Adventure Walks
Over the weekend we took Colin on a couple of walks around the neighborhood since it was too muddy to go to the playground. Nothing fancy, just a toddler-paced walk with endless interruptions, but we probably went about a half-mile each time so he got a little exercise and some fresh air. And these walks are a real learning experience... for me.
While walking Colin loves to explore, and it is amazing how much we adults overlook as we plow through our day thinking about what we did earlier, or what we're going to do next. Colin, on the other hand, actually notices his surroundings and inspects EVERYTHING.
First we pass a pine tree, so there's usually a pine cone that must be identified ("pie-cone"), reviewed, and perhaps carried for a while. Then we cross the street and he'll look for a stick - typically something small (the width of his finger or less, 12-18 inches in length) and he'll use it to help him explore.
Every tree that we pass needs to be inspected visually, with his hands, with his stick, and sometimes with his feet! Buds, lichen, roots, imperfections in the bark - they're all fascinating. They all get poked, prodded, whapped and sometimes stepped on, accompanied by a lot of "what's this?" so I end up answering 15 questions: That's lichen. That's a bud. That's tree bark. That's the root - it is like the tree's feet. That's moss. Then he'll bid adieu to the tree ("bye-bye tree!") and move on.
Next it might be a street sign. He'll bang the stick against the signpost to see what kind of noise it makes (surprisingly different signs make different sounds!). If it has a ringing tone he'll chime in "ding-ding-ding!" but if it is more of a dull clunk he'll stop more quickly. He then pokes the stick through some of the holes in the post, maybe a few more whacks, then we're done.
I'm teaching him to stop before we cross the street, so when we approach a curb I say "STOP!" and we both freeze. Oddly enough I never realized that when I do this I always stop with my toes exactly aligned, but Colin sure noticed so that's what he does. He stops, then looks down and readjusts his feet as necessary to ensure they're exactly side by side. We then look both ways, wait for mama to say it is OK, then proceed forward. Sometimes Colin decides to take the lead on this (usually when we're nowhere near a curb). He will call out "STOP!" and come to a quick dead halt (with feet aligned) and I am expected to do the same. He then pauses, says "OK" and we resume walking.
A tuft of grass that is greener and taller than the rest gets stomped on (it does feel different, by the way). The last tiny patch of snow in someone's yard also deserves stomping until it is crushed and crunched into nothingness.
The sound of a helicopter or plane flying overhead brings us to a dead halt as Colin shouts either "plane!" or "hel-cop'ter" and looks around to see where it is. He then makes sure his not-so-observant mother sees it by pointing and saying "right theeeere," just in case I hadn't noticed. As the plane or helicopter passes out of sight he'll wave and say goodbye, after which we're on our way again.
When taking Sydney for a walk Colin may ride in his stroller, but don't think that keeps him from exploring. He counts cars, shouts to identify every bird he sees (including providing details to me on whether the bird is on the ground, in a tree, or FLYYYYY-ING!), and points out every squirrel in the neighborhood (he shouts "SKWRL!" exactly like the dogs do in the movie Up which is hysterical). Yesterday on our walk with Syd I saw a few dandelions that had gone to seed, so I stopped and showed him how to blow the seeds - he was thrilled! I did a couple, then handed him one of his own. He blew the seeds away little by little, and when done continued to hold onto the denuded stem like it was the Holy Grail! (Even after our walk he wouldn't let it go - that thing came into the house and was cradled until I finally distracted him with dinner!)
Puddles, small patches of moss, dandelions... they're all worthy of a pause. And while it means a half-mile walk takes us about 30 minutes I don't rush him. After all, that's why we're outside! Exercise and fresh air are part of it, but this is also his opportunity to explore and learn. Everything is new to him, and I want to encourage his natural proclivity to really, truly look at things, not just pass through his day glazing over everything. And I have to admit, it is good for me as well. I rush through so much trying to manage deadlines and deliverables at work, keep the house somewhat clean, pay bills, cook meals, find time to say an occasional "hello" to my spouse, pet the cat, walk the dog, blah-blah-blah... all of the insanity that makes up my days. These walks with Colin are a much-needed reminder that you don't have to live every second of your life by the clock, planning and committing and obsessing about all the stuff you need to do. And if you take just a moment you'll notice there's a whole world of wonder just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.
