To keep Oakis clean and in good working order, it’s recommended to hand-wash them with a mild detergent and then let them air dry. A rinse-off outside or in a sink would be a good first step if they’re super muddy! If you do need to pop them in the washing machine, first zip them up and turn them inside out, then wash on a gentle cycle. The less they’re washed and the gentler they’re dried, the better they’ll keep everyone dry and happy!
This Monday is a National Day of Service, honoring the activism and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Families, organizations, and individuals are called to take a “day on,” rather than a day off, and to use that day in service of the greater community.
With young kids, acts of service, like everything else, are part of larger, ongoing conversations about privilege, perspective, and the power to impact change. Sometimes we, as early childhood educators, are asked to suggest service projects that kids can do and ways our students can engage with their community. And while we have ideas (see below!), the work we do in school and as families to support those ideas is how we help foster a commitment to community that lasts a lifetime. Teaching children about service isn’t as simple as doing a one-off project; service is most meaningful when it’s contextualized, child-led, and a sustained part of school and family life.
First, it’s important to note that when talking with your young kids, you don’t need to tiptoe around issues of inequality and privilege. Kids as young as three already start to base their rankings of social status around things like perceived wealth and decision-making power. They’re already separating people into haves and have-nots, and showing a marked preference for the haves. And that doesn’t generally change as they get older; adults, too, prefer to distance themselves from people and communities that they perceive as marginalized. So talking with kids early and often about the different ways that people look and live, the different challenges people face, and the inherent value of others is an important part of helping them develop a more inclusive internal social barometer.
It’s also important to be mindful of language and pushing through your own discomfort when talking with kids about the people around them. Try to avoid euphemisms; they’re confusing to kids, at best. At worst, vague answers can sometimes reinforce “othering”: seeing some people as intrinsically different from you. Even when kids ask questions that feel embarrassing (“Why is that person holding a sign next to the road?” “Why can’t hungry people just buy more food?” “Why is that person talking like that?” “Why do they live in such a small house?” “Why can’t they walk?” “Why is their skin like that?”), the best answers are often the simplest and most honest. Using phrases like “less fortunate” or “the poor,” referring to “bad neighborhoods,” glossing over obvious differences in appearances, and shutting down questions or observations subtly shares the message that “those” people are different from you. In the context of helping, it implies that those who need help are somehow different from people who are giving help. It reinforces the messaging that those who are marginalized in some contexts are less powerful for a reason. Instead, using clear language that centers the person helps show that all people have value, and that problems people face lie with systemic issues rather than with who they are as individuals. A service mindset that lasts a lifetime starts with seeing opportunities to help as opportunities to work with each other, and that happens with people-centered, problem-focused conversations about marginalized communities.
Along with that, kids do a better job developing empathy and perspective when they have friends, toys, books, and media that show a wide range of viewpoints and experiences. Check your bookshelf at home: what do the people in those books look like? What are they doing? If you have books that show characters of many different ages or races or income levels or abilities, do their stories ever show them just being people instead of focusing on their differences? Who wrote the books and who’s telling the stories? Take a peek at your kids’ toys: do all of the people look the same? Do the movies, music, and tv shows in your home show a variety of characters in a variety of situations making a variety of different choices? Being an active participant in your child’s play and media experiences will also help you strengthen their perspective-taking skills. Ask questions about what characters may be feeling. Help them make predictions. Point out moments of conflict and ask your child how they would react.
While seeing a range of experiences in play helps foster perspective-taking, seeing different changemakers at work also is a vital part of kids feeling empowered to help others. Children who are intentionally taught about the power of civic engagement, the long-reaching impact of small acts of kindness, and the empowerment of individuals to help themselves are better able to see themselves as agents of change. Children who are intentionally taught about a wide range of changemakers are better able to identify their own power, and better able to see marginalized communities as capable of helping themselves. Learning about small ways we help each other and being very explicit about how even small actions can help lift each other up also reinforces the message that all of us need help sometimes, and all of us can help sometimes. Talking about an act of service that has no greater goal than bringing a smile with the same intentionality and respect as acts of service that aim to impact systemic change helps show that even small actions can be powerful.
A final component of impactful service is helping kids come up with their own helping experiences rather than dictate explicitly what they should do. This is a hard one, and obviously looks different at different ages. Young kids often benefit from some ideas to use as a springboard, and older kids sometimes have too-specific plans and need some help finding ways to put the themes of those plans in motion. And, of course, there are always logistical concerns that sometimes require adult planning! But, whenever possible, it’s important to make service experiences authentic ones, child-initiated and child-powered. Involving kids in the planning and execution of a project, working to keep them engaged, and having ongoing conversations with them before, during, and after helps to continue the experience beyond just the action itself.
Laying a foundation for a life of service is, like so many aspects of life with kids, multi-faceted, ongoing, and not always easy. But helping children become compassionate and engaged members of society is one of our biggest responsibilities to them. By intentionally teaching kids that all people have power, working to help them practice empathy, showing them the different ways to effect change, and letting them be leaders in their own service journey, we can help them develop skills and perspectives that will support their community-centered mindset for a lifetime.
Here are some Service Ideas to get you started:
Here are some books for kids that show low-income living:
—Nicole Privitera, BCS Community Liaison
It’s officially the holiday season—Chanukah! Winter Solstice! Christmas! Kwanzaa!—that sweetest time of year when everyday life is set aside to allow us time and space to celebrate with family, friends and community. And, in most traditions—yes—it’s a time of giving and receiving gifts. If you’re looking for good ideas to gift the nature-loving kids in your life, here are a few of our favorites:
• Binoculars There are plenty of compact binoculars in the $20-$30 range that can make a walk in the woods a lot of fun (skip the kids’ ones—adult versions typically have a lot more magnifying power). Take advantage of winter’s early nighttime, too, and use those binoculars to look at the moon!
