SOLF’s Create in the Woods Challenge
Published on November 18, 2024 by Eileen Samberg
Runs November through May
The Challenge:
• Go to a SOLF property that has trails.
• Go with no tools or materials.
• Explore and notice what is there: like sticks, rocks, colored leaves, fallen trees, acorns, etc.
• Choose a spot next to a trail and begin collecting things to build with or arrange.
• Create something using just your hands: like a shelter; a fun, little house; an arrangement of things. Hang things from branches, have fun with it.
Why?
Because it is so good for us! Being outdoors in a natural setting calms us. It is like a “reset” button to lower stress and anxiety. Children naturally “take to the woods!” Early exposure through family walks is a good way to establish this connection, especially if the walk is a “child-centered” one, focused not on exercise or conversation, but rather on being curious, tuning in to what is around us, standing in one place for a little while and just looking and listening. And then making something!
Rules:
Rule #1: bring no tools or materials.
Rule #2: create near but not on the trail.
Rule #3: take a picture and send it to info@solf.org, with subject “Create” and including the name of the property.
Rule #4: Do not touch anyone else’s creation.
Rule #5: Take as long as you want and even return to add more.
Please note that this program is for SOLF properties only. Regulations regarding building cairns or other structures may be different on other properties. View SOLF properties here.
