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Strollerderby
Too much concrete, not enough dirt and sticks
I’m raising a city kid.
Sure we have plenty of parks and playgrounds in our neighborhood, but when we actually get out on a more adventurous journey — a camping trip or a long hike — I realize just how nature-deprived his day to day life really is.
I remember when he was a baby if he was crying and I took him outside, he would immediately stop. There’s something relaxing and mood-boosting about the natural light, the breeze, the smells and sounds of the outdoors.
Today, journalist Julie Deardorff moderated an interesting live chat with author Richard Louv, who coined the term “nature deficit disorder.” He had a lot of facts and tips to offer, for example he said that over 100 studies have shown that the outdoors reduces stress for both children and adults. We’re not biologically programmed to spend our days inside, and especially for children, whose brains and bodies are growing so fast, being in nature seems essential to healthy development.
So what can you do to combat nature deficit in your family? Here are some tips that came out of Louv’s discussion:
As the weather turns colder in this part of the world, I’m feeling a little dread about the depths of winter in a small house with two little rambunctious kids and a bunch of pets. I love being outside in the winter, but when it takes 20 minutes to get two kids bundled into snowsuits and hats and mittens and then they want to be back inside in 10 minutes, cabin fever has to be pretty bad to get me to drag everybody outside.
Rebecca Plants, a blog and retail site that’s mostly focused on gardening and outdoor living, has a free download of “50 Outdoor Activities for Busy Families.” Continue reading »
If you’re like me, you’re much better at watching sports than you are at playing them. But that doesn’t mean you can sit inside all day. Why? Because you have kids, dummy! Continue reading »
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