The human body needs the touch of nature along with the touch of human skin. Yet too many people have dulled their senses and thus silenced that need. It’s easy to go several months without ever touching the earth, as most of our activities involve walking on pavement as we move from home to car to office to grocery store and back again. When was the last time you sat down on the ground or touched the earth in some way?
And, leave it to folks in Maine to come up with some good ideas to get kids, and adults outside.
Look back at the fond memories of your own childhood and try to recreate some of those same memories with your children and grandchildren.
As a parent or grandparent ask yourself the following:
•Did you ever have a playhouse outside?
•Do your children have a fort in the woods or playhouse?
•When was the last time you camped out in the backyard, looking up at the stars and counting and catching fireflies?
•When was the last time the family went for a hike or spent a day at the beach?
•When was the last time the family went for a boat or canoe ride?
•When was the last time you took your children fishing or hunting?
•When was the last time you went to a seashore beach looking under the seaweed for crabs and periwinkles?
•While walking through the woods, do you turn over rocks and rotten trees to find out what is living underneath?
Simple, healthy activities centered around nature will improve a family’s closeness, increase your children’s appreciation of the outdoors and best of all — it will be fun.
See more in this article by Ken Bailey of the Knoxville County Times.
