We are graced with a relatively few years of childhood. This time is precious and formative. There are many who realize this for there are all sorts of techniques and programs designed to make the most of childhood. Some parents nurture their children's mind's with Mozart and and other classics which stimulate neurons and logical processes. Others enroll their children in activities or sports to teach them teamwork and sportsmanship. There are so many opportunities for children that encourage positive development that is hard to keep track of them all. Each of these activities can be worthwhile and instructive. However, with so many choices, there are pitfalls that can arise. The first is that a child can be overbooked. The second is closely related: with so much structured activity there is no time left for a child to teach himself. Even if a child does have enough free time, they may squander their daylight hours indoors.The woods are one of the most wonderfully designed playgrounds in creation. Even a quarter acre of timber can become a canvas for the imagination. The forests are a place where fiction and reality overlap. If there is a pond or stream, so much the better.
A bent stick and a length of twine can turn a child into Robin Hood. A tree house is all that is required for membership into the Swiss Family Robinson. The blustery days of autumn can put a child on the deck of the Hispaniola during a storm. Whether a they are pretending to be knights of the round table or merely letting the woods bring their favorite stuffed animals to life like Christopher Robin, children in the woods are also exercising their bodies as well as their imaginations.
A few afternoons a week of unstructured time in the woods can be very fulfilling for a child. In addition to getting them much needed physical activity, it allows them to choose how they spend their time rather than falling subject to any predetermined schedule. While I have fond memories of Little League, basketball, swimming, and Scouting, just as important in my mind is the time I spent reading in a tree house as it swayed with the wind, or wading through the creek in search of a likely fishing spot.
Part of the purpose of Montreat Wilderness School is to open up the woods to children who may not already be spending time there. While there are some children who will never take to the woods, for others it is almost as wonderful as stepping through the wardrobe into their own magical land. It is in this way that new generations of conservationists are born.
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Jason Nanz comes to Montreat from Roanoke, VA. He is a 2006 graduate of Roanoke College, an Eagle Scout, long-time Montreat Ranger and a highly experienced outdoorsman. Jason runs Montreat's Wilderness School and can be reached at montreatwilderness@gmail.com 
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