As the air cools and trees begin to turn those familiar fall shades, the urge to be outside enjoying nature becomes widespread. It’s not unusual to see families out enjoying a sunny walk in the park, basking in the glory of nature.
Denise Iszczuk is hoping that Wee Nature Walks can help build on that while providing an engaging, learning experience for kids and their parents.
“Wee Nature Walks are about connecting with nature for parents and their child, as well as with each other,” Iszczuk said. “Routines are good, so starting something in September when all the other kids are going back to school is a good way to introduce a new routine with little ones who are still at home.”
The walks are guided with plenty of activities along the way: stories, songs and crafts. Iszczuk said she gets questions from caregivers a lot about engaging with nature with children in a natural environment. Perhaps the biggest perk? There’s no set curriculum.
“I’ll focus on building sensory awareness and language and movement skills as they are important for the early years of a child’s development,” she said. “Being outside is a great place to start learning and exploring, as well as it’s great for everyone’s health and wellbeing.”
Wee Nature Walks happen every Friday morning, starting at 10 a.m. at the Organic Farm Store in Amulree until October 18. Iszczuk said she’s exploring other locations in Perth County that would be suitable for the walks. She also mixes in some personal influences to the walks, helping to generate feedback from the parents.
“I have led many of these types of walks in other job positions, but this is the first one that I have offered in my own social enterprise called CORE Nature Experiences,” she said. “In the past, parents/caregivers have said that it is just what they needed to start their own walks in nature and others that I gave great activities and ideas to keep their child’s attention. I’ve been doing this for just over a year, and my goal is to get more people outside and connect with the natural world in whatever way possible and in whatever season – to quote Ranulph Fiennes, ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing’.”
Iszczuk said she’s looking at locations in Listowel, Mitchell and Stratford in the near future to begin walks there. The cost is built on a pay-what-you-can set up at the Organic Oasis Farm Store - something she began doing because Iszczuk herself was a long-time customer of the store and wanted to pay it forward to owners Jessie and Andrew Young. So far, so good.
People who are interested in signing up for Wee Nature Walks can visit the Facebook page Iszczuk has created to help organize walks, but drop-ins are also welcome. She also has a registration form on Google Docs that can be found here.
