Six specific outdoor storying activities that blend wonder tales and the wild outside
Introducing word to wild
Story and place make such perfect partners. Every one of our favourite folk and fairy tales is born of the world we inhabit and locked within every outdoor landscape is limitless inspiration for a fresh generation of wonder tales! So, when you're next outside, why not have some fun weaving words and wild together?
Outdoor storying is about bringing outdoor spaces playfully to life through a ‘storied’ approach.
While my 'Adventure Parenting' blog series focuses on sharing our favourite 'outdoor storying' spots and offering tips about how you could structure your day when there, this little bonus series gets a bit more specific - providing parents with six specific outdoor storying activities to stuff up your metaphorical sleeve so to speak! All are easily transferable and ensure you are ever ready to bring any outdoor space immediately and playfully to life - be it back garden, windy hilltop or an accidental case of 'lost in the forest'!
What do I have to do?
To blend wonder tales with the wild outdoors doesn’t mean leaping into the creation of complex narratives the minute you step out of the car and into the countryside. Panic not. Instead, these six little outdoor storying activities gently invite children to engage with the outdoors via a more personal storied approach; supporting them to explore, connect with and eventually respond to whichever outdoor space they find themselves in by encouraging them to discover and create their own stories within the spaces they encounter.
Six outdoor storying activities you must try!
Over the course of the next few weeks, I will talk more about the following:
Visible thinking routines: 'I see, I think, I wonder' / 'Pause, peer, ponder'
Miniturisation
Five minute eye bombing
Secret symbols & letters in the landscape
Creatures in the features: Dragonology / Monsterology / Trollology (try saying that fast!)
Magnifying and mirrors
So, get ready to spark some serious creativity on your next walk! It's no longer going to be about just getting out - welcome to the weird and wacky world of outdoor storying! See you next week for the first installment of the super six!