We spend a lot of time talking about kids here at The Grass Stain Guru, but it’s time to give the teens their due. As the above video highlights so nicely, there are amazing programs going on across the country helping to connect teens with nature in a variety of ways. In the case of urban teens, these programs are often the first exposure they have to nature beyond the birds and squirrels that they may never think to notice in the cityscape.

Time in nature is important to all of us, regardless of age, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. It is one of the most basic of all human needs — a connection to the land where we live and things so much bigger than us. There are treasures to be found there for each off us, and a vital sense of wonder and personal perspective that can only be found in nature.

Words to live by: You never get too old to engage your sense of wonder.

Below you will find 10 tips for helping the teens in your world get outside. It might take a little effort to get older kids and teens unplugged, but it is well worth it.

I would love to hear about other programs that are doing great work — so feel free to add them to the comments section or send me an email.

10 Tips to Get ‘em Outside:

1.    Start when they are young. An obvious tip, but extremely important, is to make sure that the outdoors is part of your family life and your child’s life right from the start. As with anything –  from discipline to healthy eating habits –  if you wait until the teen years to introduce something, it is going to be an uphill battle.

2.    Appeal to the natural interests, whether it’s art, science, sports, or writing. There is an outdoor activity that matches  just about any interest, so that’s a great place to start.

3.    Get their friends involved. It’s natural for teens to travel in groups and to thrive on social interaction with their peers. It’s all part of proper development.  Don’t fight it – harness it. Ask if any of their friends are into outdoor activities and encourage them to join in.

4.    Offer to host an outdoor event, like a hiking trip, a camp-out, or a fishing trip for a small group of their friends. Take along a friend or two of your own, so you can be seen enjoying the activity versus acting as a chaperon.

5.    Tap into service learning requirements at school. Encourage your teen to look into service opportunities at parks, natural refuges, trail systems, and other outdoor venues that offer service hours and unique opportunities to learn new skills and shadow professionals.

6.    Take advantage of outdoor recreation clubs and park and recreation events in your area. You’ll find hikes, kayaking trips, mountain biking clubs, and more. It’s a great way to get older teens involved in a social setting, with a built in safety net of staff from local organizations. Check your local paper or parks and recreation department for opportunities near you.

7.    Put that love a technology to good use! Have your teen find podcasts on outdoor topics to help  guide their exploration or get them to help you learn how to Geocache. Of course, let the technology help guide the experience, but not replace it. Make sure to tuck whatever devices you are using away to fully immerse yourselves in the natural setting.

8.    When school projects come up, help them brainstorm ideas that have an outdoor element, such as stream monitoring, alternative energy solutions, or campus greening projects.

9.    Have your teens plan a special family day trip or weekend get-away. Your only input is distance traveled and a cost limit. Let them take the lead and surprise you.

10.    Set the example. If you are constantly online for work or pleasure, tied to a PDA, or on the phone, you cannot fault your teen for doing the same. Model balance, and let them see you enjoying doing things outside. Fun is contagious!

See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru

Getting tweens and teens to break away from their MP3 players, cell phones, computers or game systems can be a challenge.  For today’s wired teens, it can seem next to impossible. Here are a few tips to help encourage a more balanced lifestyle for the tweens and teens in your world:

10 Tips to Get ‘em Outside:

1.    Start when they are young. An obvious tip, but extremely important, is to make sure that the outdoors is part of your family life and your child’s life right from the start. As with anything –  from discipline to healthy eating habits –  if you wait until the teen years to introduce something, it is going to be an uphill battle.

2.    Appeal to the natural interests, whether it’s art, science, sports, or writing. There is an outdoor activity that matches  just about any interest, so that’s a great place to start.

3.    Get their friends involved. It’s natural for teens to travel in groups and to thrive on social interaction with their peers. It’s all part of proper development.  Don’t fight it – harness it. Ask if any of their friends are into outdoor activities and encourage them to join in.

4.    Offer to host an outdoor event, like a hiking trip, a camp-out, or a fishing trip for a small group of their friends. Take along a friend or two of your own, so you can be seen enjoying the activity versus acting as a chaperon.

5.    Tap into service learning requirements at school. Encourage your teen to look into service opportunities at parks, natural refuges, trail systems, and other outdoor venues that offer service hours and unique opportunities to learn new skills and shadow professionals.

