Ontario Children's Outdoor Charter

The newly developed Ontario Children's Outdoor Charter coincides well with my reading of Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods" (yes I am still reading away). 

Louv's belief that every child needs to have a connection with the outdoors is reinforced in the Charter's mantra that all children should participate in certain outdoor activities.

The proclamation that the Charter makes is that,

In Ontario, every child should
have the opportunity to: 

Follow a trail
Explore a park
Harvest something to eat
Swim in a lake
Paddle a canoe
Play in the snow
Build an outdoor fort
Visit a farm
Camp under the stars
Go fishing
Observe plants and wildlife
…Or create an outdoor adventure

I believe that it's a pretty comprehensive list, when it all comes down to it. I have vivid memories of completing all of the items on that list as a child including fishing with my grandma early in the morning at the cottage, sleeping under the stars in my backyard, hiking the boardwalks at Chesney Conservation Area and stealthily paddling the canoe to catch a glimpse of loon up close. Indeed, I continue to do many of these activities today (as my pictures from my hike this morning show).

Despite how comprehensive the list is, there are some nature activities that had a profound affect on me when I was a child that are not on the list.

The first item is: climbing trees.

My neighbourhood friends and I climbed the tree in my front yard religiously until the day that the city trimmed its branches, and we were no longer able to climb it. I think that climbing this tree brought me closer to my friends, closer to the nature in my yard and gave me fond memories of eating the trees leaves dipped in peanut butter (I was in the Parent Trap phase, where I wanted to test out what all tasted good with peanut butter besides Oreos).

The second is: sitting around a campfire cooking s'mores and listening to the bullfrogs croak and the crickets sing.

I can imagine that some of you may also have some favourite childhood nature activities not mentioned on this list. What are they? Are you going to do those activities with your children and grandchildren (or have you already passed the glories of these activities on to your next of kin?)

In the end, I suppose that these items we are thinking of that are missing from the list are probably included in the category: "create an outdoor adventure," but I think that it is always good to think back on our nature explorations as a kid. I hope that all kids will be able to look back on their nature experiences with fondness when they grow up.

-Susannah
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From my walk this morning at the Woodside National Historic Site:

It was my first time there, and it is a nice little treasure where William Lyon Mackenzie King grew up. I was amazed at all of the little wandering trails, benches and nicely incorporated human elements (i.e. the 10th Prime Minister's childhood house and a gazebo). There is a lot of nature on a smaller area of land that still allows for a nature escape without hiking very far. I want to return when the house is open for visitors (I am a history buff).


Find out more about the Ontario Children's Outdoor Charter at http://news.ontario.ca/mnr/en/2013/10/celebrating-the-new-ontario-childrens-outdoor-charter.html