Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

The Beauty of Adventure


There are a huge amount of things I want my children to learn as they grow up, and in spite of the day and age they're growing up in, none of the things at the top of my list include technology.
I'm not at all dismissing technology as a bad thing (because sometimes that i-pad is a lifesaver), just as a lower priority!

I want my kids to know the fun and excitement of being outside in the fresh air with nature, before they learn to google answers and read articles about the adventures of others.


The Beauty of Adventure?
 It doesn't always have to come on a grand scale.  Adventure, can be found in the smallest moments, if you only take the time to find it.

 The excitement of new discoveries, and fun in small but significant moments.  Counting the little things as huge, because they are.

Seeing potential in every tree, a fort in every blanket, a feast in every bean sprout.  I want my children to learn about fishing for sprats to feed the cat, and carving something with their own hands.  I want them to play in mud and eat a few snails, try to catch butterflies and collect different sea shells.


Every now and then, I'm reminded of just how special little moments can be, by the light in my children's eyes as they describe something to me, or see something that I would otherwise have over-looked.

When we walk, they point out leaves, bridges, clouds, and they will often include a story about the item that's caught their attention.  A troll under the bridge, a giant in the clouds, leaves coloured in by fairies.  As we garden, bugs are discussed (occasionally eaten) and plants are picked (also occasionally eaten).


When I take the time to slow down and pay attention, their adventure becomes mine too, as they share their delight, and I get to feel the excitement and joy that comes from discovering new things, even if it is for the millionth time.
For this gift from my children, I am so very grateful.


Let's be Adventurers!




Monday, 10 November 2014

In the Neighbourhood..



It's easy to forget the beauty of our own country when we're busy oogling the adventures of others overseas.  It's also easy to forget that excitement knows no bounds when you're just small and your own backyard is Amazingly Huge!!

And so on Sunday we took a walk....Reacquainting ourselves with our own 'backyard'.   The boys walked, and ran, they picked up sticks and looked at rocks, listened to the sounds of the river flowing and the birds calling.  They shrieked, and jumped, pointed and 'Wowwed', ate and slept and nearly photo-bombed a family photo session!!

An Awesome day all round! :)













We're already looking forward to our next adventure somewhere else in our 'backyard'!!

Ps:  Does anyone know about any slings that can be used to help hold a toddler/preschooler on your back?  We'd love to not be restricted to pushchair only walks, but realize our boys have their limits!  If you have any suggestions let us know!!

Thanks!! :)

Renee  :)



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Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Pirongia - Humble Beginnings

This is the start of something!!  Not a blog series or anything, but the start of something else!!  Anyone remember back to number 28 of my  40 before 40 list?? Neither really, i have to look at it weekly to remind myself of what's on the darn thing!!
Well number 28 is to climb Mount Pirongia and Rangitoto, and just last week, we did a wee teensy warm up!!

We loaded ourselves down with packed the bare, bare essentials (kids, nappies, changes of clothes, snacks, water, wet wipes, sunscreen, hats, front pack, kiddy harness, picnic lunch, dummies (as in pacifiers not mannequins), blankets) and drove the 30min drive to the base of the ancient volcano, Mount Pirongia!!

We chose a short walk (1 hour) that we thought we could manage, aware that Lachy would end up being carried at some point, (Olly was snuggled up to me in the front pack) and set off into the wilderness!! (For the record, we're not Cub Scouts or crazy bush folk, we followed a path, it's just that 'set off into the wilderness' sounds so much more exciting and romantic!)

The rest of this post is a bit of a photo dump (excuse the quality of the pics, i was too busy pretending to be fit to hold the camera steady).  The point is we had fun, we were amazed with the Beauty and Stillness of Pirongia, and Lachy was flippen' amazing, managing to walk just over half way!!

Lotsa creepy critters in the dead trees...

Getting their walk on!

Amazingly tall trees!  Lachy loved them!

Snug as a bug in a tree trunk!

Lotsa info signs for greenhorns like myself

Trying to get a pic of monkey in a tree hollow...Fail!

Our beautiful ferns

Proof i was there...Don't be hating on the sunhat!!

Sigh....

Halfway!

Lunch time!!!

And then i asked Hubby to get a nice pic of me for my blog post...these were the pics that i got to choose from....





Thanks Hubby....(At least Olly looked gorgeous in all of them!!)


Renee  :)

'Not all who wander are lost'