Using the resources around you

We recently had a one-night family trip to Qualicum- about a 30-minute drive from where we live on the island.  We had planned on spending the day swimming at the beach before heading to our hotel.  Little did I know, the beach there is incredibly windy- at least it was the day we went.
The cold kept us seeking shelter on the warm beach sand instead.

As I laid against some driftwood, my oldest son says, "Mama, I made an island, and I made one for you, for Daddy and my brother."  Sure enough, he had collected bits of driftwood and rocks to create islands.

This soon evolved into an elaborate game as we added seaweed and other treasures we found to create boats and other things needed for our islands.

I'm not completely against man-made toys but I love how, with a bit of imagination, any item can be played with.  Making our islands with what we had in front of us reminded me of the years I lived in Kenya. Often I and the children I worked with would create our own villages, people and cars using the few sticks, stones, leaves and even debris lying around.

This week explore together with your children by eliminating some of their toys.  Spend an afternoon outdoors with no plastics or man-made toys and discover what they can use around them to create play!