Getting out into the natural bush environment instead of an ordered garden has many advantages. I love being in the garden but my Sunday walk in the bush offered so much more. I took my granddaughter to the stock reserve near home and in little over half an hour we had our senses of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting stimulated. We had a real adventure of discovery while our health benefited from the exercise.

The fruit we took to eat tasted all the sweeter for being outdoors. As we explored great, old, fallen trees we were amazed at the patterns that squiggly grubs had made under the bark. On our next trip there we will take crayons and paper to make rubbings of the ‘hieroglyphics’.

As we walked along a track back to the gate we saw a bird fluttering on the ground ahead of us. It was a tawny frogmouth. Its yellow eyes were wide open and its beak gaping, but it was unable to fly away. I picked it up gently and took it back to the house so I could contact Wires, the wildlife group that cares for injured creatures. Unfortunately the lovely bird died before we could get it to a carer.

My granddaughter was very sad for even though she had known it for such a short time, she loved it dearly. She held it and stroked it and later chose a burying place for it. For children it is important to show care and respect for wild creatures just as it is for a family pet that may die.

Tags: emotional wellbeing, health, outdoor activities