Unleashing Childhood: The Timeless Joy of Outdoor Summer Adventures

Unleashing Childhood: The Timeless Joy of Outdoor Summer Adventures

Rediscover the Magic of Summer Close your eyes and picture a summer from your childhood. Do you remember the thrill of building a secret fort in the woods, creating games with friends that only you understood, or feeling the mud squish between your fingers as you made the “best” mud pie ever? Those moments weren’t just fun—they were formative. At Treeline, we believe every child deserves a chance to experience the magic of outdoor play. Our summer enrichment weeks, featuring the licensed TimberNook curriculum, bring kids aged 4–10 into the heart of nature for mornings filled with adventure, creativity, and connection. Unrestricted Play: The Heart of Childhood Unrestricted play is where the magic begins. Unlike structured activities, where the rules are set by adults, this…

image of kids climbing a tree with blog title text overlayed

Risky Play: Why it is Awesome!

Hidden Benefits of Risky Play When adults hear ‘‘risky play,’ they might think of broken bones, stitches, and bruises. Risky play shouldn’t be scary; it should be exciting! It’s about kids exploring, building confidence, and understanding risk. Kids test their strengths and weaknesses, solve problems, and take on another child’s perspective.  In play (and in life) you will never eliminate all the possible risks, 100% of the time. That’s exhausting and impossible to do. You can, however, identify the potential hazards in the area, or situation, and provide guidance and limits to keep everyone safe.  Could your child fall off a branch while climbing a tree?  Yes. That’s a risk. Do you remove the dead limbs, stumps, or other debris from under the tree? Do you…

image looking up a pine tree with text "do big kids need to play?"

Do Big Kids Still Need to Play?

Whenever I bring up an opportunity for my son to take a class, participate in a program as a ‘helper,’ or do anything he isn’t authentically interested in, I get the same reply, “Mom, I just want to play.” This reply stands out because it is from a 14-year-old. Yes, big kids still want to play!  The problem is that there very few opportunities for pre-teens and teens to ‘just play.’ So, before I go any further, let me define ‘play‘. Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment (Garvey, 1990).  For this post, I’m defining play as child-led, including activities they choose and resulting in their enjoyment.  In the homeschool community, you will find groups, generally led by…

young child playing in the mud kitchen with Treeline logo and text overlayed on top

The Hummingbird and the Helicopter: Two Approaches to Parenting

Parenting Styles: Hummingbird versus Helicopter Approach As a parent, you think to yourself, am I doing this right? I just want my child to be happy, safe, and successful. Am I a “good” parent?  Often, parents feel the need to constantly “help” their children succeed just to get ahead in school, sports, or having “enough” friends. This puts a lot of pressure on parents and their children.  The media has different labels for parenting styles, while clinical and developmental psychology has grouped these into three classifications:  Authoritarian: focuses on rigid rules, expectations, and consequences. Parents control behaviors and emotions, resulting in children becoming fearful of expressing themselves.   Permissive: extreme opposite of aforementioned.  Direction and boundaries are not a priority with little emphasis on restrictions. This…

photo of children of mixed ages playing in the forest with the text "mixed age play" over top

Benefits of Mixed-Age Play

The Power of Play Play is our kid’s favorite thing to do.  And it should be.  It is a critical vehicle for kids to learn and grow physically, socially, and emotionally for the world around them.  Thankfully, kids are organically driven to play.  Kids are made to move, ask questions, explore, interact, and imagine.  It is what they want to and need to do.   Mixed-Age Play So often our kids are grouped into set age ranges for play with only a 1-2 year span.  But mixed-age play is actually highly beneficial for all kids involved.  Children are able to learn new skills from older friends and teach new skills to younger friends. This give-and-take provides opportunities for both growth and leadership. “Age mixed play offers…

OT student looking at the earth with client

OT Student Reflections

Student Reflections at Treeline from OT Student Sean Vercellone, St. Augustine University I have always enjoyed spending time in nature. It is a place where I feel safe and most like myself. This fact shaped my career path and led me to work at a summer camp for kids and adults with disabilities. I loved this job! I lead activities like kayaking, tubing, and ziplining, while also building meaningful connections with so many unique kids and adults. Working at this camp for three summers changed my life. Not only did it lead to me applying to occupational therapy school, but it was the first time I witnessed the therapeutic benefits of nature. 

occupational therapy for kids

What is Occupational Therapy?

Have you been told that your child may need occupational therapy but you have no idea what that means? Sure you have heard of physical therapy and speech therapy, but occupational therapy seems like it relates to a job.  And you are thinking, my child is only 5, he doesn’t have a job! You are not alone!  

Early Childhood Activities for Outdoor Learning

Early Childhood Activities for Outdoor Learning

Is your child showing interest in colors, shapes, or counting?  Does your child like to collect and sort things?  Have you observed your child filling and dumping containers? These are all beautiful examples of child-led learning that is building important visual discrimination skills, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, proprioceptive awareness, and more.

boy writing in a journal outside

Kids Taking Charge

This week many families embark on a new normal as many kids start schooling from home for the first time.  Despite the challenges this may present, this change in routine also affords new learning opportunities.  Empowering our kids to take control of their schedule, deadlines, responsibilities, and routines (all at an age appropriate level) supports the development of their executive functioning skills. Executive functions are life management skills such as planning, organization, time management, flexibility, task initiation, and self-control.  These are important life skills that help our kids grow into successful students, employees, and citizens. 

Nature Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Nature Sensory Scavenger Hunt

We are spending as much time as we can outside!  The fresh air, natural light, calming colors, and open space is good for our emotions and mental health.  Plus the great outdoors gives us places to explore, things to discover, endless play experiences, and loads of organic learning opportunities. But sometimes our kids (and adults) need a little inspiration. Are you ready to turn your next hike, neighborhood walk, or backyard garden into an adventure?