How to get kids outside again:

The one topic I could talk about all day! How do we get our kiddos growing up in a technical world reconnected to nature??

Let's be real here, it's more likely you'll see a toddler with a tablet than one covered in dirt. Am I right or am I right? I honestly got so disgusted by this realization and the fact that my own 3 children would rather play inside than out, that I decided to start a parent/child nature group called Raising Mindful Children.

I'm not telling you to go out and start a club but here's what I WILL share: My go-to ways of getting my children outside, away from screens, creating and playing happily in nature, but first, let me give you a quick back-story, because I wasn't always such a crunchy crunch when it came to Mother Earth.

When my oldest child was first born in 2016, I was taken over by a beast called Postpartum Depression and Anxiety. She was a real demon. I remember looking at my husband one day and saying: "If this is how I'm going to feel for the rest of my life, I don't think I can do this". And I meant it.

If you've suffered from postpartum depression or anxiety (or any depression or anxiety), you might be able to relate when I say I wasn't the person I thought I was anymore. My reality wasn't the same reality. I was now living in a world where I was certain there was something horrible lurking around every single corner of my world, waiting to hurt me or my son. Mostly my son. It was debilitating, and I was petrified to my core.

All that being said, you might imagine I wasn't throwing my baby into a heap of mud or letting him run barefoot through fields of lavender. He wasn't raised to be an outdoor kid, he was raised in a bubble of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.

Just as I was starting to gain my footing (and had a second baby on my hip), BAM! Introducing every anxious mother's nightmare: a global pandemic.

That's right, welcome 2020, the year I started Lysol wiping my bananas.

It wasn't pretty, I was cray cray about pretty much everything (side note: I have had asthma my whole life and I thought if you and I breathed the same air, I would die, leaving my children with my husband who would surely only feed them takeout pizza and leave the shades drawn).

It's true: I've always been an outside kinda girl, growing up on Cape Cod, out on boats all day, playing in my grandparent's garden as a kid and making my own fun in the backyard. If there's outdoor seating at a restaurant, I'll kill you before we eat inside. But truthfully, I didn't really know (or care) why I preferred being outside, until I did some research.

If you've made it this far with me, thanks, girl. I have ADHD and anxiety and I can ramble. But this is the stuff you probably came here for, so here it is:

We were never MEANT to be so disconnected to nature, we ARE nature. Everything is made up of energy, and we're all connected. Have you ever left your phone inside while you did a little gardening or took a walk? Do you remember how much better you felt when you came in?

There's SO many scientific reasons why (and I'll save that for another blog post), but we're MEANT to be outside the majority of the day. Our circadian rhythm alone is reason enough.

So, we can all agree that we want our children to be outside more, to enjoy it, to reconnect to nature and balance their nervous-systems more regularly. Here are the ways I've gotten my children outside and loving it (not all the time, but most):

1) Ditch the phone. I leave my phone inside. The last thing a child wants to see while they're spending time outside is a parent on their phone every time they look up.

* If I do take my phone out to snap a couple cute pics or a short video, I don't interrupt them or pull their attention away from what they're doing (I make it a point to never interrupt my kids when they're engaged), and then I out the phone inside or away from us.

2) Change of scenery. I'll tell my kids it's time to go outside and have a change of scenery. You'd be surprised how just stepping outside can completely change everyone's mood. When I was going through postpartum depression and anxiety, it was hard to see the world as anything bigger than what I saw inside the walls of my home, but when I stepped outside, I quickly realized the world is SO much bigger than the problems inside my head. A change of scenery can be a quick change of mood and behavior.

3) Use what they love. This is where I come up with a creative game to spark interest. For instance, my oldest loves watching ants and also got really into severe weather, so we created "ant tsunamis". We create roads out of rocks and sticks and dirt/mud, fill up a huge bucket of water and dump it out, like a tsunami, and watch where the water goes. We give leaves to the ants and bugs so they can ride to safety.

My daughter loves cooking and baking, so I bought a bunch of tin bowls, spoons, and cake trays from the thrift store, and we make mud pies. I got really into it and started adding flower petals and making designs.

• 

  
  

  4) Encourage creativity. While I do sometimes come up with ideas of things to do from time to time, I really believe in letting children create their own fun. Sometimes I give them an idea, start setting it up and then step back and watch them. I keep a little distance but make sure they know I'm still there. Sometimes they just like to know you're still close by. That just reassures them you care about what they're doing and are supporting their creativity. The reason I like to step back is to give them the confidence and curiosity to create without direction.

  
  

  5) Play! I like giving space for creativity and independence, but I also love to play along with my children, especially if it's something fun for me, like making the mud pies, or even better, letting my kiddos cover me in mud! Pro tip: Sit back, relax, and enjoy it. I've had many spa services over the years and I can tell you, this one is so relaxing and enjoyable. My children have so much fun and probably get a kick out of the fact that they get to do this!

  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  

  6) Parks WITHOUT playgrounds. I bring my kiddos to new places outside WITHOUT playgrounds. I know, sounds mean, right? We go to enough playgrounds and, of course, they have that play at school, but I like to go to different parks, trails, and beaches without playgrounds so they aren't entertained and they get connected or RE-connected to nature, themselves, and each other. It's amazing to see the different ages make their own play out of what they find and what interests them. Pro tip: Google "Best kid-friendly county parks" in your area and scope out the ones that don't have playgrounds (if you're new to this or have a stubborn kiddo, pack a little magnifying glass or some old pots and pans from the kitchen or thrift stores).

7) SNACKS ARE LIFE. Make a picnic in your backyard or have your next meal outside. It's such an easy way to get fresh air and all the health benefits of being outdoors in a laid back, enjoyable way. Everyone needs to eat, why not outside? Pro tip: Bistro lights make everything better! Cheap on Amazon and creates such magic!

Ok, I hope this motivated you in some way, gave you a few ideas or in the very least, was relatable. I always say the worst feeling in the world is isolation, so if we can relate to one another, we're never really alone.

Let's do this again real soon!

Kristal