Natural play areas are some of the best ways to stimulate the creativity and imagination of children. Here’s a list of things that can be used playfully by young children:

1. Sand- in a sandbox or in a pile. The best sand comes from the ocean, but any will work wonders on children.  Shoe box size plastic containers can be stored in the house for rainy day play or dinner prep play. Hide wonderful shells, stones,  and wooden treasures to find while digging!
2. Water- (obviously not outside in cold weather), buckets of water, water baloons, or a wadding pool. I’ve seen children squealing with delight on the streets of NYC when a fire hydrant is left on for their enjoyment during the summer.  When Jeremiah was little I’d put his high chair on a towel, and give him some yogurt containers of water with a little dish soap (just to make some bubbles) and he’d play away while I cooked dinner. ( I’d get my floor washed to boot!)
3. Stumps- for outside play (or sometimes inside too) tree stumps for sitting on and climbing on, having tea parties or rolling like street pavers.  Cutting a stump in half with a board over the top could be a bus or a bench or a horse! Make stump stairs that climb up then back down for adventurous preschoolers. Don’t have a lot of room for an outside play area? Just one stump can be used in so many ways (I like pine stumps about 1.5 ft in diameter, cut to different heights).
4. Fallen trees- logs are wonderful beginning balance beams (the texture of the bark is rough if the kids fall, but also helps them have a good grip).  My son enjoys climbing up and down fallen trees; I take some care to check for bees or rotten wood, bugs or insects that might hurt him. These can also be horses for riding, or a school bus, or whatever works in the moment!
5. Straw bales- for climbing, jumping, creating houses or tea parties. A few bales can be great, but even just one is a way to encourage creativity and imagination.

Yesterday I looked out my back window only to see the straw mulch that I have for the garden strown across the backyard.  When I asked my son what he was using it for he told me; “Mom, I’m building a chimney.” (With the intonation of “da, why can’t you see lady”).

Guess my son might grow up to build straw bale houses? That doesn’t really matter right now, what does is that he had a great idea and a great experience and although I hadn’t intended for my mulch to be his toy, how could he resist such pleasure?

What do your children play with that comes from nature and encourages creativity?

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