Necessity of Outdoors

Always loved being outside and interacting with nature. A class I'm taking right now agrees with my thoughts and feelings about the natural world. Kids need that time outside exploring, building, running, rolling, climbing, throwing, digging, playing...How else will they learn to appreciate and protect our world? Where else do they interact with science-y concepts? When will they spend time noticing the complexity and elaborateness of God's creation?

Even two-year-olds enjoy stuff outside. The grandson much prefers to go 'side (outside) to anything else. If there is water, sand, dirt, grass, trees, he is in the middle of it. Sure, a wheeled vehicle can accompany him. But it needs to be 'side.

So I'm veto-ing TV time and electronic games. My grandbabies get to go 'side and get their hands messy. And their knees, pants, elbows, faces. Sorry mommy. That's what washers and bandaids are for.