Ten Tips to Get Kids Outside

We work to ensure that the natural wonders in our country are preserved so that our children can appreciate and enjoy the outdoors when they get older.

It's easy to introduce children to the natural world. Take them outside to a local park or your own backyard and introduce them to the wonders of the "unplugged" world. Bestselling author Richard Louv offers a field guide full of tips for getting kids outside in his book, “Last Child in the Woods.”

Here’s are our  favorites:

 10. Be a cloudspotter. Go “clouding” – no equipment required.

9. Revive old traditions. Collect lightning bugs, leaves and stones.

8. Engage grandparents. Who has better memories of playing outside?

7. Adopt the “sunny day rule.” When the sun’s out, unplug. (Works for rainy days, too.)

6. Go birding. Urban or suburban, rural or wilderness. Who are your feathered neighbors?

5. Got dirt? Let little kids dig with plastic shovels and pails.

4. Adopt a tree. Take pictures of your favorite tree in different seasons and around different family events. How does it change?

3. Go harvesting. Take kids to pick apples, blueberries or corn.

2. Camp in the backyard.

1. Keep a “wonder bowl.” Kids fill their pockets with acorns, rocks and leaves. Empty those pockets into a bowl, so kids can linger over their treasures.

Top ten list adapted from LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS by Richard Louv, © 2008. Reprinted by permission of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. www.lastchildinthewoods.com Richard Louv is head of the Children and Nature Network.