Our hearts tell us we want to be outside, that we were created for nature…when it’s warm and beautiful and sunny!

I don’t know about you, but I do find that when it’s cold, rainy, snowing, or blowing, I tend to be grateful for my 4 walls, central heat, and mug of tea indoors.

How can we change this paradigm in ourselves and in our culture where the outdoors is becoming less and less popular all the time?

It doesn’t happen by accident. To be intentional about outdoor and nature time, we have to be inspired. My guests today are the co-authors of a wonderful book about getting outdoors, Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids, and they share research and physiology to remind us: Our kids need time outside. Much, much more time than they’re getting!

You’ll be inspired by:

• how parenting has changed in the last 30 years & Dr. Glassy’s wake-up call
• outdoor benefits to physical and mental health
• why parenting actually becomes easier when your kids are outside!
• what “counts” as a dose of nature
• simple ways you can incorporate nature into your day – without even going out!
• how children’s development is actually supercharged with outdoor experiences
• the ways in which time outside builds resilience and prepares kids and teens for real life

I figure I need to listen to an interview like this about every 2 months to re-inspire me to make outside time a priority! Maybe every 2 weeks in the winter…

What do you think?

Resources We Mention for Nature Time for Kids

• Drs. Glassy and Tandon’s book: Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
• Simple Strategies to Relieve Anxiety as a Family
• Why Everything You Know About Vision is Wrong
• Living Dangerously with Caution: We Bike Our Child to School without Apology
• Building Resilience and Reducing Stress in Kids with Jess Sherman
• 20 Ways to Preserve Apples (without Sugar)
• Check out Project Nature Washington for more from these doctors

Thank you to today's sponsor, Happsy! Shop at kidscookrealfood.com/Happsy for an earth-friendly, affordable mattress today. 

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