b'It is almost 5:45 on a Tuesday morning. The sun has just risen, and I amin the woods, hunched over a stump. I pick up a few of the bark piecesthat are strewn on the ground around me. I am waiting for inspirationto strike. When it does, I will create a picture on this stump, and threeor four others around the park. Pine needles will transform into fur orhair. Bark will be shaped to form people, or animal ears, or mouths.Seeds and leaves will become wings or feet. Above me, the birds are all aflutter. I hear the nasally nuthatches first,and then the anxious dee dee dee of the chickadees. I finish up my firstcreation as the crows begin to gather. Their angry cawing drowns outthe calls of everything else. I wonder what is going on up there, andthen I see the coopers hawk perched in a tree across the trail. I onlyhave about an hour before I need to leave for work, so I cant afford toget too distracted. I do glance up occasionally, though, to watch the playworktrainingthroughtheirPlayworkerDevelopmentCourse.Idrama unfold. The crows are not going to give up their cawing and learned how to support childrens play without feeling like I needed tocircling until the hawk is driven away. direct it. I became more comfortable with allowing children to take risksin their play. The children in my care were thriving. They were physically,The suns rays are peeking between the pine trees as I move on to my mentally, and emotionally strong and happy. They were curious andbig stump. I quickly debate between creating a lion or a tiger. I have an alwaysexploringthesticks,therocks,thedirt.Theywereexcellentabundance of orange pine needles stashed nearby, so I decide on a problem solvers, skilled risk assessors, and their intrinsic motivation wastiger.Irememberthatoneoftheregularvisitorstotheparkis solid. They could see the play potential in anything they came acrossespecially fond of my tigers. during their day. There is a small following of people who visit the park, almost daily, to I,too,begantoseepossibilitiesineverything.OnasoloSaturdaysee my art. They are young, old, and everything in between. I make my morning walk, I noticed a stick with an interesting curve. I picked it upcreations for them, but I also do it for myself. This time in the woods is to examine it more closely, and before I really knew what I was doing, Iwhat feeds my soul. It might be the only moment of the entire day had created the outline of a bear in the snow. The following Monday,where I dont have to worry about the needs of another person. My my nanny children discovered my creation while we were on a hike. Imind is free to wander and play. When I hold bark, dirt, pine needles, or started making new pictures for them to find each week. In time, thesticks in my hand, I wait for their stories to be revealed to me. When I snow melted, revealing more natural materials on the ground. I beganleave the woods, I am renewed and ready for the day. Though I havent to create nature art on tree stumps. Sometimes, the children wouldyet seen another person, I am connected to others through this place in make their own creations. Other times, they would play and I wouldthe woods. create next to them. I never thought I would ever consider myself an artist. I cant draw, Nature art is something that I expose all of the children in my care to.paint, or sculpt with clay. Ive never had any formal art training. I only Its important for children to see an adult getting dirty and finding joy indiscovered my ability to create nature art after learning about play and somethingsimple.Creatingnatureartcanbeagreatwaytohow important it is for children. incorporate more of the outdoors into a childs day. Children can worktogether, or on their own, to collect natural materials at a park, in theAlmost ten years ago, I had reached a point in my nanny career where I backyard, or even on the sidewalk. Bark, sticks, acorns, maple seeds,needed to reevaluate my childcare philosophy. I knew that I didnt feel leaves, dandelions, flower petals, pine needles, grass, rocks, and dirtgood about the mainstream ideas I had been taught, but I wasnt sure aresomeeasilyfoundnaturalmaterialsthatcanbeusedforart.what else I believed in. During the weeks between one job ending and Fragile or protected ecosystems should be avoided, and children shouldthe next one beginning, I learned as much as I could about being with be reminded to only collect things that are already loose on the ground.children.IreadRichardLouvsbook,LastChildintheWoods,and Of course, in their exuberance, a child might pick from a plant or flowerinstantly understood that I would be making nature a bigger part of my that is still growing. If that happens, a simple reminder to collect onlydays with children. I started my new nanny position caring for newborn what is already loose is usually sufficient.twins and did my best to incorporate the outdoors into our days. Itdidnt take long to see that nature provides everything a child needs. I like to create my art on tree stumps, but art can also be created rightNature supports all areas of development. As nannies and caretakers, ontheground.Thefocusshouldbeontheprocess,nottheendwe tend to put a lot of energy into trying to replicate what is already product. Some children might get really into making art and createoccurringinnature.Natureistheultimatesensoryexperience.It several different pieces. Some children might really enjoy the collectingchallenges children while also bringing comfort. of materials and be content with leaving it at that. Other children mightwanttodumpeverythingintoapile.ArtispersonalandmeansMy position caring for the twins continued, and I began to realize that something different to each child. Ive seen children string flower petalstherewasreallysomethingalmostmagicalaboutoutdoorplay. on a pine needle or carefully arrange sticks in a pattern that is pleasingOutside, I could say yes to almost anything. The children didnt need me only to their eyes. Some children might start out with the intention ofto come up with things for them to do when we were out in nature. creatingsomethingbutgetdistractedbyawormanddecidetoThey were fully engaged in following their own interests. I came across observe that instead. This is all wonderful, and we should follow thean organization called Pop-Up Adventure Play and received somechilds lead. Get outside and see what is waiting to be discovered!'