Night Time Exploring (A Mini-Adventure)
Spotlighting (exploring with torches) is an essential childhood experience…that not many kids get to do anymore.
As the days get shorter over autumn and into winter, the stars are coming out earlier. Over summer I put my kids to bed while the sky is still light, but in winter it is dark before dinner time. You could close up the curtains and stay warm indoors, or…you could have a really memorable mini-adventure with the kids.
My family’s night-time adventure
Last week my kids had a play at their friends’ house (while the grown ups enjoyed cocktails and the absence of nagging and constantly being asked to do something). Given the cocktail invite, I decided we would walk to our friends’ place. It meant we would be walking home on the other end of our afternoon, and I had a feeling it would be dark. Instead of worrying about it, we made it into a super fun experience.
Now this worked because my kids don’t often see the stars unless we are camping. We have a routine and are only really flexible with it on holidays or Friday/Saturday nights. We tend to stay indoors after dark, either because it is too cold in winter, or too late in summer. But now, in autumn/early winter, is the perfect time to get out and see the stars while it isn’t too cold.
We walked home on familiar streets, our senses sharpening. Instead of watching for cars, like usual, we were watching for hazards on the ground so we wouldn’t trip over. The moon was new, so there were plenty of milky way stars to admire. The crescent moon is somehow entertaining for the kids, who love to see it match the pictures of their books. We listened for night creatures in the trees and breathed in the cool air. We noticed fairy lights and solar garden lights, street lights and headlights. It only took us about ten minutes to walk a couple blocks, but in the dark, it felt like an adventure rather than a chore to walk home.
It is a little bit risky, which adds to the adventure. My son was a bit scared at first of the way shadows moved when a car drove past or I moved the torch around. Simple, I showed him how it worked and we had some fun making shadows move on purpose. We also had to be careful where we walked, as it is easier to trip over in the dark. We weren’t scared of dangerous or inappropriate people, as we live in a safe, quiet neighbourhood.
Here are some ideas to create your own night-time mini-adventure with your kids:
Take torches/flashlights and go wildlife spotting. What nocturnal creatures live in your region?
Rug up, wear warmer clothes (gloves, beanies, etc) than you think you’ll need, so you don’t need to rush home and don’t get too cold to enjoy yourself.
Go along familiar streets and see how they are different at night.
Keep walking so you don’t get cold. If you’re going to sit somewhere and look at stars, take a blanket and a hot chocolate so it’s more enjoyable.
If your kids aren’t that interested or they’re nervous, glow sticks or torches help make it fun. As do friends.
Try to notice all your senses, and talk about it with the kids. How does the cool, damp air smell? How does it feel? What can you hear? Is there a taste – hot chocolate, freshly brushed teeth, etc? How do things look at night? What shadows can you see, what lights, is it easier to see with a torch or to let your eyes adjust to the darkness? The more your senses are engaged, the more the experience will stick to your memory.
No matter where you live, even if your streets are well-lit at night, night time will still change the look and feel of your streets.
Our walk home in the dark was so much fun that I’m planning to do a longer walk soon, I think we’ll go to the closest nature reserve and look for nocturnal creatures (safely and respectfully, of course), perhaps to the lookout and down the beach to look for crabs, or do our usual walk to school and see what’s different at night time. So many possibilities! Regular things can feel super adventurous when you just do them out of routine or in a slightly different way.
Your Family’s Turn
What will your mini-adventure look like? It could be as simple as a walk around the block right before bed. It could be taking the bin out at night and watching for shooting stars. It could be a full half-hour to hour exploration, looking for possums and owls, reading the stars. Your family, your adventure. Let me know how you go!
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