Get Outside!
As an advisor to a couple of parenting sites, I’ve received several questions lately on the lines of “I have two boys, ages six and eight, who just want to spend all their time on the couch, watching TV or playing video games. When I tell them to go outside and play, they come back five minutes later telling me that there are no other kids out there, and they don’t know what to do.”
My response?
- Lead by example. Want your kids to value nature? Want them to discover for themselves how amazing the natural world can be, and how much fun it is to play in the dirt, roll down a grassy bank, and find slimy slugs after the rain? Nothing sends a stronger message than if they see you out there enjoying yourself, so step outside. Build a sandcastle! Make a snowperson! Rub your toes in the grass. Remember: Enthusiasm is contagious.
- Follow by example, too. Most grown-ups can learn something from kids. They are receptive to new things. They’re curious. Be receptive and curious, too! Ask questions. Encourage questions. If you don’t know the answer, admit it. Look it up together. Or make up a story. This seaweed is a monster’s hair. These rocks are from the walls of an ancient castle. Here’s a fun game: Find a creek, pond, park, or any place with lots of life, appoint a leader among the kids, and follow him. If he stops to turn over a log and see what’s beneath it, everyone else looks too. If he throws stones in the lake, so do the rest of you. If he digs in the mud and gets his pants dirty—don’t hold back.
- Turn a walk into a safari. You can do this with babies, teenagers, and anyone else who likes a good stroll. Head to a park or path, or simply take the sidewalk by your home. Even in big cities you’ll see birds, bugs, shrubs, and trees—take a closer look when you pass. Better yet: stop and examine them. Bring a magnifying glass to really zoom in. You can also chat with kids about things you never seem to talk about during the busy days—or just be quiet and listen to the squirrels chirp and the leaves rattle in the trees.
- Let kids set the pace. If your four-year-old resists the idea of a long walk, keep it short and make it fun. Play “I Spy” or another game. Take a healthy snack and stop in the grass to enjoy it together – especially if your child gets tired. And if it’s hard tearing older children away from video games or texting, go easy. Let them know that time in nature is like health food for the brain, and you’d like to make a schedule everyone agrees to so time indoors is balanced with time outside.
And here are some more ideas:
- Find squirrel highways. Most squirrels stay in a relatively small area, usually about an acre, their whole lives. They know that area very well, including every branch of the trees they roam. If they didn’t have the branches memorized, they couldn’t skitter along them at the high speeds they sometimes do—when escaping a predator, for instance, or when a dominant male wants to intimidate a younger male. Watch the squirrels in your yard or at a park for a while and see if you can identify the squirrels’ favorite routes—or “squirrel highways.”
- Keep a nature journal. Make nature journals using recycled paper. Revisit the same place in your backyard, school grounds, or park throughout the year—perhaps once a week—and note the changes you observe in the weather, trees, animal activity, and anything else you notice. You can write paragraphs or poems, make lists, or sketch pictures. Every few months, go back to your notes and drawings to see how things have changed. Nature writing and sketching can help you and your kids slow down, focus, and increase your awareness of the natural world. What a great antidote to the daily hurry-hurry-hurry mode.
- Get to know local trees. Wherever you live, there are probably trees in your area. Take a close look at a few. Are they all the same? What’s different about them? Compare the leaves—are they jagged-edged or smooth-edged? Are they each in one piece or do they have leaflets? How about the bark, buds, or flowers (depending on the time of year)? Collect the different leaves you find on the ground, but be sure not to pull them off the branches, which can hurt the trees. Borrow a nature guide from the library to identify species, or check with your local Department of Parks and Recreation to find guided nature walks where foliage is identified.
- Have a daily “green hour.” The National Wildlife Federation recommends that parents give their kids a daily green hour—time set aside every day to play outside and interact with the natural world. This time should be unstructured (no rules) and fun! If you’re busy, start with fifteen minutes a day, and do it every day. If kids are reluctant, show them how fun it is by joining them. Even on a wet day, you can still get out and play together as long as you’re dressed for the weather. As e.e. cummings wrote, the world is “mud-luscious” and “puddle-wonderful.” See www.greenhour.org for more tips.
- Create your own treasure hunt. Make a list of items likely to be found in the nature of your neighborhood or play area. Next, make copies of the list for each kid or team in your group, hand out paper bags to collect the loot, and send them on their way. Kids will be more engaged if you include several weird or gross items on your list. Here are a few list-starter ideas: a dead bug, a bird feather, a leaf bigger than your hand, a worm, moss or lichen, a seed or pit, a stick shaped like the letter “y,” a smooth rock, a cup of mud (bring your own cup). Depending on the age of your kids, you may want to put hunters in pairs and set firm boundaries where you can keep track of them. Remind your hunters to respect natural surroundings. You could even put “five pieces of trash” on the list.
And if you’re ready to really dig in, you can pursue more ambitious projects to discover close-up the many ways nature is awesome:
- Raise butterflies
- Adopt a tree
- Build a bird house
- Create an owl box
- Join a mycological group
- Go camping
- Try a family outing program
- Participate in Wildlife Watch
- Visit a cave or cavern
You don’t have to revamp your lifestyle if you want your kids to connect more with nature. Take a step now, take another later, and when your children grow up, getting out will be built into their sensibilities. And have fun!
(Adapted from Get Out! 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get into Nature and Build a Greener Future by Judy Molland, © 2009. Used with permission of Free Spirit Publishing Inc., Minneapolis, MN: 800-735-7323; www.freespirit.com. All rights reserved.)
Judy Molland is an award-winning teacher and writer, and the mother of two boys. She is the author of Straight Talk About Schools Today (Free Spirit, 2007) and is contributing editor for Dominion Parenting Media, the largest syndicate of parenting magazines in the United States. An avid backpacker, hiker and rock climber, she is also a leader with her local chapter of the Sierra Club
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