Get Dirty…It will wash out!
Week of July 21, 2024 – July 27, 2024
by Catherine McLaughlin, Environmental Educator
When was the last time you got dirty? Was it your hands in soil, or paint, or something sticky? For some it may not be often, but life is messy and we should embrace that.
This week while walking the trail we were talking with a camper who had been exploring in Boulder Brook. Little bits of leafy debris were stuck on their arms as they told us their adventures of finding salamanders and crayfish. We exchanged stories of eating bugs, getting covered in mud, and finding all sorts of fun creatures in the woods. Or another day this week I was out with a camper who found some clay in the stream and chose to cover themselves in it. Head. To. Toe. calling it a mud bath.She looked up at me and Becky giggling before she went off to look for crayfish in the stream. Perhaps she was trying to camouflage herself to find them?
We also celebrate what we call Swamp Day (or Mud Day depending on who you ask) at camp. This is the perfect opportunity to get as messy as you can. Clean campers transform to muck monsters to see who is the ruler of the swamp. Perhaps discovery of a lost shoe may occur, before heading back to rinse off in a stream or be sprayed down with a hose before we send them off home… probably still a little dirty, as generations of camp parents will tell you! (We do warn parents to have towels for the car ride home!)
It seems to be okay for children to get messy, so why don’t adults? Sure, it’s not fun to clean, but the memories you make last a lifetime. Getting dirty is a part of life. Jump in the mud puddles in a rainstorm, play in the clay, get paint on your legs.
I guess what I mean by all these memories is… Get dirty! It will wash out.
We invite our members to enjoy a weekly blog written by our naturalists. Every blog will be uniquely different but always inspired by nature. We may share a memory from a recent hike at The Woods or teach you about an animal or plant that lives on the preserve. No matter the topic, we will be sharing with you our passion for nature and celebrating the connections we all have to the natural world. Each blog will be connected to a weekly set of activities and ideas to help you put nature in your hands, even if you’re at home!