Leon first came to the Sprouts Program when he was 4 years old. At first he was solitary and withdrawn. He hung back when other children engaged, and lived in his own world with no language of his own.
But one morning when I came to him at the SRPOUTS program, Leon was blooming with new energy, excitement and health. He looked like a new child. A wild child! His face had lit up, he had red cheeks, a wide smile and sparkling eyes. His language, all but nonexistent a few months before, was bursting forth.
Leon took me by the hand and led me to his favorite fort built out of sticks and saplings. Choosing a story he found set out on a blanket he crawled inside the stick house, invited me in, and asked me to read. Afterwards, he took my hand again and pulled me off on a tour of the woods.
I watched Leon throughout the morning. He was curious! He was initiating! Most importantly, he was learning how to play. He had plenty of time to explore, discover, and investigate without interruption.
The therapeutic benefits of taking children outside for long stretches of time, do not stop with children like Leon. For sure, the gains observed in children labeled with a special need are often dramatically observable in our SPROUTS Programs. But every child who interacts regularly with the natural world benefits from the sensory balance, the fresh air, the sunlight, the crisp cold wind, and the wide-open space. The difficult behaviors observed in an indoor setting mostly disappear outside.
To make this possible for Leon and his friends, our SPROUTS children need good-quality, sturdy outdoor gear to keep them warm and dry. They will be playing and learning outdoors for at least four hours a day but many of the children we serve are unable to afford this cost and don't want anyone to be left indoors!
Please help us reach our goal to provide a full complement of appropriate, high quality outdoor gear and equipment for every SPROUTS child. There is no bad weather. Just bad dressing for the weather!
Wild Child Gear Kits each cost around $300 each and include rain gear, boots, mittens, hats, snow gear, and natural fiber underlayers.
SPROUTS is a Program of Broadbeach Family and community services located on the Maine Coast in Belfast, Maine. Sprouts is part of a growing national movement offering place-based nature education experiences for young children age 2.5 to 5 years old. Sprouts uses the High Scope Curriculum and is open to all children, We offer a strong therapeutic component for children with special needs. There are no residency requirements. For more information visit www.brmaine.org, or call Vicky at 207-338-2200.