Saturday Larks

Lark: (noun) a merry, carefree adventure; frolic; escapade.

 I love to go on larks & awhile ago I was thinking I want my baby to grow up on picnics in the park, jumping into a cool lake on a hot summer day, intently watching ants on the march or spending hours just laying back and looking at clouds.  Slowing down to savor the season, to be outside, to play, to be imaginative & curious, to experience the culture & community of a place. 

Dr. Lawrence Rosen published in Mind Body Green 7 science-backed reasons to get our kids outside including: getting outside encourages exercise, it reduces anxiety, it improves focus, makes kids smarter, builds a sense of community, it helps them develop deeper connections with family, it raises their interest in the environment.

  I came across a book titled 940 Saturdays -- along while back -- this is the number of Saturdays between the time a child is born and turns 18. It seems like a lot of Saturdays, and now, I realized we are already 7 months in! Where has the time gone!  It is so true that the days are long but the years are short. 

I realized I need to start being intentional about growing my baby up on picnics in the park or somehow, somewhere, someway she will be 15 and I will wonder why my baby prefers the comfort of the basement. That is not to say we have not had a number of larks so far because I love to get outside...but rather I want to be intentional about sharing my love of larking with my baby & you, my friends, in hopes of converting everyone to be a larker.

My first entry was:

August 6, 2016

J...I can't even imagine 940 Saturdays from now where we will be or what we will be doing. Maybe you will be getting ready to go to university or to travel to Europe. It will be summer. Perhaps we will be at a park as we are today. Today you experienced bubbles for the first time. It was such fun to see you reach for the bubbles & giggle. You are learning to sit up and only toppled over twice. You picked a marigold and after carefully examining it, tasted it. Eww! yucky. I love your inquisitive nature. 

After five years I have finally come up with a theme & intent for my blog --which deserved a name change! Some of us are just late bloomers... 

Here's to sharing my love of Saturday larks.

Saturday larks are munching on popcorn while watching cinema in the park, building sandcastles in summer & snowmen in winter, picnics in the park, getting out to explore an art gallery or museum- you would be surprised but art galleries often have sculpture gardens or outdoor displays & there are a number of outdoor museums, blowing & catching bubbles, playing hopscotch, wiggling our toes in the sand at the beach, planting flowers, painting pet rocks, sipping rootbeer floats, playing frisbee tic-tac-toe, going on a bug hunt, cheering at a football game, catching a live outdoor play like Shakespear in the Park, touring a historic fortress, picking berries, getting wet at spray pads, attending the fair, digging for fossils, swimming in the lake, hiking in the mountains...etc

That is not to say all our Saturday Larks will be outdoors, as sometimes the weather prevails, but rather the intent will be to build memories together as a family and have a record of that journey. 

Did you grow up on catching frogs and skating on the pond? What are some of your favorite memories of activities that you & your family enjoyed outdoors? Do share some of your ideas for great outdoor activities that you & your loved ones enjoy...