Playing in the Dirt....Healthy and Educational

   

LOOK       SEE        DICK & JANE  LOVE THE DIRT, SAND, OR WATER

When this article first caught my attention, I laughed;
I laughed as I thought of the absurdity of the statement;
I laughed as the memories of my family backyards, our fun in the sun, our 'cricket farms',
  our World Battles waged all in the sand-boxes of my past;
I laughed as I remember burying our son in the sand at Metro-Beach;
I laughed as I recall all the kids seen who can search-out and locate the sand, dirt, & down-right dirty places that
  are found in their immediate area. 
AND
I stopped laughing as I realized the plight behind this article:
...the child who has no back yard
...the child who has no time left after "organized play dates, after-school activities, or visits to Friend's' homes
...the child who is not allowed to get "dirty'
...the child who does not want to 'go out & play'

See the article " Playing in dirt good for kids"  www.macomnbdaily.com  / Sunday August 22, 2010 pg 13 A / author
                    Raymond M. Lane  [the Washington Post]

Mr Lane indicated that scientists are doing studies [with mice] noting the effects of M.vaccae  = a harmless bacteria found in dirt everywhere, that do show positive cognitive abilities of those mice fed [with peanut butter] this particular germ or bacteria.

Let's hear it for those "dirt pancakes" we made and tasted as kids; or those 'sand-water' drinks we produced as kids;
and who can forget getting the littlest ones on the block to sprinkle sand & small pebbles on their ice cream cones-yes we did all of these things and unless someone tattled to a Mom on the block--ALL of us made it through this process.

Take a good look at the faces above [ that we can see], do these look like kids being forced to do that which they dislike?
How about the boy with the camera--how neat to take photos of the little pals found within that pile of sand / dirt?
Who does not remember walking the shores with a small hand gathered in your own and stopping to 'dig & play' ?

Do we really need science to tell us that which we, as parents already know--
...put a child in or near sand, dirt or mud and you have the makings of some great photos and memories.

Please do not tell me that our younger parents do not allow for or want to partake in:
...a walk in the mud;
...a sit-down in the sand;
...a climb on the pile of dirt
Choosing just where these adventures take place should be the only concern.
Scheduling fun times in nature should be a top priority.

So, go ahead, take off those shoes & socks and let that sand trickle through your toes one more time.