6.    Take advantage of outdoor recreation clubs and park and recreation events in your area. You’ll find hikes, kayaking trips, mountain biking clubs, and more. It’s a great way to get older teens involved in a social setting, with a built in safety net of staff from local organizations. Check your local paper or parks and recreation department for opportunities near you.

7.    Put that love a technology to good use! Have your teen find podcasts on outdoor topics to help  guide their exploration or get them to help you learn how to Geocache. Of course, let the technology help guide the experience, but not replace it. Make sure to tuck whatever devices you are using away to fully immerse yourselves in the natural setting.

8.    When school projects come up, help them brainstorm ideas that have an outdoor element, such as stream monitoring, alternative energy solutions, or campus greening projects.

9.    Have your teens plan a special family day trip or weekend get-away. Your only input is distance traveled and a cost limit. Let them take the lead and surprise you.

10.    Set the example. If you are constantly online for work or pleasure, tied to a PDA, or on the phone, you cannot fault your teen for doing the same. Model balance, and let them see you enjoying doing things outside. Fun is contagious!

Play changes across the lifespan, but it is still vital to tweens, teens, and yes, even grown-ups. A connection with the natural world is a key part to a healthy, happy lifestyle. It might take a little effort to get older kids and teens unplugged, but it is well worth it.

See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru

photo credit: Mighty mighty bigmac

A few years ago, there was a news story that went around the Internet about a youngster who was seemingly always connected to his hand-held gaming system. There were pictures of him everywhere — on vacations and outings to places of great natural beauty and historical and cultural significance. Head down, eyes and mind fully engaged by a tiny screen. That story has stuck with me. Those images are burned into my brain, of this fortunate young man who is being given the opportunity to see so much, but appeared to have had little interest in what was beyond that tiny screen.

As many of you know, I live in Washington, DC which has been in full blown tourist season these past few weeks. The cherry blossoms bring people from all over the world to our fine city, making a unique opportunity for people to connect with nature as well as history, great architecture, cultural pursuits, and each other. I am pleased to say that I did see quite a bit of just that — people taking it all in, and truly seeming to enjoy it.

I also saw quite a few tweens and teens plugged into their MP3 players and cell phones, seemingly oblivious to what was around them. Perhaps a quick glance up from time-to-time, but then back to the constant buzz of something else — taking them somewhere else than this amazing place they were standing. Many for the first time. Probably quite a few for the last. Now, of course I cannot know how much they were actually absorbing, but I feel that it is safe to assume that it was diminished — that their experience would have been far richer and more meaningful had they simply unplugged. What will their memories look like when they revisit them? Honest and partial? Or will they be able to fill in blanks of what they truly experienced because there are so many pictures available of the sights of DC — mentally checking off the experience because they had “been” there? Again, I am not sure, but it does make me wonder.

Now, I am no technology Luddite. I have a MP3 player and a cellphone, and enjoy them both very much. That said, I made the conscious decision a few years ago not to use my MP3 player outside, because it distracted my mind from all the beauty and peace around me. I save it for planes and trains and the like. I also believe that there are some really cool pieces of technology and applications that can help introduce nature and wildlife to people, as well as enhance the experience for those who are so inclined. In fact, we will be talking about one soon here at TGSG.

That said, it is my hope that we learn to balance the use of technology, especially as it applies to nature and the outdoors. Use it, and if it helps get your kids off the sofa and out the door — embrace that. But do not let it replace or define the experience. Use an application to locate or report on something you see, but then put the device away and enjoy the experience. Soak it all in, and model that behavior for the children in your world. Set time and usage limits if need be. Be aware, and introduce the guidelines and limits when you introduce a new device or application — perhaps even with yourself.

I have written before on silence — the need for kids to learn to be comfortable with it. We are all surrounded by so much noise all the time. In our brave new world, there is hardly a buzz-free moment or time to let your brain rest. Does that sound silly — letting your brain rest? Perhaps so. But we all need that time. Kids really need that time, and sometimes you have to be the bad guy and insist that they get it. But you also have to model it.

So, next time you go out to take a walk or a run, leave your MP3 player at home. Just try it. Listen to the birds. Notice the colors — the shapes and forms of nature. Let your mind rest as your body moves, restoring more of you than perhaps you had bargained for.

See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru

Creative Commons License photo credit: XirannisX back On