5 Soul Soothing Ways to Fold Nature Into Your Family's Day
Recently I was listening to a podcast where the guest speaker mentioned that many of us spend on average 23 hours indoors daily. That number has stuck with me and makes me cringe every time I think about it. Getting the kids out for an hour in the winter here in Ohio seems like a beautiful thing. But when you do the math, ouch.
Many times I hear about how fortunate I am to be afforded the time to get outside with my kids as often as I do. Many parents work outside the home during the week and don't have the chance to get out and play during the afternoons. Winter light is sometimes hard to come by, so what is a parent to do? Today I want to talk about how to effortlessly fold nature into your day. Anyone can do these things and everyone can reap the immediate benefits that these simple nature connections can bring. So when you can't spend the entire day outdoors (and really how many of us can) don't feel defeated. Instead get excited and motivated to find ways to fold nature in.
We find nature entering into our lives in numerous ways throughout the day, but these five examples are a given every day. There are certain aspects of nature that everyone has access to no matter where you live. You don't have to have acres of land or woodland adventures every day to give your children access to a nature-rich childhood. Nature is accessible to everyone I think sometimes we just get caught up in the "ideal" way to experience nature and forget about the very real ways we can live with nature in our urban and suburban homes. These five things I'm going to tell you about have become habit for us and can easily become your touchstones too. Give these a try for a week straight and you might find that they truly do bring joy daily and ground you in subtle and unexpected ways. And all without changing your schedule or finding more of those elusive hours in your day.
5 Ways to Fold Nature Into Your Day
Greet the day by stepping outside
Track the weather
Be Open to Everyday Adventures
Become a daily bird watcher
Embrace the season
GREET THE DAY
While we don't typically climb up on the nearest tree stump and proclaim our love for the world in such a dramatic fashion as pictured here....we do step out on the porch every morning to see what is going on outside. : ) Such a simple act can really make a difference in how the day begins.
This only takes a few minutes (longer if you have to desire to hang outside) but immediately brings nature to the forefront upon rising. We usually open the shades in the rooms when the kids wake and take a look out. Then once we head down for breakfast we find a few moments to stand on the porch together to take in what the day has brought us. Sometimes in the warmer weather we eat out too, but even when it's snowy or rainy, or just plain cold, we still let the air touch our skin to see how it feels to be out. The instant grounding effect of this is amazing.
TRACK THE WEATHER
The kids and I are definitely amateurs at this but we find it fun to track and predict the weather everyday. Often, we look for natural clues and make guesses as to how the weather might unfold. They also ask me to "look up" the weather on my phone and see if they can get some clues by the forecast...hmmm. But, regardless of whether you truly read the signs that nature has to offer or if you look at the weather radar too, it's a great way to become more observant and to start to recognize the correlations between what is happening right outside your door and what the weather might be doing that day.
Everyday we look up. Whether you are looking out a window of your house, from a car window, out in the yard, or from wherever you are, we all have a way to see the sky everyday. Start talking about the clouds, the color, the movement, the birds, etc. See what it has to say!
We also look down to see what the ground has to say. Is the ice melting? Are there puddles? Is the grass beginning to grow again? Is the dirt to hard to dig in? Are the leaves piling up on the ground? Are there worms everywhere? Oh so many things you can figure out just by looking up and then looking down!
BE OPEN TO EVERYDAY ADVENTURES
While it might be easy to say, "no, we don't have time right now" or "don't get dirty" or any of the other things that parents often say to avoid what they deem as a disruption in their plan for the day....stop yourself next time.
Now, this one might be hard for some but I challenge you to give it a try. Sometimes I think we just forget how easy it is to fill our children's cups so to speak and how much easier it will make our lives when we do! For example, if it's raining and you have errands to run, then make sure your kiddos wear there rain boots and allow them to splash in puddles along the way.
A few weeks ago I wanted to sneak a quick grocery trip in before dropping my eldest at pre-school. I knew this wouldn't give us a ton of time to play outside but I also couldn't resist letting them play in all the fresh snow we had just gotten. So I surprised them and we climbed a clean "snow mountain" left by the snow plow before heading into the store.
It is totally possible to intertwine nature and play into our day to day. Sometimes you just have to keep an open mind as to when the "right time" is to play.
DAILY BIRD WATCHING
You may wonder if this is truly necessary. And if you have the time to become a bird watcher. The answers are, "yes" and "yes". The variety and types vary per location but wherever you reside I am sure you can hear and see these feathery friends because they adapt and thrive just about everywhere. The easy access to this type of local wildlife makes birds the perfect study for kids.
In this picture we went out to the local woods with tiny binoculars in hand, on the look out for robins on that particular day. We also leave birdseed scattered across the winter snow and in the bird feeder in the yard to draw the birds to us. We watch for the red winged black birds that frequent the tall grass next to the parking lot while waiting in the carline for school. We search for crows that sit atop the telephone polls as we drive. We know where we can find a woodpecker who frequents our favorite trail. We have become accustomed to talking about birds in some form or another every day. So easy to do and it quickly becomes a way to connect our kids to the outdoors without even trying.
EMBRACE THE SEASON
Last but not least, try to find the beauty in every season. As soon as you make a conscious effort to see something, you typically see it everywhere. Has this every happened to you? You think consider buying a certain car and suddenly everywhere you look someone is driving one. Try that with seeking beauty, when you find one engaging aspect of the season you like the least, suddenly more of the really good stuff that the season has to offer makes it way to you.
One way to embrace the season is by taking a closer look. The beauty is in the details. I was never a fan of winter until late. Over the past few years my children have taught me to slow down and dive in, no matter what the weather or season happens to be. I began to fight the winter blues by taking plenty of winter walks through the woods with the kids. I can still picture the magic of fat snowflakes as they began to swirl around us at dusk. I remember the look of joy as the whole family "skated" in our snow boots on frozen puddles on the field. A season that I once shunned has suddenly come alive because I've taken the time to get out and experience what it has to offer.
Find a way to really look at the little things. A warm fire, a hot bowl of homemade soup, cuddling in the blankets...all ways to really cozy up this winter. Embrace it. If you are constantly fighting where you are at any given moment, it can really take it's toll. Find a positive outlook on whatever season you are in and your entire family will most likely follow suit. Whether you go out in it or take advantage of all the indoor experiences that can only happen during a particular season...don't waste a minute wishing it away. Fall in love with whatever mother nature brings your way.
Fold nature in. It's literally a breathe of fresh air! And tell us about the simple habits that you hold dear, we'd love to hear about your day to day connections. Follow us on Facebook to chat and on Instagram to catch up on inspiring moments from our day....
