That’s right. Get out of the house. It is springtime, you and your kids need to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the day. I read a review of a book today that really struck a nerve. The book is called Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Written by Richard Louv in 2005, the book discusses the profound impacts on the physical, spiritual and emotional health our children are dealing with because fewer and fewer actually just go outside to play.
Allergies, schedules and the increasing popularity of games are keeping our kids inside instead of outside. Do you remember growing up and bursting at the seams to get outside on pretty days? Rainy days were dreadful because you were ‘trapped’ indoors. As soon as the rain stopped, you were out and playing.
That trend is declining in our own children.
In fact, where are your kids right now? Are they inside or out? Are they on their way to practice for soccer, dance, karate or gymnastics? Are they watching T.V.? Are they playing in their rooms? Or are they outside, running in the yard, playing in the park, bouncing on a trampoline?
Where are your kids? Where are you?
I hate being cooped up in the house, yet chores, work schedules and the rigorous demand of life keep me inside a lot more than I care to mention. On beautiful days, I throw open the windows to let the fresh air in, but what am I still doing inside? I have a horse I can go ride. I have a garden I can tend. I even have lots of walkways I can go wander with my dogs.
Why are we inside?
So what’s the solution? Go outside. Seriously. You can help yourself and your kids by letting them work off some of that excess energy through natural, outdoor play. You can shed tons of stress by letting your mind soak up the relaxing rays of the sun while listening to the natural melody of your children’s laughter.
The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that children need at least 60 minutes a day of activity and exercise. If you need ideas, visit their kids health website called BAM! That stands for Body and health and you can find it at www.bam.gov.
In the meanwhile, check out Louv’s book, you may find yourself as startled by the information as I was. They also have some interesting studies that support increased outdoor activity can actually help kids with ADHD and ADD. Why? Because they are getting time to play and when they come back inside, they are more ready to focus.