Ok, let’s be honest. All of us are guilty of using the TV or iPad as a babysitter sometimes…and that’s alright. Sometimes we need just a couple of minutes of no screaming, no “mommy, mommy, I need”, well you fill in the blank. Technology is not going away and in the current day and age, technology is everywhere we look. Between TV, tablets and video games, it’s hard to separate the children from their devices and get them outside. It makes me crazy but I cannot admit that we as parents can live without it so no wonder our children come pre wired out of the womb with USB capabilities and little fingers that somehow just know how to take pictures with your iphone, edit them and create videos, at 5??

One thing that is very important is, like so many things, leading by example. Chances are your child is seeing you on your laptop, phone or tablet on a regular basis. As a business owner, I work from home. My children see me on the computer a lot. So I need to balance it out. I take them on walks, we go to the park or go hiking. Getting them excited in exploring a trail, collecting different leaves or finding a stream is very beneficial. Kids love this kind of stuff, sometimes they just don’t realize it because they haven’t had the opportunity. Hopefully just the feeling of the sun on their skin and their feet in the grass will make them more likely to choose an outside activity. I find that just walking into an open field in my neighborhood my kids just love running in the grass, doing cartwheels chasing each other in open sky. There is something freeing whether you are an adult or a kid, about looking up into the expanse of the sky, breathing fresh air, and resetting from all the electrical influence of being indoors.

If you are having a hard time getting them to agree to play outside, bring the technology with you (supervised of course so you don’t find yourself with a phone in a puddle of water.). Sometimes if I really need to get some work done, I will bring my laptop or tablet outside with me while the kids play on their swing set in the backyard. Have them take photos of different plants, insects or animals they find. There are some great apps that will help your child find out the name of a plant by the picture they snap! So cool!

Gardening is another great tool. I have found to make the kids WANT to get out of the house. Planting a garden, checking in on it everyday, watering and harvesting. It’s a great learning experience for them in so many ways, plus it gets them really in touch with nature. We have an herb garden and little tomato plants that they love planting, watering and harvesting. Of course the little tomatoes don’t make it all the way in the house, they make it into their tummies.

With summer coming up, the time to be outside is here and there are so many ways to get the kids involved. From camping to barbecues, sit down and come up with some creative and fun excursions. Let the kids chime in with their thoughts and ideas and make it a weekly habit. Create a healthy relationship between your children and the outdoors that will last the rest of their lives. Besides, all they really want is to have a conversation with you, be listened to with your undivided attention and matter. “Listen to me with your eyes!” They know you are not listening, really, when you are watching a game or answering an email while you are listening. They came here to teach you, it’s not the other way around. Take some real time outdoors with your little people regularly. You think it’s for them but really it’s for you. You will learn so much because they have so much to teach you. If you don’t have any little people, you can borrow mine! 🙂

Live your life, love your life, go out to open spaces,