It's widely known that spending time in the natural outdoor environment has a positive impact on a child's holistic development. Obviously, the ideal outdoor areas to explore are natural landscapes which offer freedom to roam & discover wide open spaces, but small havens can be created by your backdoor with just a little imagination.
Creating space for wildlife in your backyard doesn't have to be a big project, it can be simple, inexpensive & needn't to take up large areas of your garden either.
This wild space was simple to create & now provides a space for exploration, discovery & wonder.
We used a small section of our back garden to create a wild space. When we mowed our lawn we simply cut around a patch of grass to create a circular shape, & cut the rest of the lawn as normal. Our circle of uncut grass quickly began to grow & soon dandelions & other wildflowers appeared amongst the growing grass.
A couple of weeks later we cut the grass again but left the rewilding area. By now Minnie was noticing the insects that were benefiting from this new nature space.
The wild clover that was growing among the grass was perfect for attracting bees, & Minnie was able to closely observe them hovering from plant to plant collecting pollen. She was captivated by their movements & her observations sparked endless questions.
Where do bees live? Why do they like pollen & where do they take it to? Why do bees buzz?
A number of other insects were attracted to the mini wild area including butterflies, moths, crickets & ladybirds. The dandelions had grown beautifully & were not only providing an ideal spot for wildlife, but also lots of colour.
Minnie loved sitting in the middle of the circle, carefully examining the dandelion seed heads before watching the seeds float up across the garden.
Unexpected beauty appeared & offered more colour & shapes to discover.
Minnie had ownership of this space, it was hers to explore & play in as she wished. The size was ideal for her to feel secure, & provided another world for her to immerse herself in. It's been lovely to hear her singing & chatting to herself, & observing her imaginative play as she's explored this wild space.
Although big enough for her to explore, this circular wild area hasn't taken over the rest of our garden. It's become a beautiful wild feature & offered us another opportunity to discover what nature has to offer us.
This wild space has provided endless discoveries, play opportunities, & mindful moments.
Could you create something similar in your backyard?