15 Minutes Outside

Getting your child outside should be easy right? It is summer after all. Sadly, lots of children are trapped indoors feeding off of the steady TV IV and video game world.  To invoke the cliche.."when I was a kid...", we were not allowed indoors all day long!  That's right, even in winter we had to spend a great deal of time outdoors!  We had to play outside in the sun (sun screened of course) and either swim or (gasp), use our imaginations and create our own world of fun.  We complained once in a while, but otherwise, we loved it.  My cousins and I still talk about the games we created.  My daughter is lucky enough to have her two cousins come from NYC every summer.  I know they are a little disgruntled with me, but I make them go outside as much as possible.  My father hooked up some good old fashioned tire swings and wood swings to his trees.  The kids love being out there.

Are you looking for inspiration to get your kids outdoors?  Grab 15 Minutes Outside by Rebecca P. Cohen.  This book is full of ideas for each of the four seasons to get your little ones excited to be outside, and getting their nature on.  This summer, we have been searching out places to swim (the beach is wonderful), and "playing mosquito" where we spray each other with water bottles.

What if you got outside every day, and what if you could get your kids to come along? It sounds modest, but the effects, as dynamic outdoor spokesperson Rebecca Cohen herself can testify, are profound. This inspiring collection of activities gives families an idea for every day of the year, requiring little planning, no expertise and relatively little resources (time, cash, or patience!), no matter where they live. Simple and inspiring, this book is bursting with hundreds of easy ways to get your family out into nature a little bit every day.

I look forward to getting ideas for every season.   Your kids will enjoy using their imaginations, and you will enjoy all of that fresh air!