings something small and it’s all served buffet style among toddlers and preschoolers). Then there is open play time. The kids will decide if they want to play in the creek or walk down the trails, climb trees, etc. Sometimes they even split into several smaller groups and do different things. The whole point is to introduce kids to the great outdoors, imaginative free play, and let them interact with other children at their own pace. Some kids may be outgoing adventurers while others are a bit more reserved, taking their time to observe and watch. That’s ok! After a bit of play and exploration, the kids come back together for a story or a song and after that some stay for a picnic lunch while others head home for a nap. The lack of a hard set schedule was very appealing and if my girls were still little I’d be attending weekly.

In a world of constant structure, it’s so refreshing to see kids being encouraged to create their own entertainment and enjoy true free play. No toys. No electronics. Just the great outdoors with it’s rocks and sticks and mud and bugs and all the adventure you can imagine.

If you are looking for activities for toddlers or  preschoolers in the Metro Atlanta area and want to look into Free Forest School, click here.

Exploring the creek.

Climbing.

Made it!

Splashing.

Observing.

Dirt is good.

Learning free play.

Treasure hunting.

Found a good rock.

What’s under this one?

Wet feet are ok!

Going for a hike.

Amazed.

Discovering tadpoles.

Discovering tadpoles.

Discovering tadpoles.

Tadpoles in a puddle.

Splashing in the water.

Climbing a hill.

Playing with mom’s water bottle.

Playing in the water with sticks.

Looking for salamanders.

Two boys exploring the creek.

Learning how to do it myself.

Toddlers exploring.

Knuckle dimples.

Babies explore too.

Pretend play.

Navigating obstacles.

It’s ok to get wet.

And dirty.

Learning to climb over trees.

Exploring.

This is what childhood should look like. Muddy and loving it.

What’s under the rocks.

Looking for wildlife.

Exploring the creek.

Discovery.

Having a snack.

Grapes are good.

Snack and a story.

Listening intently.

Mom shows me how to do it…

Then I do it myself!

Snuggle time.

Reading a book.

Attentive.

I tried to capture as many of the kids as I could during their play, but because there were so many who went in so many different directions, I apologize if you don’t see your little one featured here. (I’d be happy to come back again!)