Thanks, little guy.
While walking Colin loves to explore, and it is amazing how much we adults overlook as we plow through our day thinking about what we did earlier, or what we're going to do next. Colin, on the other hand, actually notices his surroundings and inspects EVERYTHING.
First we pass a pine tree, so there's usually a pine cone that must be identified ("pie-cone"), reviewed, and perhaps carried for a while. Then we cross the street and he'll look for a stick - typically something small (the width of his finger or less, 12-18 inches in length) and he'll use it to help him explore.
Every tree that we pass needs to be inspected visually, with his hands, with his stick, and sometimes with his feet! Buds, lichen, roots, imperfections in the bark - they're all fascinating. They all get poked, prodded, whapped and sometimes stepped on, accompanied by a lot of "what's this?" so I end up answering 15 questions: That's lichen. That's a bud. That's tree bark. That's the root - it is like the tree's feet. That's moss. Then he'll bid adieu to the tree ("bye-bye tree!") and move on.
Next it might be a street sign. He'll bang the stick against the signpost to see what kind of noise it makes (surprisingly different signs make different sounds!). If it has a ringing tone he'll chime in "ding-ding-ding!" but if it is more of a dull clunk he'll stop more quickly. He then pokes the stick through some of the holes in the post, maybe a few more whacks, then we're done.
I'm teaching him to stop before we cross the street, so when we approach a curb I say "STOP!" and we both freeze. Oddly enough I never realized that when I do this I always stop with my toes exactly aligned, but Colin sure noticed so that's what he does. He stops, then looks down and readjusts his feet as necessary to ensure they're exactly side by side. We then look both ways, wait for mama to say it is OK, then proceed forward. Sometimes Colin decides to take the lead on this (usually when we're nowhere near a curb). He will call out "STOP!" and come to a quick dead halt (with feet aligned) and I am expected to do the same. He then pauses, says "OK" and we resume walking.
A tuft of grass that is greener and taller than the rest gets stomped on (it does feel different, by the way). The last tiny patch of snow in someone's yard also deserves stomping until it is crushed and crunched into nothingness.
The sound of a helicopter or plane flying overhead brings us to a dead halt as Colin shouts either "plane!" or "hel-cop'ter" and looks around to see where it is. He then makes sure his not-so-observant mother sees it by pointing and saying "right theeeere," just in case I hadn't noticed. As the plane or helicopter passes out of sight he'll wave and say goodbye, after which we're on our way again.
When taking Sydney for a walk Colin may ride in his stroller, but don't think that keeps him from exploring. He counts cars, shouts to identify every bird he sees (including providing details to me on whether the bird is on the ground, in a tree, or FLYYYYY-ING!), and points out every squirrel in the neighborhood (he shouts "SKWRL!" exactly like the dogs do in the movie Up which is hysterical). Yesterday on our walk with Syd I saw a few dandelions that had gone to seed, so I stopped and showed him how to blow the seeds - he was thrilled! I did a couple, then handed him one of his own. He blew the seeds away little by little, and when done continued to hold onto the denuded stem like it was the Holy Grail! (Even after our walk he wouldn't let it go - that thing came into the house and was cradled until I finally distracted him with dinner!)Puddles, small patches of moss, dandelions... they're all worthy of a pause. And while it means a half-mile walk takes us about 30 minutes I don't rush him. After all, that's why we're outside! Exercise and fresh air are part of it, but this is also his opportunity to explore and learn. Everything is new to him, and I want to encourage his natural proclivity to really, truly look at things, not just pass through his day glazing over everything. And I have to admit, it is good for me as well. I rush through so much trying to manage deadlines and deliverables at work, keep the house somewhat clean, pay bills, cook meals, find time to say an occasional "hello" to my spouse, pet the cat, walk the dog, blah-blah-blah... all of the insanity that makes up my days. These walks with Colin are a much-needed reminder that you don't have to live every second of your life by the clock, planning and committing and obsessing about all the stuff you need to do. And if you take just a moment you'll notice there's a whole world of wonder just waiting to be explored and enjoyed.
Thanks, little guy.
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