It’s midwinter break for the NYC public schools! Kids are excited and parents are…exhausted. But fear not–if you’re willing to bundle up and brave the winter weather, there is plenty to do, thanks to the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. This Monday through Friday, the parks are offering “Kids Week“–daily nature-themed activities in various parks around each of the five boroughs. These activities are totally free and are a great way to inspire a love of nature in your child (and to use up some of that excess vacation-week energy).
The activities in the Bronx parks this week will be…
- Monday, February 19th – Orienteering in Pelham Bay Park
- Tuesday, February 20th – Nature Exploration Hike in Van Cortlandt Park
- Wednesday, February 21st – Birds of Prey in Crotona Park
- Thursday, February 22nd – Urban Forest Exploration in Pelham Bay Park
- Friday, February 23rd – Winter Scavenger Hunt in Van Cortlandt Park
Consider checking out some (or all!) of them with your kids this week. And to grow their appreciation of nature even further, here are several books that highlight the joys of the great outdoors:
Written by Carmen Bogan; Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
This book begins in a typical classroom, where Rodney struggles to sit still and tries (with varying success) not to get in trouble. But when Rodney has an opportunity to go to a “real” park–more than just the triangle with a couple benches just outside his building–his boundless energy is no longer something to contain.
He can run, jump, spread his arms out wide and be his whole self. Written in partnership with the Yosemite Conservancy, this book is a compelling picture of what the freedom of a day spent in nature can do for a child. While it may not be Yosemite, Pelham Bay Park (host of two Kids Week events) at 2,765 acres is the largest park in NYC and offers plenty of space for a child to breather deep and go wild.
With beautiful, swirling colors and poetic language in both Spanish and English, this book celebrates our connection to nature. It begins with one little boy imagining himself as a tree, reaching an rising.
Soon, other children join, their feet reaching with strength into the ground and their arms reaching among the leaves. “Call me a tree because I am tall, I am strong and, like a tree, I am free,” the little boy declares. This book by the talented Maya Christina Gonzalez (check out more of her books here) will make your child want to go out and climb, hug or even compose their own ode to one of the Bronx parks’ trees.
By Evan Kuhlman and Chuck Groenink
In this playful book, a pill bug named Hank makes a long and treacherous journey to visit his best friend “Amelia” (a little girl dressed as her hero Amelia Earhart).
Once united, Hank crawls onto Amelia’s helmet and they jump, fly and adventure around the yard. After their romp around the neighborhood, Amelia gently returns Hank to his mossy rock so they both can rest (presumably to start adventuring all over again tomorrow!).
Written by Xelena González; Illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia
In this sensitive and sincere exploration of nature, a little girl and her grandfather consider the many “circles” that make up life as they tend to the flowers and trees of their garden.
Some circles are visible–the sun, the arc of a rainbow, the round curve of grandpa’s tummy. But there are other circles too, which we cannot see, but are also part of nature and part of us–the circle of life. This book is very unique–both in its abstract illustration style and mysterious tone–using nature to touch on topics like family, heritage and even life and death.
Written by Douglas Wood; Illustrated by P.J. Lynch
This last book is a poem, showing different children having personal moments with nature. The book repeats the idea that “no one but you” can experience the world around you through your unique senses, your unique perspective. Even though there are sometimes others in the background, each illustration focuses on one child at a time, each seeming to have a private experience as they take in the nature in front of them–whether it be “the song of a redbird in a treetop” or “a golden drop of honey” on the tongue.
In their regular life, kids in the city have to spend much of their time in busy, crowded places–school, the bus, running errands. This book is a great reminder of the space nature can offer to get in touch with yourself and be alone with the world around you.
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Even in the city, there are ways to get doses of nature. Despite the snowy start, this midwinter break week is a perfect opportunity to get outside and let the great outdoors work its magic.
