Berry Picking
By Holly McCullough, Big Trees Teacher
Richard Lauv, the author of Last Child in the Woods writes, “Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child’s exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective world.” Many of us want our children to grow up with beloved experiences in nature. We want them to have a chance to climb a tree, throw a stone into a stream and taste a sun ripened berry. Fitting these experiences into our busy lives can be tricky. Finding a place where it is okay to pick berries can be even harder. That's where summer berry picking comes in.
Summer often brings different rhythms and time for longer adventures. Berrypicking has been one of my family’s favorite ways to spend a June day. Getting out of the house early on a summer day helps to keep our energy moving in the right direction. Inviting a friend along for the ride can help both parent and child have a great day. Seeing how food grows is a lesson that sticks with children. Berry picking is an enjoyable way that children can participate in making the food that makes its way to the table. It’s important to give children opportunities to do something they can be proud of and I can still remember how proud my three you old was when he filled a whole bucket with berries.
We have two favorite local places for berry picking. Webb Ranch in Portola Valley is a convenient destination and if you get an early start you can be back in time for nap time. They grow many varieties of blackberries and they are certified organic.
If you can go a little further, Gitzdich Ranch ranch is a magical place. First you will fill your bucket with berries. Then you can enjoy some of the fruit of your labor with a picnic in their apple orchard. Gizdich typically has hay bales to climb on and pies to bring home. It just might be the perfect way to spend a summer day.
When you get home you’ll have lots of berries. Perhaps even too many berries. If your family is getting tired of eating berries, and you still have lots left, freezer jam is a great way to save them for later and is surprisingly easy.
Once the berries are gone, books can help you and your family hold on to your berry picking day. Books can also help you get ready for an outdoor adventure, or be just enough adventure on a day you need to stick to your routine. More Blueberries will have your toddler joining you in the refrain, “More blueberries.” It is a book full of joy. Another great book for toddlers is Jamberry by Bruce Degen. This is a delightful book full of imagination and rhyming text and of course, berries.
More Blueberries!
by Susan Musgrave
For slightly older children, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey is another classic. This is a story of a human child and her mother and a bear child and his mother, both picking berries on the same mountain. It is a great book for widening children’s perspective about the natural world and invites them to think about what creatures might enjoy the berries we pass along the trail.
A more recent addition to my berry book shelf is Berry Song by Michaela Goade. A berry song weaves through this book repeating the names of berries found on an Alaskan island. We learn about this family's relationship to the place they live through berries. It is sure to keep your berry adventure alive.
I hope that you find time this summer to enjoy some berry picking, either out on a farm or through some wonderful berry filled reading.
