Today as I sit to write this blog its almost 90 degrees here
in Western Massachusetts. After a fairly
mild winter, spring seems to be making way for summer very quickly! I also had the opportunity to visit the Prospect
Meadow Farm, a program of ServiceNet, Inc., which combines a working farm
with job development training for adults with various physical and emotional
challenges. What a great experience!
And that visit reminded me of the importance for little children
to get outdoors and experience the wide world around us. As parents and caregivers it is our job to
explore and introduce our children to new environments and experiences to help
them develop a sense of belonging.
In Early Intervention work we work and play with infants and
toddlers in their natural
environment, this is the mandate for all Early Intervention providers. So of course we generally go out to the
family home to start off, because that is the first “natural environment” the
child knows. In the warm comfort of
familiar surroundings, a child will be more relaxed, and more receptive to
learning new things. With parents or
caregivers, familiar toys or objects, the child feels emotionally supported,
which gives him or her a base from which they can explore the world around
them. For children in Early
Intervention, who are facing mild or even severe developmental delays, it is
vital that they are engaged to begin to work on development in any area –
connection, thinking, communication, movement, or self management.
Another place where we might engage our clients is at a day
care or childcare setting, another natural environment for them. Children may go to daycare 2 or 3 or 4 days
per week, so this becomes another environment where they feel comfortable, with
teachers and other children they know and enjoy. This place is also an excellent location for
Early Intervention services since the child knows it’s a place for fun, for
playing, and at some level, a place for learning.
Early Intervention specialists will go into the child’s
daycare and be able to work with that child with minimum disruption to that
child’s daily activities, but with important enrichment activities designed to
help that child grow and develop.
So back to the farm.
I bring this up for parents and caregivers to consider what are the new
and interesting environments to which you might expose your son or daughter? What places would your infant or toddler say
(when he or she can talk!) are those places in their natural environment. Would they include your yard, or a
neighborhood park? A path or bike
trail? The beach, or local woods, or a
nearby river or lake? These all can be
environments they feel are “theirs,”
because they belong there. These
can be places where they can feel safe, and at home. Connecting to the natural environment around
you can be a way to expand your child’s understanding of his or her world, and
their place in it.
-
Michael S. Hutton-Woodland, Ph.D.
