When was the last time you skipped a stone, climbed a tree, or played in a stream with your kids? If you haven’t done it in a while, take the kids to one of Central Ohio’s Metro Parks Natural Play Areas. Batelle Darby Creek, Highbanks, Prairie Oaks, Sharon Woods, and Three Creeks have areas designed specifically for kids to get off the trail and explore. My kids had a blast at Highbanks because I let them take their shoes off, play in the mud, get in the water, and collect bugs.
According to Metro Parks and author Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods,” children are spending less and less time outdoors doing unstructured activities. Unstructured play in a natural environment has shown dramatic positive effects both physically and psychologically on growing children. Basically, kids should be exploring and playing without a pre-planned activity attached or as my hubby says “without manufactured fun.” Let them freely explore, run, touch bugs, get dirty; and learn to enjoy and respect nature, and use their imaginations.
We are planning to visit all of the Natural Play Areas this year, and our first stop was Highbanks. I had a hard time figuring out where the Natural
Play Area was, and luckily my friend had scoped it out a few days prior. The Natural Play Area at Highbanks is basically the Big Meadows area. Look for covered picnic shelters, a bathroom, and a jungle gym then park the car. At the back of the field is a big blue sign that explains the Natural Play Area, and to the right of the sign is a grassy pathway leading to the water and wetlands.
I was a bit unprepared for our park play. Both of my kids went home in their underwear and I got tired carrying a bag not fit for a good romp around in woods. My son lead us down a muddy little path to the water and immediately fell, threw his shoes off, and went into the water. After that my daughter did the same thing. There was no stopping the wonder mud twins. Of course, after they played for a while they were tired and wanted me to carry them. Sometimes I forget they have little legs and get tired much easier than I do on hikes.
It was a great time. If you want to check out the Natural Play Areas, look here: http://www.metroparks.net/NaturalPlayAreas.aspx. Peruse the Metro Parks’ site because many parks offer summer camps for kids, fun activities such as learning about geocaching, bird watching, and much more!
A few tips:
- Wear play clothes and bring a change of clothes.
- Wear shoes that can get wet and/or are easy to get on and off.
- Know what poison ivy and poison oak plants look like and stay away from them.
- Bring water and snacks, or a picnic lunch for after/before exploring.
- Sunscreen and possibly bug spray depending on the time you go.
- First aid kit in case of scratches, bug stings or bites.
- Terrain is not fit for a stroller.
Thought this was a great comment. From one of my readers on facebook:
“The only part I’m not too fond of is the fact that it’s very very very overgrown with poison ivy in several of the areas. We went to Highbank’s area, and all the trees that could be climbed were covered in poison ivy. Guess that’s a bit t…oo natural for me. 😉 (Then again, I have a really bad poison ivy allergy where my eyes swell completely shut for a week if I get it). But it’s a fabulous idea and I absolutely love the part of Highbanks where you can go creeking!”