- Great stress relief for everyone in family
- Can help children refocus
- Great parenting tool - kid more cooperative, get ready faster after
- Can do many of the things you already do outside
- Gift that helps parents and children
- Can make ordinary things seem more fun
- Great way to bond with child
Encouraging Children to Get Outside
- Open ended questions spark curiosity and interests
- Can act their imagination
- Can stop by a new playground
- Outdoor props by door. ex. Bike and helmet by the door
- Have toys dedicated to outside ex. special truck
- Find what child likes and then suggest they go outside and play ex. I am going outside with a soccer ball now if you want to join me
- Do not always need to have a big plan, kids can take the lead and you can start exploring together
- Can let children take the lead
- Make it a big science experiment
- Sugar snap peas are sweet to eat and fun to watch grow. Seeds sprout in 3-7 days
- Could put them in a cup and moist newspaper and put pea seed on either side
- Lettuce is easier to grow
- Need full sun every day for vegetables
- Need to water every day
- Make sure their is a drainage hole
- Container gardening is good option for people just getting started
- Peas can be planted in 40 or 50 degree weather
- Things that don’t grow can be a good learning experience
- Kids love to pull weeds
- Good way to get children to try new foods
- Helps to have rain gear
- Place towels by the door
- Time it - Can go right before bath
- Find a new path or playground
- take a nature walk
- Create an adventure book
- Build a fort
- Use your scenes to take in sights and sounds
- Keep one handy for summer with things that get kids excited to go outside
- Can be something new or special
- Can put items such as deflated beach ball, sidewalk chalk, bubbles
- Have a surprise that is outdoor related
- Embrace concept that you are learning outside
- Children become their own storytellers
- PJ’s Backyard Adventures Books
- Children like to write about outdoor adventures at school
Links:
Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids
Be Outside and Grow Website
PJ's Backyard Adventures
Curiosity Cards App