We see how walking to the mailbox to drop off mail for the Mint children at the Venice Post Office is giving the children an opportunity to connect in a tangible way to our Mint friends. We thought navigating the traffic lights, sidewalks, street crossings that they encounter on this busy pathway would result in a lot of safety, mechanical, or traffic talk. The walks have accomplished this and have offered us a whole lot more.
Adriana: How you do feel when we go on the walks?
Chloe: I feel so happy when I go on walks. First I used to get tired and I didn’t like crossing the streets. My favorite thing is when we stop in our special play spot and we play with the sticks.
Santiago: I feel happy because every time I go on the walk I get to say “hi” to the neighbors. I’m good at communicating on the walks with my friends so we can all have fun and feel safe. I can control my body!
Levi: It’s so exciting going on walks. When we get to the play area, I love smelling the flowers. I feel close to nature.
Presley: I feel so much fun in my body when we are running around together in the grass area.
Mia: I loved our community walks because I get to hold my partner’s hands and play in the free grass and running on hills.
Colin: I like finding sticks on our walks. I like when I see the neighbors and I say “hi” and they say “hi” back to us.
Cynthia: What do you remember about the walks?
Mira: I felt like a bird because sometimes I hear birds.
Elliot: We collected flowers and spikey balls on the ground and put them into our potions. When I ran down the hill, my arm was shaking up and down.
Golda: I felt excited when I ran down the hill and my heart was beating fast and my arms are were a little behind my head.
Everly: I felt excited when we ran up and down the hill. My body felt fast. My arms were rocking back and forth so my body could move faster. I was leaning back because the hill was steep.
Asher: I felt nature.
Penny: We saw roses and I love flowers and roses. There were also poppies!
Tallulah: We saw lots of roly polys and Mira even got to hold one.
Mira: I held it for a long time. It felt tickly and I was being so careful.
Mars: There was a slug and it left slime on the ground.
Everly: We saw trees, houses, sidewalks.
Jack: We were exercising.
Elliot: We put our stop signs up when we crossed the street.
Rufus: Safety is a type of exercise because you are stretching and lifting your arms up!
Elliot: We saw people and pencil trees!
Tallulah: We saw our neighbors and two cats and one dog and a baby!
It’s amazing to be reminded of the children’s affinity with nature. In our suburban setting, they see the wilderness among the houses, apartments, and businesses. While they very well notice neighbors and people and their own physicality, we wonder if they connect themselves with this neighborhood. It is always our goal on these walks to invite a sense of belonging in our community and we hope to dive into our documentation to share with you this recognition of connectedness.