The Great Outdoors

My son and I enjoyed a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Dallas yesterday, one of the first since we moved into our house last September. The wooden playhouse in the backyard has been used less than a handful times because of the cold, snow or rain. We enjoyed a snack outside, walked through the grass and splashed around with a water toy.

As I drove to work this morning, I was thinking about new things that we could do outside as it continues to warm up. I chuckled when I saw Amy Twomey's post on Dallas Moms blog about the book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. I bought the book last year after hearing someone reference it at a luncheon. I haven't gotten all the way through the book, but intend to finish it soon. It prompted me to buy a book called I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature. I told my sister about it and she made fun of me for having to read a book to come up with things to do outside.

I don't think that's odd, especially since my son has barely played outside for 4 months (and we don't even live in a northern state). I don't live on acres of land where kids can find something to do just by going out and roaming around. Plus, with a 2-year-old, you have to be a little structured with planning activities. I know the video game years are soon to come so I'm committed to finding fun and interesting activities at our local parks, nature preserves and even in our backyard to get my son hooked on being outside.