07.04.2010
Uncategorized
After a harsher than normal winter, we are all eager to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. With many active people in the office, we thought we’d share our favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors.
- Picnic lunch – either for your backyard or an afternoon in the park
- Use the swings at the park. You know you want to
- Ride your bike on a greenway to get away from the cars and into the trees
- Read a book under a tree. Pick fiction: something between Dostoevsky and Danielle Steele
- Make s’mores on an outdoor fire pit or chimney
And some more, just in case …
- Plant a garden – vegetable, herb or flower
- Fly a kite or toss a Frisbee or football in your local neighborhood park
- Walk to dinner one evening
- Play flashlight tag with your kids one night
- Catch fireflies
- Camp out in your backyard with your kids
- Go fishing or rent a canoe at nearby lake
04.12.2009
Kids in Nature
I love the Sierra Club’s mission statement: Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet. While SC gets most of its attention for the work it does in the latter part of that mission statement, I think the club recognizes that without the first two pieces of that statement in place, the third rarely (never?) happens. That is, if folks are In the natural environmental and realize that they are OF that same natural environment, they more likely to act FOR the natural environment. That’s one reason why getting kids outside and into that environment is so important. But make no mistake — getting our kids outside and active is not just an environmental issue. It’s a health
“Back pain and degenerative disc disease are yet another problem associated with obesity in children, along with type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Judah G. Burns, of The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City reported here at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America RSNA 2009.”Disc herniation and spinal disease are generally thought of as a problem of older people, but we’re seeing it in obese youngsters, too. This is the first study to show an association between increased body mass index and disc abnormalities in children,” Burns noted.
via Heavy kids may suffer from severe back pain – Kids and parenting- msnbc.com.
and education issue, too. But it’s also a tremendous opportunity, and we celebrate those folks viewing in that positive light.
Example 1: “As a teacher I want to give the students an opportunity to get involved in something positive and in a real world application. It’s a good experience for the kids,” stated Boyd.
Example 2: The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather. This in a place where winter is marked by snowdrifts and temperatures that regularly dip below freezing. …
“I loved the idea of her being outside every day,” said Kim Lytle, whose 3-year-old, aptly named Forest, is the youngest in the class. “If you have the proper gear, I think it’s a really healthy thing to experience the elements and brave the world — and not just on a sunny day.”
The natural environment is a system of many facets and many moving parts. And its a system that affects all parts of who we are and where/how we live. I’m happy to see that we are starting to realize that and take advantage of it.
06.11.2009
Kids in Nature
This post was originally published at Eco Child’s Play.
- Young boy hiking in the woods
With the holidays — or is it the holidaze!?! — all around us, plenty of parents are looking for excuses to get their kids out of the house. Why not take a family hike? While many associate hiking with summer or early fall, the winter can be a terrific time to hit the trails. Cooler months often mean far fewer crowds and present different viewing opportunities for young eyes. So with that in mind, here are seven tips for a more enjoyable hike (these work, of course, regardless of season). I won’t add it to the list, but clearly, if your climate calls for it, dress in layers— ideally non-cotton layers — appropriate for where you live. Now, the list: read more
After a harsher than normal winter, we are all eager to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. With many active people in the office, we thought we’d share our favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors.