Today at Momscape.com: Are you an Earth Mother or a Creative Rainbow Mother? Find out.
Coupons | Product Reviews | Contests | Articles | Forums | Search | Subscribe
Family Fun | Parenting Tips | Romance | Health & Fitness | Organic Living | Weight Loss | WAHMs
Welcome Momscapers!
Momscape.com is an award winning online magazine delivering
uplifting personal essays
from real parents - plus
practical guidance on parenting,
family fun,
romance,
travel,
health & fitness,
weight loss,
and more.
We invite you to share your
MamaWisdom and to help us
spotlight
products that make your life as a mom easier or better while you
enjoy our money-saving
online coupons and
family travel
discounts.
We want to help you enjoy the
simple (and fine) things life has to offer.
Subscribe to Momscape >
or
Get Our Daily Coupon Updates by Email
Bookmark and share Momscape with your friends:
Today:
Online Coupons
Today's
Favorite Coupons
All Online
Coupons by Store
All Online Coupons by
Category
Printable
Grocery Coupons
Product Reviews
Momscape's
Favorite Things (Blog)
Top-Rated
Mom Product Reviews
Family Fun
Activities & Crafts
Family Travel
Deals
Free Scrapbooking Ideas
Parenting Articles
Baby Tips
Toddler Tips
All Parenting Articles
Inspiration/Essays
Relationships
Marriage
Romance
Friendships
Health
and Fitness
Fitness Tips
Natural Living
Nurturing Your Spirit
Weight Loss
Professional
Family Manager Tips
Home-Based Business
Community
MamaWisdom Forums
About Momscape
Subscribe
Site Map
Links
Link to Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
About us
Contact Us
No Child Left Inside: Encouraging Kids to Play Outside
by Mark J. Stevens
www.luisasnature.com
Getting out and moving around is a great way for both adults and
children to get or stay healthy. Children not only discover nature’s
wonders in a unique way during each outing, but it is also a great way
for them to avoid obesity and ailments, which derive from lack of
movement. Instead of grabbing the next bag of chips and watching
excessive TV, your kids will quickly get in the habit of wanting to get
out and make things happen in the lap of nature. They might just have so
much fun doing so that they’ll want to show their kids the great
outdoors one day.
How can parents make it more interesting for their kids to get out and
get active?
Lead by example: If you are truly interested in the outdoors, then half
the battle is won. Just be yourself, get out, and enjoy nature. Children
will sense your enjoyment and will soon follow. Pretty soon, your
children will be pulling YOU off the couch to jog on the moss-bedded
forest path, jump from rock to rock along the stream, or simply look and
listen to the sights and sounds of the surroundings while taking the
daily family walk.
Make reading children’s books about nature exploration part of your
regular reading routine to your children. Let your child choose his or
her favorite book character – be it a boy, girl, or animal. Discuss that
character’s discoveries in nature and compare them to those you and your
child make. If the character made certain discoveries that you can
realistically see or do in nature near you, make that your goal on your
next expedition. Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, and friends set out
in the Hundred Acre Woods to find the North Pole. The pole turned out
being a long branch that they loudly exclaimed to be the North Pole.
In other words, your goals or discussions in nature don’t always have to
be too serious or scientific. It’s about having fun and bonding. The
stories you read and the goals you set before you take your walks give
you and your child the possibility to talk about your expectations
before leaving home and discoveries while in nature. They give you
something to refer to during your walks or swims – even something to be
silly about, laugh about.
Sitting at the dinner table can sometimes be boring for a kid. But if
you start talking about the color of a flower you saw with your children
or the height of the grass in a meadow that they barely found their way
through, a visual world opens in front of their very eyes and they get
hungry to discover more. As much as possible, let your children tell the
story about what they saw in nature. You can fill in some of the gaps.
There will be lots of gaps still remaining, though. It is exactly those
gaps you can discuss filling on your next walk. For example what color
exactly was that lichen on the tree or the fuzzy bumblebee?
Offer habit and variety: Children love ritual. So do take those walks
along the same path. But also offer variety. Take a bike ride on a new
path, go for a swim in a different lake, or ride a pony with your
children. Your children will continue to feel the warmth of the
better-known “home” path. But an occasional change of pace will help
expand their horizons and wake their curiosity even more.
Include other children: Bring the neighbors’ kids along. Children
usually love their parents. But when children see that other children
are also interested in climbing trees in the woods and playing
hide-and-seek in the yard, they will be that much more motivated to get
out. Inspire them to do whatever most interests them.
About the author:
Mark Stevens, author of Luisa's Nature (Wyatt MacKenzie Publishing,
Spring 2008), is a journalist for Crain's Automotive News Europe. Fluent
in French, Spanish and German, Mark has enjoyed extensive world travel
throughout much of his life. Shaped by the rural New Jersey setting of
his youth, Mark continues to explore the richness of nature with his
wife and two children on the outskirts of Munich, Germany. For more
information visit
www.luisasnature.com.
Coupons for Momscape Readers:
Offers valid for a limited time.
Office Depot Coupons: $30 off $150
Target.com Coupons:
Free shipping on select baby gear
Overstock Coupons: $5 off $100
Weight Watchers Coupon: 25% off
Join Momscape today! It's easy and free.
More Top Coupons:
Click this link and the discount shown will be automatically activated.
Moms are Raving About
> Tae Bo Kicks Billy Blanks Workout for Kids
> Collectopia Wacktivity and A Friendship Scraptacular
> Micro Spy Kit X2 Toy
> Bugaboo Chameleon Stroller
> Burt's Bees Baby Bee Skin reme
> Perego Primo Viaggio Infant Car Seat
> Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskins
> Rocket Spanish
> NordicTrack 740 Stepper
> More Product Reviews