How Often Do You Let Your Kids Play In Actual DIRT?
I'm hearing more and more often the benefits of letting children play in dirt. From increasing immunity to ingesting micro-flora (healthy bacteria) that medical experts now think is vital to health. I'm hearing that the human oragnism was designed to live with other organisms. There is even a thread in BB on how having a certain type of worm in your gut alleviates wheat allergies. It all makes sense to me.
But to me it still seems that most kids are discouraged from getting dirty. Astro-turf has replaced grass and soil at so many childcare centres and schools. Everything must be clean and sterile.
I understand the need for infection control... I'm not disputing that. However I also believe that kids should be allowed to get dirty in good CLEAN dirt. I would say that it is less toxic for a child to play in a digging patch at home that it would be at the local Maccas play centre that is so often situated right next to where the cars are queuing for their take-away... think of all those fumes! Think of all the heavy metals that have accumulated on the equipment after day after day of exposure to exhaust. Yeuch!
Do you have a digging patch at home. No, not just sand. Or do your kids help in the vegie garden?
We have a digging patch that we occasionally top up with sand... but as well as that my boys are allowed to roll their toy trucks etc through certain areas of our garden that haven't been planted out yet. There are at least 3 areas that they are allowed to dig in actual dirt. Yep, they get filthy but we don't have any allergies or more than the occasional cold in our house. They also help in the vegie patch looking for spuds etc when they are ready.
Dirt has such amazing play value for a kid, and it's free!!! Hear the squeals of delight when they find a worm! Our kids have also found strange items: old coins, bits of crockery, an old medal.... they are always looking for "treasure". Besides their train sets i reckon digging in the dirt has given me the most precious time in that it has fully occupied my boys in a positive way... they don't seem to fight over dirt LOL unlike a particular toy, there's always enough to go round!
My kids are outside in it every day. I have the ring around my bathtub to prove it LOL. My lot are seriously into playing with trucks and tractors and have their own little 'farms' set up all over the place with roads that they drive the trucks and tractors along to visit each other LOL. But then we have the benefit of having a huge area for them to just go wild doing it.
My DD ate her first mouthful of sand the other day ewww she was shocked at first but then as she crunched away it bought back my memorys from child hood of mud pies and all things messy and i thought how much fun that was. So with DD i have learnt to not be so strict when it comes to dirt and just enjoy the look of sheer bliss on her face as she gets covered in muck
We don't have a 'digging patch' but thats because a) we have a cat who would use it as a poop patch, and b) we're renting a 'new' house in a new estate with no established garden, just grass, so unless we landscaped the backyard for them, a dirt patch would look a bit out of place come inspections/moving out. So if we didn't have a cat who would defoul it and were in a more established place, then yes she'd probably dig in actual dirt more often.
BUT, she does play in the grass, and some patches of dirt in the grass (after its been poo checked LOL!) and soggy muddy wet grass LOL. She's wrecked some pants and shirts, that are now her outside clothes hahahahaha. She does have fun, although it all stops when she gets a bit precious if theres grass on her face or in her hair
All the time - I used to clean a dirt ring off the bathtub with monotonous regularity but then I got smart and now if I see that they're extra dirty I hide the plug and make them shower. They look so funny before their shower with dirt all over them and I get a wierd kind of pleasure from seeing a real result from a shower - the sight of dirt sluicing away always cheers me up (yeah, I'm a freak).
We built a sandpit and they dig through the sand to the dirt underneath and now they only play in the dirt corner of the sand-pit.
What they really enjoy is when it rains and they can play in mud. I will admit that even at the ripe old age of 34 I enjoy squeezing mud in my toes, it's such a nice sensation.
Trill: yep, my boys do the same: make roads and construction sites. They are out there doing that for literally hours!
I find that better childcare centres tend to have digging patches for the kids and encourage them to explore the natural world rather than the artificial.
Pony: I share your strange pleasure at sluicing of real dirt... i feel less guilty about using the water I think.
I also suspect that connecting to the actual soil has a positive mood altering affect. Something to do with rebalancing our electrical selves. Like going for a walk along the beach... or in a rainforest KWIM? I think that thrusting your hands into the ground is literally "grounding". I know that my kids seem to benefit by being sent outside after maybe watching too much TV... they always seem irritable after too much screen time (probably because the radiation upsets their electrical balance) ... a digging patch experience often seems to remedy things.
we have dirt piles and vegie patches and E will be allowed to explore to her hearts content - Daddy already lets her put her hands in the vegie gardens (and then they get hosed off - the cold water is a bit of a shock for her lol)
I know when I do any gardening I feel calm and happy no matter what my mood before I start.
DS has a dirt patch in the backyard. When we stay with my cousins he is always black with dirt by tea time, from playing with the boys all day outside.
I'd never choose to send DS to a school or CC where they have a fake astro turf play yard. I always look for a centre with a yard like any normal backyard. Trees, dirt, grass, flowers. The kindy here eve has chooks and lambs runing around the yard
yes i agree, my kids seem more equalized and at peace after a good mud throwing session or dig under the tree.
taylah loves building things with the rocks lol
I dont have any dirt in my backyard ... but when we visit my sister her DD and my DS have great fun in her backyard playing in the dirt and moving it around in the dump truck. I think it is essential for kids to explore the outside world, and get DS to places where he can do as at every chance...
I'm going to be the first to admit I am a bit funny about getting in the dirt, or getting too messy in general! I really agree with the benefits of it, but it takes me a little bit of biting the tongue not to ensure DD is always looking neat and clean in her clothes. The other day we planted a tree and DH was mixing a load of compost with soil to go in with the tree. The compost was lovely and rich and DD loved putting her hands in and transferring all of the worms to their new home in the tree hole. So I do probably need to provide for more of this type of play. We will be moving to a new house soon with no landscaping, so there will be loads of dirt to play with. I will make a conscious effort to let her get outside and enjoy it!
There is a digging patch at DD's kindy - the kids love it! It basically says in the enrolment info that if you have a problem with your child getting dirty and not wearing shoes while at kindy, then perhaps it is not the best place for them. It is for this reason that I love it the place. My kids are always outside, getting dirty or turning on the tap (connected to our tank) and playing with the water. The only time I ever have a problem with it is when I have them all dressed nicely, ready to go out somewhere - then they are banned from getting dirty!
DS is a huge dirt fan and I love watching him play in it. He'll grab his loaders and tractors and off he goes. Very messy but nothing a bath won't fix
I'm a huge believer in everything you've said Bath, my brothers kids were wrapped up in cotton wool and not allowed to get dirty at all and they're always sick!
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How Often Do You Let Your Kids Play In Actual DIRT?
So funny!
... but when we visit my sister her DD and my DS have great fun in her backyard playing in the dirt and moving it around in the dump truck. I think it is essential for kids to explore the outside world, and get DS to places where he can do as at every chance...
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