Nature: A great teacher for children.

Nature offers great sensory stimulation for growing brains and nervous systems. Finding ways to engage children in nature is so important. But why should we get them off the screen and outside? And what does Drago's Dreamland have to do with this?

Imagine for a moment the experience of walking around as a young child. Imagine your sensory experience in different environments. Is it laminate surfaces, clean smooth floors, plastic toys? Now in your imagination, pop yourself out side and feel the sand, rock, water, air, dirt, sticks, an animal or plant. Here is an experience of different textures, unexpected delights and many levels of sensory stimulation.

Natural materials provide a far more enriching experience for the imagination of the child than plastic. Natural materials have a kind of life-force and provide a larger range of sensory experiences for the child to adapt to.

Children have high sensory needs as they develop their own relationship to the world. They learn through their feet and hands. They feel boundaries and gain information with every touch.

Give them rocky terrain to walk across, and many natural objects to feel, weigh, smell, balance and build with.

Let them experience natural laws of physics, be buffeted with the wind and rain, soak up the sun, or get muddy.

At Drago’s Dreamland we believe nature is essential to the emotional wellbeing of children. We want kids to get outside and amongst nature. But we know children also need inside, cosy time. We encourage enriching children's inside play by finding natural toys and setting up play spaces that have simple natural components in them. Gum nuts, sawn logs, rocks, felt toys, pine cones, play cloths and wooden blocks, all have unlimited potential for imaginative play. This sort of environment often leads to more creative and open ended games, while also soothing sensory needs. No need to buy these toys, you can find them outside.

For a board game that celebrates nature, play Drago’s Dreamland. The story content and illustrations celebrate and herald natures beauty. We hope to inspire children to love nature. The six Sacred Sites are beautiful places in nature (tree, cave, lake, volcano, spring and river). We have collected mythology from around the world that features these sites, and gathered them into an imaginative story line. Players must visit the Sacred Sites to earn wisdom points, as well as help others and respond to nature along their journey. Drago's Dreamland takes children on an adventure through the beautiful natural world, meeting pixies, ogres, dragons, sorcerers and quirky creatures along the way. It celebrates the perspectives and explanations that mythical tales give to the natural world. We believe that imagination and curiosity is a beautiful way for children to approach nature. Building wonder towards the natural world in childhood, and allowing children to connect imaginatively to nature is our goal. After playing Drago’s Dreamland children are usually left feeling happy, calm and enriched. They will probably need to stretch their legs, so open the door and watch what sort of play happens after the game.

This board game is ideal for families who love the simple beauty of nature and want to help their children find meaning through mythology and nature. Drago's Dreamland celebrates the stories about nature. It is not a scientific view, but a mythical and metaphoric perspective, drawing on questions and beliefs that humanity has always felt when they are connected to nature.

It is a game that sits on the table and invites the child's imagination to run wild, while their bodies rest. Play the game inside or outside, it doesn't matter. Its the mood that the child is left with, where their mind is at, and what happens after playing Drago's Dreamland that is worth noticing.

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