I’ve been involved in the children and nature and play movements for a long time. Each day, I meet more people who are passionate about these issues and come across organizations who are tackling these issues in exciting ways.
I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. At some point we will hit that “Tipping Point” and the tide will turn. This indoor generation and the adults that foster it will stop business as usual and get back to a life full of wonder and awe that only happens when we step outside.
What will that look like?
Well, here are a few things to be on the lookout for:
Going outside to play will once again be the norm
Grass stains will be sought after and celebrated by the masses
Video game systems will gather dust in favor of magnifying glasses and sticks for fort building
It’s amazing the power a simple Public Service Announcement (PSA) can have. This one really knocked my socks off, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share it with TGSG readers.
We talk here so often about modeling appropriate behavior — letting the kids in your world see the capacity for joy, the appreciation for nature, playfulness, and unplugging and making time for real-life connections. These too, provoke powerful images.
Regardless of the label you wear – parent, teacher, neighbor, or aunt — you have the opportunity every day to be the best version of you and share that with the children in your world, and with each other.
Whether we like to think of ourselves as role models or not, we are all role models for someone. One a given day, it might be the person in line behind you at the store, who sees you treat a clerk with courtesy and kindness. Or your son, who sees you treat women with respect or sees the peace and happiness you find fishing at a favorite spot.
What do you have to pass on — to model? What act of joy and kindness can you share with the world today? And tomorrow?
I’ve been involved in the children and nature and play movements for a long time. Each day, I meet more people who are passionate about these issues and come across organizations who are tackling these issues in exciting ways.
