Grandparenting in Nature: Experiencing the Outdoors Across Generations

By Marty Smith, Help Me Grow Minnesota

Many of my childhood memories revolve around playing outdoors and typically involved imaginary play. My sister, cousins and I spent hours at the family lake cabin–pretending a large canvas hammock was a train; climbing in a giant tree to the platform my grandfather built between the trunks; and making delicious ‘food’ in the shallow water with an assorted set of dishes. We’d race across the yard and try to avoid stepping on acorns in the late summer; our bare feet were tough, but not that tough. At night we’d roast marshmallows or make banana boats around a campfire. Only at bedtime or mealtime, when we were summoned inside by a ringing bell, did we reluctantly go inside.

At home, I spent countless hours outdoors on my block, riding bikes and pulling wagons full of stuffed animals and neighbor kids as we explored our “town”.’ In grade school, as a child of the Cold War, I’d run and hide in farm fields with friends, plotting our escape from Russians. Lazy summer days began with biking to the town park to play on the monkey bars and swim. As we got older and had permission to disappear for a day, we’d pack lunches and set out on bikes to the creek and woods. Winter was a time for building snow forts and playing elaborate games outdoors. It was a childhood of friends, free play and outdoor exploration.

As a parent to three, child-led outdoor play and exploration, family camping, hiking and beach combing were part of our family life. Elaborate games played out in our yard, in the sandbox and on the swing set with neighbor kids. Family vacations revolved around spending time in nature: camping in the mountains or closer to home in the forests of northern Minnesota. 

Not much has changed now that I’m a grandparent of 4; outdoor adventures are a part of every visit. We collect and skip rocks, make nests and wreaths out of found objects in nature, ski and hike through the forest. 

Taking your grandchild’s lead, time outdoors can begin in infancy and early childhood. Walks with a stroller, laying on the lawn and watching clouds, collecting leaves, sticks and rocks are things you can do in your neighborhood.  Yard games, trips to parks and exploring beaches, creeks and woods, hiking, skiing are activities we enjoy across generations now that our grandchildren are school-aged.