Letter Hike

It was (finally!) a beautiful day here in Atlanta, so before picking up my daughter I packed a picnic lunch and Furry Sister so we could spend the afternoon outside. We had a lovely picnic and played on the playground for a few minutes before going into the woods to run and jump and stop and twirl and sing and stop and skip and stop and run some more.


 

Exploring the woods

Looking deeply into nature

Then my daughter exclaimed, "Mom, look! There's an 'X'!" She was so excited. And sure enough, there on the ground was an 'X' made from tree roots. She looked around some more and found LOTS of different letters (A, J, L, N, R, T, V, X, Y) in the natural world around us. I smiled thinking about what a lovely moment to be reminded that everywhere is an opportunity for learning, for connecting, and for embracing the world around us.

The letter "X" (there were lots!)

The letter "V" (sideways)

The letter "r" ("and it's also an 'L' mom from this side!")

We did lots more climbing and playing too...

"R O A R !"

 

Furry Sister TJ explores the creek, then gets a bath at home

Sometimes we don't need to plan anything; planning can get in the way if we let it. We simply need to pay attention, to notice when these beautiful moments arise. It's incredibly freeing to know that our children are going to learn and grow and connect with us, and we only need to pay attention in order to see each opportunity.