This one is for the Dirt Piles group!

Reprinted from Green Hour:

Issue #86: Digging in the Dirt

Digging in the Dirt

I’ve admitted defeat. A once-green corner of the yard has turned brown — a patch of earth so pock-marked and pitted one might mistake it for the surface of the moon. Some days it’s just that! Other days it’s an archeological dig or a bakery providing the finest mud pies in town. Some days it holds a pirate’s stash, while others it’s a quarry for mining worms and rocks.

At first glance, a visitor might find it unsightly, especially in a world of perfectly landscaped yards. But watching my son hard at work, spoon in hand, digging and filling a jar with soil, I only see beauty. Fully engaged, he is in a world of his own creation, happy and content.

We never know where that patch of earth might take us, but it always seems to be a place of wonder and discovery. So, while others may see the “brown and bumpy,” I see only what it is: A place for a kid to be a kid — as it should be.

Can You Dig It?

What is it about kids and dirt? Put a spoon or a small shovel in their hand and they will ‘¦ well ‘¦ dig a hole to China! Why not dedicate a small part of your yard to a digging station? No yard? No problem. How about a large container or flower box set aside just for digging in the dirt? Share your ideas for places and spaces where a “kid can be a kid” in the Green Hour Community Corner.
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