Wild Places

I bought a book this summer called The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places. I thought it would be good for me, since I am not by nature an outdoor person (in the winter I've been known not to leave my house for 4-5 days at a time). Also, even though Singapore is a beautiful green city, it doesn't have the backyards readily available here. We have to seek outdoor places.

Tonight I enjoyed watching my kids explore the outdoors in Erik's parents backyard, which is a good size and lined with trees. Ethan gathered sticks for a fire, and Megan took a bucket to collect "acorns" (actually pine cones) to throw on it. She got mud stuck between her toes and dirt on her knees, and I loved it.

As a kid, we spent hours outdoors, usually in our backyard, often in the park across the street, sometimes a few blocks away at the creek. It makes me sad that I don't seem to see kids out as much as we did then. I hope to reverse that a little with my kids, and not just by spending time in the pool. I love watching their imaginations come to life.