Going Outside | Simple Mom

9 outdoor things not to miss this summer

Written by Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama.

It’s summer. Time for lazy days and cricket-filled nights. It’s the beauty of summer, really – not having so many activities, getting to move at a slower pace, and spending your time doing what you really enjoy.

As you’re focusing on the wonderful laziness, though, there are some moments that only the summer brings that you definitely don’t want to miss. These are the moments that will make memories for your children…that may have made memories for you growing up. Savor them, enjoy them, and make the most of them. This time, especially with young children, doesn’t last.
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Letting them run wild

Written by contributor Nish Weiseth of Nish Happens.

BAM BAM BAM.

Rowan slams his hands on the sliding glass door that leads to the back yard, then turns to smile at me, all bare-toothed and amped. Both dogs are poised on either side of him, ready to join in the fun.

“Okay, bubs. I’m coming.”

I step past the stove and pantry on the cold stone floor and haul our heavy glass door open. My two and a half year-old blows past me in a blur of blonde hair and bare feet. The dogs bound up the hill.

He’s got at least four Matchbox cars on him, one in each hand and two in one of his pockets. I smile after him and lean on the door frame as he makes his way up the small concrete steps to the grass.

This is a regular event in our house – blowing open the back door to get the kid to play outside. No TV, no movies, no over-stimulating toys… just the boy and a couple of cars in the sunshine and dirt.

I can’t lie to you, sometimes, it’s a battle to peel him away from yet another screening of Wall-E in the living room. But, on other days, like today, he’s eager to get up and out.

I leave the door open and go back to the bread dough I left on the kitchen counter. I can see everything from where I stand, so I’m able to keep a watchful eye and ear on any shenanigans or cries for assistance. (Keep in mind that uninterrupted outside time for my child does not mean it’s unsupervised! Safety first and all.)
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How freely do you let your kids play?

We recently had a great discussion about whether we know our neighbors, and whether it’s even important for us to know them. I found it fascinating the range of demographics and geography represented in the comments. Overall, it seems like most of us want to establish some sort of community relationship with our neighbors, no matter where we live or what life stage we’re in.

Many of us have small children, so my next question for today involves their well-being. There has been a huge shift in thinking — even just from my generation — about what constitutes safe playing for kids.

Nearly extinct are the days when kids just free played up and down their street, riding bikes to the pool and goofing around outside until the parents called them in for dinner. Now, it’s much more about scheduled play dates, organized activities, and supervised backyard play.

Why is this?
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Let Your Kids Get Dirty!

The following is a guest post from Katie Fox, the former editor of Simple Organic, and was first published on June 25, 2010. I loved it so much, I thought I’d play it again!

On a typical afternoon these days, you might come over to my house and discover a scene very much like the one pictured above. My daughter is almost three years old, and she currently has a fascination with dirt – the dirtier, the better.

She can literally spend hours playing in the dirt, moving it around, making dirt cakes and mud pies, and covering herself in earthy brown goodness. I suspect she is not alone in her fascination; it seems that both boys and girls are drawn to play with dirt from the very youngest of ages.

At our home, there have been a few observers who objected.
“Ewwww!”
“Yucky! Don’t play in the dirt!”

I simply smile and say, “That’s what childhood is for – getting dirty. It’s good for her.”

And believe it or not, it is good for her – body and soul.
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Have yourself an inspired little summer

Summer break has officially started. No more running around looking for matching socks at the last minute or loading up the dishwasher with one itty-bitty lunch box container after the next. For the next two months, we can play barefoot all day and we can eat off paper plates.

For some people, summer is stressful — all the kids under one roof all day long inevitably leads to the occasional bickering. Days without the routine of school (at home or away) can feel overwhelming, but I personally embrace the free days to do things, like swim all afternoon one day, and the next day lazing around doing puzzles and playing inside.

My family and I take off and spend our summer days at a cottage on a lovely little lake. The backdrop is breathtaking, and the opportunities for exploring and play are endless, but even we have our uninspired days of not knowing what to do next that we haven’t already done.

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