I thought I was helping to make kids more resilient.
It was super muddy, as in, every part of the grass and woods would ruin your shoes. About half of the kids would fall and be covered in mud the rest of the day. It was muddy.
Some kids had a great time. Some kids tried really hard to have a great time. Some kids were just pissed off- mostly at me. They are older kids- 11-14 year olds. They don’t want to go through the rest of their day with a muddy bottom! It’s actually embarrassing. And those shoes they had to earn through chores and they picked them out and their grandmother bought them for their birthday? Yeah, all muddy. They were so pissed at me. At first I thought they needed to be more resilient and tough. But then, I put my 14-year-old self in this position, and I understood. I understand now.
I learned something that day. Maybe it’s ok to stay inside sometimes. I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, or the kids. And it’s understandable the kids don’t want to be muddy all day long, who would? It’s a weird lesson to learn- but there it is. If it’s really muddy and wet? Maybe it’s not the best day to try to play Hide-and-Go-Seek Tag in the woods with adolescents. Mostly, it’s just not their thing.
Outdoor Learning with Weslie 