2011 October 28 – Nature’s Toys

October 28, 2011

Spend some time today playing outside and considering and even talking about ways you and your family can get even more outdoors time.  Has there ever been a better toy than a stick!??  What about open green spaces to race, ramble and tumble in or climbing trees or rocks to conquer?  Or even just the bugs under rocks or the bird songs to hear and goodness, let us not forget the mighty and rich earth under out feet that longs to be dug, moved and wallowed in. If it is a rainy day, and you still are looking for ways to have fun with your kid indoors, check this pretend play guide.

Nature can be one of the best playgrounds and the vastness of the possibilities is simply ageless, but many professionals today worry that our kids just don’t get enough time in the great outdoors.  How can we change that?  What are the benefits anyway?

Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder” says, kids who spend time in nature also tend to play more creatively and handle stress more effectively. No one is absolutely sure why, says Kuo, director of the Landscape and Human Health Laboratory at the University of Illinois and a mom, but it appears that nature “fosters a kind of gentle absorption — almost a meditative quality — that seems to be deeply rejuvenating.”

Do you hear the birds calling you to play?

Bid today on a one-of-a-kind package from everyone’s favorite earth mother Peggy O’Mara,editor of Mothering.com .

Thank you to our AP Month partner Mothering.com!

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