Children should have the freedom to just be children and run, play, have fun and maybe even get dirty in the process. This is the basic philosophy behind TimberNook, a program that focuses on nature and free play with the goal of giving children the space to grow and develop in a healthy and natural way. TimberNook of Greater Cleveland is wrapping up another successful year of doing things the TimberNook way.
What is TimberNook
TimberNook is a carefully crafted sensory experience that encourages children to learn and grow through unstructured playtime. Programs are built around the local environment and designed to allow children to experience nature and creativity in a safe and secure way.
Background of Program
TimberNook was started by Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist in 2009 in New Hampshire. Through her work, and as a mother of two children, Angela noticed a lot of kids with poor balance and coordination and difficulty focusing and expressing themselves. A sedentary lifestyle had taken over and become commonplace and this was impacting how children interacted with the world around them. This was the inspiration behind the original TimberNook program. Angela set out to create a solution to address these issues, and TimberNook was born.
Brenda Richards, an occupational therapist, began TimberNook of Greater Cleveland in 2014. The TimberNook of Greater Cleveland just wrapped up their third year, and founder Brenda Richards is already looking forward to next year.
Authentic Play
The core of TimberNook is authentic play. Children enjoy sensory-rich play experiences that engage their minds and bodies. Children are outdoors and experiencing nature in a very hands on and creative manner. The area around children is used as inspiration for their experience. This form of creative play builds and challenges the mind, body and senses.
Lose Structure
During a session at TimberNook children are encouraged to play and be creative. The structure that is typical of other organized activities and school is absent. The lack of structure is a hallmark of TimberNook. Kids are allowed to be kids and play and get dirty. If they want to build a fort or play in a stream or climb a tree they can do those things. Children are allowed to go where their imagination takes them.
Children are supervised at a distance to ensure everyone is safe, but children decide the course their day takes. While experiencing TimberNook, children learn to be self reliant, while also learning how to negotiate and collaborate with other children, and build social skills in the process.
Therapeutic Benefits
Experiencing nature is beneficial for childhood development. Nature and the outdoors can be soothing and mentally stimulating, while also creating an opportunity for children to move their bodies, lift heavy things and use their sensory systems. The TimberNook program is designed to support mental and physical development through creative play and time spent outdoors.
Learning From Other Children
Another benefit of the TimberNook way is that children spend time with other kids outside of their age group. Most school, athletic and other programs are organized around age. Children typically spend a lot of time around children their own age, but aside from siblings rarely spend time with children a little bit older or younger. TimberNook gives kids the chance to spend time with other kids somewhat close in age. This provides an opportunity of older children to take on a leadership role and mentor younger children. This setting also encourages younger children to emulate the older kids and push themselves to try new things.
Flow of a Normal Day
Each day or week during a TimberNook session has a theme. Themes from the TimberNook of Greater Cleveland include Wild Child to Friends in the Wild, Going Medieval or Wizard’s Night Out. The day starts with a gently structured group activity based on the theme. From there the day morphs into free play and children are able to be creative and enjoy their time in nature.
Local Programs Available
TimberNook of Greater Cleveland is a local chapter built on the foundation of the TimberNook principals. TimberNook of Greater Cleveland has programs for children age 4 – 13 years. There are a total of four weeks of camp during the summer. Three of those weeks are full days from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. One week is dedicated for younger children, and the program runs from 9:00 AM until noon. During the summer and fall there are several evening programs from 6:00 p.m. till 9:00 p.m.. Once school starts TimberNook of Greater Cleveland will host programs on days there are no classes.
Learn More and Stay in the Know
To learn more about the TimberNook program and how it benefits children visit their website. Learn more about the TimberNook of Greater Cleveland program by checking out their Facebook page.
