Quote of the Day 💚

Today’s quote of the day comes as I am on a long weekend between the transition from summer camp programming to more structured “school year” programming at work!

At the outdoor facility I work at as an Occupational Therapist, our day programs look different during summer vs school year. In the summer the biggest goal for our guests are to have new experiences, make social connections and have fun. As the seasons shift, we get into the school year program which becomes more structured, with more specific and individualized goals, and more challenges for our guests to work through.

With this shift in planning coming, I’m reflecting on the work I do and what this year is going to look like!

The quote for today shares my favourite piece of using nature in my therapy!

As a therapist, especially with kiddos working through anxieties and emotional challenges, having a co therapist in nature is EVERYTHING!

Therapy is a lot of planning situations that kids have to work through and figure out how to cope with. Sometimes keeping rapport with kids can be tough when the challenges are something they don’t want to work through. When I’m out in nature with my clients, not only am I planning appropriate learning opportunities for them, but the outdoors provides additional opportunities that can’t be traced back to me! For example, in this photo with my kiddos playing I-spy at the pond, not only did they have to turn take to speak, use their visual discrimination skills to find things and be around others, but they also had the additional challenge of weather! We were out in the rain, in colder weather, and being able to regulate during this this time is important ! They’re able to be flexible in programming as we can’t do certain activities they want in certain weather, and need to be patient with other kids getting upset by the weather!

Another co-therapy piece is the built in facilitation of sensory exploration. My kids in this program not only get to explore the sensory experiences that I put together such as laying in the hammock and exploring different textures, but nature provides a whole additional experience! Without any planning, kids get to have auditory experiences with wind, birds, crunching of leaves etc, they can find their own experiences with touch and smell (maybe even taste unfortunately!). They also have endless visual stimulation with the wind through the trees, spying for animals, plants, etc and movement! Some of my clients who have a hard time with balance and coordination on flat surfaces often thrive on the uneven terrain of the forest!

There are also different extrinsic motivational opportunities for kids when learning outdoors! I love my bird feeders in the forest to encourage sharing, turn taking and responsibility as well as teaching routine. Kids in my group know that after we finish our activities we come together to fill the bird feeder for our birds. Each kid gets a turn to put a scoop of bird seed in, and then have to wait until everyone gets a turn before doing another turn if they want. They also like taking responsibility for collecting the seeds from the shed for the rest of the group!

Another beautiful nature treat is the use of nature for crafts! We have used leaves, flowers and sticks to build structures, arts and crafts and gifts for friends! These can help with fine motor skills, imaginative play, gross motor skills, sensory exploration and more! These are great ways to add in novelty to no tech activities that kids may not normally enjoy because of screens, and this can give them opportunities to explore new leisure activities! Introducing activities like flower pressing, flower “stomping” with a rock to make some dye on fabric, and bouquet making are even artistic activities that can follow children into adulthood which I love!

I could speak all day long about my co-therapist , Mother Nature! She’s a strong part of my practice and I love continuing to learn about how to collaborate with her !