A Garden in the Woods with Littlings

As the semester begins and the first few weeks kick things into gear, my 6-year old daughter and I couldn’t help but to already feel the bubble of isolation. The zoom meetings are great but there is nothing like playing with kids outside on a slightly cloudy day, barefoot in the grass.

Red Rover, Red Rover bring Susan on over!

Where to start, we just moved to a new town in the midst of COVID19. Starting a semester online and having no friends could seem like home life is the only life but fear not there are always resources available.

Researching Facebook Groups, I found like minded homeschooling parents that were looking for answers just like me. After a few weeks of establishing myself in the group an opportunity arose, someone else had reached out desperate for a playdate for their little one and I jumped on the opportunity.

We were invited out to the Humboldt Botanical Gardens in Eureka. Both, my daughter and I are a little shy so we sat by the directory sign as we watched a mother and her children play Simon Says! (I couldn’t remember how long it’s been since we played.) When the organizer pulled up, her three daughters ran toward the entrance and the “mingling” began and the family playing Simon Says joined us.

At first the children didn’t want to socialize, and that was alright, with plenty of flowers to explore, the adults enjoyed the silence. Until we remembered what we came here for. “Go play!” And so, they did. We sat in front of these large beautiful greenhouses while the kids ran and laughed in the grass. Characters from all types of platforms came rushing into their creative play as they used imaginary ropes to tie each other up and used fire-y, butt powers to melt the ropes away.

We continued to walk through the flowers afterwards and the other moms fluidly told their children the names of the plants as I quickly read the signs, taking in all the shared information. My daughter expressed pure joy as she explored the homes of the fairies.

If you’re reading this for a review on the Humboldt Botanical Gardens then here’s my advice: walk the forest path. If you rear to the back left of the gardens you will notice a path creeping up the hill. The path was so well maintained you might get the feeling your stepping on a soft cloud instead of detritus. Here, we ventured into the woods and I gave the children a chance to take shots with my camera.

My daughter I both dreaded the walk back, so thankful to be around others, we didn’t want it to end. We said our goodbyes and our hypothesis was right! You can’t beat playing outside with friends.