Family Time Outdoors -

As summer comes to an end and children are back in school, I find it becomes more and more difficult to find time for family time outdoors. Yet, I understand how important it is to spend more time outside for our mental and physical health. I spoke with Claudine of The Outdoor Play Connection, to help provide us with easy to do actionable steps to get outside, tips on creating boundaries for younger children, and so much more.

Claudine moved and needed to connect with new families and wanted to be outside. She decided to create communities to find like-minded people all over the world. Her focus with Outdoor Play Connection is consistency. Trying to meet regularly, because they enjoy it.

Claudine is a home school mom, that brings school outdoors a lot but understands not everyone wants to be outside 95% of the time. Her goal is to try to help others find out what does work for them and what feels good for their family being outside. This may mean taking work outdoors, or a project or game, and take it to do on an outside table.

Health benefits for being outside:

So many! Color green helps you to feel good
Sunshine is natural vitamin D
There are no walls outside so you can let energy out
Decreased anxiety
Sleep better

When you are outdoors you are free to play and explore. It sparks creativity. You can create an Art Day, Science Day, Kickball Day, or Forest Day. It can be structured but also open so kids can run and be free to move or be focused but all done outdoors. Everyone needs breaks and outdoor space allows it and we feed off outdoor energy. Being indoors isn’t bad, it is just so good to get outside and release that energy. There is a lot of science behind how Nature impacts us in a good way.

First step is to just move activity outside!

Tip – Chalk & Water are cool. During rain or after, take chalk outside and paint with it…chalk painting!

Tips to getting outside:

-Normalize it by just saying this is what we are doing, we are going outside! Manage your expectations when first getting started. What does going outside look like for your family – weekly meetups? Think about what kids like to do, can you move this activity outdoors? Simple little ways to start feeling normal being outside and start with what you already do, like eating dinner outside.

-Get comfier outside in all weather – All weather play is super important. How can we manage different elements? Get outside in morning, if in warm climate…or go for an evening stroll instead. Gear is super important…make sure you have hats, breathable clothing, wet cloth for warmer weather. Cooler weather requires proper gear too; go outside for an hour and then head back indoors to have hot chocolate. Go for little bursts of outdoor time and then something fun for them to look forward to.

-The Big Goal is to be outside in Nature more often, start simple at first, but ultimately you should want to get into big forests or fields for hikes and to explore for longer! Claudine helps parents and kids find a way to do this together more often by letting the kids chose and let them lead the way. Bring a bag to collect things on path, field or hiking trail. Make it exciting to see all the new things outdoors. Find a place where you can go regularly, every week or every month, kids like consistency. Plus, things are always changing, Nature is always bringing new things to and for us! This way, when kids lead the way, you can see what they are seeing through their eyes, when you might have missed it before. Be present!

Concerned about safety?

Scout out the location first. Think through questions like this:

What does entry way of trial head look like? Is there water, and how deep? Are there cliffs? Find a place where kids can be developmentally safe. Allow them to test boundaries by going to a big field where you can still see them, yet they can explore. Ask yourself what are you really worried about though? If we hold kids back, they won’t know what they can do! Constantly placing kids or telling them where to go, they won’t figure it out on their own. Creating a space for them to lead the way allows them to lead other kids too.

-Create a call system – Sense of security that works no matter what which is self-sufficient.

1 call = respond back to know where you are.

2 call = Come back, no questions.

3 call = emergency, bring help.

Where to Start:

You don’t need to do more, instead take a moment and look at what you are already doing. If you enjoy it, then do this more! Looking for little opportunities or sparks of Joy! Secondly, just take a meal outdoors, start simple!

About Claudine:

Claudine is a mom of 3, a wife, and outdoor adventurer! When I realized so many people wanted to be outdoors, but they may not know how to get there, it was clear to me that my knowledge and experience was needed! My love for the outdoors, and passion to connect people to the resources they need, inspired me to create the Outdoor Play Connection.

Over the past 8 years I helped Moms create and lead outdoor co-ops, playgroups, and forest school groups! My own outdoor groups have continued over these years, and evolved as our kids have grown. The deep relationships that have resulted are an important part of my motherhood support system.

I offer 1:1 coaching to Design Your Time Outdoors the way it works for you, and Group coaching to Build Your Outdoor Community for outdoor play, co-op or forest school style learning for all ages.

Links:

Website https://www.outdoorplayconnection.com/

IG https://instagram.com/outdoorplayconnection

1 on 1 8-week Coaching Program: https://www.outdoorplayconnection.com/design-your-time-outdoors