6 TIPS TO GET KIDS OUT OF THE HOUSE

With most camps closed, pools shut down and resorts shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, there’s one often-overlooked option still available to kids this summer: nature.

And now, with warm weather and no school, is the ideal time to get kids outside. You simply need to figure out how to lure them there.

We’ve got some suggestions. 1. Give them their own space.

Jennifer Gulizia, a flower farmer and blogger in Hood River, Ore., suggested giving children a small area in the backyard or garden to call their own. This could even be an indoor pot just to get them used to nature (and eventually move it outdoors). It gets kids accustomed to feeling dirt, learning about flowers and understanding that none of it is scary or something to avoid.

2. Allow them to be messy.

Children need to be permitted to explore freely in nature, and that isn’t always pretty, said Victoria Hilton, founder and chief executive of Stepping Stones Nursery School in Chicago. She said that it’s OK to let children pick flowers and occasionally stomp through the garden. “Sometimes, overprotectiveness toward natural things can lead children to fear interacting with nature itself. ”Kids should be allowed to get dirty and explore, and although they should learn to be respectful of nature, they also need to experiment, Hilton said.

3. Go bigger — or smaller.

Simply walking into a forest and expecting children to find a love of the outdoors for themselves is unrealistic for most kids who are accustomed to constant stimulation. Try renting mountain bikes, kayaks, surfboards or other toys you can use to make time spent outdoors more interesting. If your child isn’t ready for a full forest immersion, go slowly, said Jenn Wisegarver, an advocate for Forest Schools for Illinois. “Provide a bowl of potting soil to play truck in on a bath curtain or a tarp,” she said. Or let them play with bug toys and then show them picture books of bugs. Then go explore those insects outdoors.

4. Capitalize on food.

Involve your children in planting food that they like to eat, or things you’d like them to try. They’ll learn that their food doesn’t grow in the supermarket, and they may appreciate it even more. Plus, if they’ve planted their own fruits and veggies, they’ll be more likely to actually eat them. This can be done even without a yard by taking care of plants in pots.

5. Start a collection.

Encourage your kids to collect nature-themed objects, such as shells, rocks or leaves, drawn from appropriate places, says Kristi Mason, a nanny in Los Angeles. (Remember not to take items from national parks and other protected habitats, and to teach kids about Leave No Trace.) Provide a designated space for the collections, and let the kids show off what they’ve foraged to anyone and everyone. Help your children research the items they’ve collected.

6. Live by example.

If you’re telling the kids to get outside and play, but they don’t see you doing it, they’ll be less likely to get out of the house, Mason said.“If they see their parents or caregivers sitting inside bingeing TV, eating Cheetos, they will most likely mimic that behavior,”she said.“If they see them outside having a blast or just enjoying the day, they will be quick to follow.”