• Backpack A lot of gear companies offer junior backpacks that are appropriately sized down, but still full of the little features that make wearing them a lot more comfortable, like a sternum strap. It’s great to get kids used to carrying a snack and small water bottle while they’re young; they can work their way up to more accoutrements as they get bigger. “Stowable” or “packable” packs, and ones designed to mostly carry a water bladder, are a good place to start when looking for bigger kids—not only are they lightweight, they’re also relatively inexpensive.
• Headlamp Yes, they will turn it on and look directly in your eyes. Yes, it will take your guidance to teach them how to use it appropriately. But nothing brings magic to the dark (even just the darkness of a blanket fort) like a headlamp.
• Gardening Tools Get kid-sized gardening tools. Not just hand tools, but a rake and a hoe and a big shovel. There’s something magical about turning over the earth and seeing what’s hanging out in there, and kids love the opportunity to do meaningful work.
• Packable Hammock Whether you leave it in your yard or bring it along for relaxation on the go, it’s hard to beat a hammock for an outdoor seat. Kids can swing on it for good vestibular input, sit in it as a dry place to eat, and even grab an al fresco snooze (with supervision, of course). A double-sized hammock allows more space for kids to pile in together, and a tree kit to hang it wherever you go only adds to the fun.
• Pocket Microscope Spend a lot of time near water? A pocket microscope will open up new worlds for your kids to explore. For younger kids or as an upgrade, look for one that can connect to your smartphone to make it easy for everyone to make sure they’re looking at the same thing.
• Good Gear to Wear A nice broad-brimmed sun hat. Thin-but-warm wool socks. Sunglasses (get a strap, too!). Kid-friendly stick sunscreen. Gaiters treated with built-in insect repellant. Are most kids excited by socks? Well, no. But having quality gear makes it easier to enjoy time spent outdoors, and few gifts can beat that.
• Hiking Poles It’s always fun to find the elusive Perfect Hiking Stick when you’re on a nature walk. But bringing your own Official Hiking Poles can help make a walk in the woods feel like Serious Adventure.
• Nature-Based Craft Kits SunPrint solar paper, a flower press, clay or Sculpey polymer clay for making leaf prints, a wood burner, a bat house or bird house kit, acrylic paints and brushes to paint rocks . . . depending on your kid’s age and dexterity, there are lots of ways to bring art outside. The book Nature’s Art Box is packed with fun ideas.
• Plant or Terrarium Give them a tiny garden of their very own, complete with a small watering can (a spout rather than a sprinkle top will be easier to control). Spider plants, ZZ plants, and Hoyas are hardy and adaptable. A terracotta pot is simple to paint for extra pizazz. Terrariums are a bit more finicky, but there are lots of terrarium kits and kids’ container gardens available that take much of the guesswork out of the process.
• Survival Kit For older kids, a survival kit is a great gift. You can get one that’s already pre-packaged, or pull one together yourself. A firestarter, compass, emergency whistle and mirror, space blanket, paracord, a knife, and a small first aid kit are a good place to start. Keep one in the bottom of their pack for emergencies, but make sure they know what everything is and how to use it all safely.
• Nature-Themed Games Sure, you can get outside in all weather, but sometimes you want some indoor fun, too. Some of our favorites (check that they are age-appropriate for your kids):
–Sneaky Snacky Squirrel: Use the “Squirrel Squeezer” (squirrel-shaped tweezers) to collect color-coded acorns, and the be the first to fill your log.
–Wildcraft: In this mobile app, you can explore nature as a wild animal—wolf, bobcat, lynx, eagle, bear, etc.—and raise a family in the wilderness.
–Poop Bingo: Match 24 animals to their unique scats in this silly, social game while learning fun fecal facts (wombats poop cubes, for example, and penguins poop in colorful squirts!).
–Match A Track (also Match a Leaf): Match 25 animals to their paw prints in this beautiful illustrated card game.
–Into The Forest: This versatile card game about the food chain features several modes of play.
–Photosynthesis: Plant and shape the ever-changing forest as you cultivate your seeds and your strategy in this beautiful strategy board game.
• Nature-Themed Non-Fiction There are lots of books that we love (check out the #bcscommunitybookshelf hashtag on Instagram for some ideas), and non-fiction titles about the outdoors are an important part of any kid’s bookshelf. They can spark new ideas, offer insight into new parts of the world, and answer questions kids didn’t even know they were asking. Ones we love include: I Ate Sunshine For Breakfast, the Welcome to the Museum series, Nature Anatomy, 100 Things To Do In a Forest, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, My First Reference Book About Nature, Fun With Nature Take Along Guide, and Exploring Nature Activity Book for Kids.
• Creativity Give them mud and sticks and an open field with a log across a stream. Or string, tape, cardboard boxes and a handful of good crayons. Kids’ creativity simply can’t be wrapped. Give them the space to breathe and the time to play and be willing to get into their world for a while, and you’ll be giving them the gift of a wild childhood—the best gift of all!
Nicole Privitera is BCS’s Nature and Growing Class teacher. A mother of four with advanced degrees in Early Childhood Education and Development, she has extensive experience raising—and nurturing curiosity in—wild children.
