At Home in Nature

A walk before bed is a peaceful meditation for children who are afraid of the dark.Seeing that night time is a time of rest for some creatures, but an active time for others helps create a question of when is an appropriate time for people to rest?Some people rest on and off all day and all night, others rest at night only, and some unfortunate people are awake all night and sleep all day.Purposefully experimenting with these alternative lifestyles helps a child learn that they feel better if they go to bed shortly after dark, after a nice early evening stroll under the stars.

And look at the stars!Tell their stories; tell the stories of the night creatures you see and hear.If you walk in a riparian area at night, you’ll be serenaded by countless songs.There are few more majestic moments than the coyote song at night, or seeing the deer peacefully graze under a crescent moon.

Does the child realize that they see better at night than we do?We are daytime creatures, who need rest at night.Say goodnight to all the things you see; become at peace with the world and all the monsters disappear.It is a big world, too big for frightening things under the bed or in the closet.

What nightmares could we have after such a wonderful nighttime stroll with those whom we love?