“I even brought my binoculars! It’s the first time I explore the mountain.”“I never imagined that trees communicate with each other like humans do.”“This is the best view I have ever seen.”“The sand inside it is alive!”“I used to get lost on the trails. Now I know how to find my way.”“Cranberries are as tasty as strawberries!”“I’ll help you climb up, take my hand.” These are just a few of the phrases we hear every day, as we share with your children adventure, action and exploration in the Greek countryside. We design and implement outdoor activities for children and teenagers. What does this mean? You might think: a bit of hiking, a bit of archery, snacks, play. All of these are wonderful, but our work is slightly different. As parents, you may remember moments when you felt surprise or pride at a phrase, an observation, or even your child’s first words. When you think: “How did they say/understand/learn/feel this?” That is our desired outcome after every activity. We aim to witness such moments. How is this achieved? There is no recipe. Education, learning, love, parenthood, friendship, passion, clouds, snow, the Christmas tree, wine… none of the world’s wonders have a recipe. They do, however, have ingredients, and to find them we must break certain stereotypes. Stereotype #1 “Nature” “Nature.” “Children must come into contact with nature.” “We are visitors in the forest.” “We do not disturb the balance of nature.” From here begins a misunderstanding that does not help children enjoy an adventure in the mountains, an activity on the beach, or a swim in the sea. Children are nature, and the forest is their home. By defining flora and fauna as “nature” but excluding ourselves (and especially children), we are automatically separated from it, adopting a defensive, fearful and overly proper stance. Worst of all, we experience something we love while being unaware that we are part of it. Children learn that there is “nature” and “everything else”: the city, roads, buildings, exhaust fumes, daily routine, school lessons. Anything that is not brown, green and blue. When entering a forest, we often declare ourselves “visitors” and set rules about respect, silence, littering and careful movement around fragile flowers. Nature becomes something external, precious, something to be protected. And then what are we? It is important to distinguish nature from the countryside. In the countryside, natural presence is indeed strong, and this is our goal: to encourage that presence. We are as much nature as trees, rivers, mountain peaks and the seabed. Autumn leaves are as natural as children’s curls, water flow as natural as their running, tree branches as their climbing, rocks as their attempts to balance. Blooming contains as much nature as kindness and solidarity. Rain and lightning as much as human joy, sadness, courage and curiosity. Pollination through wind and bees contains the same nature as office work. As children understand this, they enjoy and benefit more from outdoor life. Gradually, they care for their waste, respect animals, protect plants, avoid shouting, help each other, share and take care of themselves—not because of rules, but because it feels natural. Stereotype #2 Activity, “athletic” and “less athletic” children We often equate outdoor activity with physical performance, and this is partially true but incomplete. Even hiking requires reading the terrain and adapting the feet to different surfaces, because mountain or beach terrain is completely different from roads or school grounds. In the outdoors, no activity is purely physical. That is the beauty: whether playing or learning, we constantly coordinate body and mind. Every child responds differently, and all responses are equally valid. Recently, a mother asked us whether her six-year-old son managed the hike because he is not athletic. That day, her son guided the class along the trail, showing great skill in pacing and group movement. Stereotype #3 Fear Psychologist Pavlos Giannakis has said:“Fear is like a ship’s anchors; you lift them one by one once you are properly prepared to set sail. If you lift them suddenly before being ready, the ship will drift uncontrollably.” In the outdoors, fear arises from various concerns, often rooted in misconceptions: snakes, bears, snow, height, water, depth, even dirt (“dirtiness”). It is essential to distinguish fear from projection. Children deserve more than answers like “there are no bears here” or “get down from the tree.” When a child says “I have a fear of heights,” they are expressing fear—not a diagnosis—and this deserves respect. We neither encourage nor discourage it; we respect it. The child is experiencing something new and unfamiliar. Fear appears when we leave our comfort zone, physically or mentally. The body tries new movements, the brain forms new connections. And that is wonderful. Stereotype #4 Who are the “experts”? Given safety standards, what is the right method for engaging children outdoors? All of them. Like parents and educators, we gather as much knowledge as possible. An outdoor activity involves pedagogy, psychology, movement science, mountaineering, botany, zoology, geology, archaeology, landscape interpretation, acting and group guidance. Our team includes specialists in all these fields. In practice, children do not follow a degree title. They do not worry if they do not get an answer about a plant, or if a game stops because the group must move on. What matters is that they feel the richness of what we carry with us. And children understand. “We stepped where the gods once lived!”“The sky loves us and sent us the seagulls!”“I didn’t believe the ancient people had technology.”“The horse and I became one!”“I think I have a talent for photography.”“When will we meet again!” Adventures—with hats or raincoats, play and songs, effort and emotion, earth and salt, open hands and feet on the ground. With children and teenagers. Each experience becomes a blend of confidence and creative anticipation, because—as it is said—we are professionals, adults, experienced, some of us parents, but above all we must, as Nikos Kazantzakis said, “paint paradise and then enter it.”
