Find a balance this summer and get outside. With a daily dose of nature, you and your family will experience a range of emotional and cognitive benefits. This is according to a story from Morning Edition on NPR, on April 26, 2022, Encore: Tips and tricks to find your footing outdoors.

Experiencing nature could be big, brilliant adventures like hiking a 14er or visiting our National Parks. Experiencing nature could be small encounters following a bumblebee in your backyard or growing tomatoes in a pot on your patio. In might mean taking your dog for a walk or having a picnic by a babbling creek. It could even simply be listening to nature sounds as you play Legos with your children or cook dinner. According to the story on NPR, when we experience nature in some way, big or small, “we recover some capacity to use that mental muscle, so we can do things that are hard to do, and we can do them more easily.” In other words, nature is rejuvenating and energizing.

The Child Mind Institute coined the term, Nature-Deficit Disorder. Learn what they mean and how to find a balance between our indoor tech-selves and our human need to connect to nature. Consider the benefits of self-directed free play in nature.

• Builds confidence

• Promotes creativity

• Teaches responsibility

• Provides more varied stimulation

• Gets kids moving

• Makes kids think

• Reduces stress and fatigue or lethargy

• Improves sleep

• Increases the ability to self-soothe/regulate emotions

See what the National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy have to say about the benefits of experiencing nature.

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