Ever wonder how a simple walk in the park could transform your child's mood and patience, especially if they are on the autism spectrum? Join us for an eye-opening discussion on the incredible benefits of outdoor activities for children. We'll guide you through engaging ways to introduce your kids to nature—from planting gardens to bird watching. Learn how sensory experiences can enhance not only their listening skills but also their emotional well-being. We offer practical tips to help even the most reluctant children find joy and comfort in the great outdoors, emphasizing the strong, positive impact of family involvement.
Remember the days when we felt more connected even with corded phones? Let’s take a nostalgic trip back to simpler times and rediscover the joy of unplugging from our devices. With summer’s fleeting days, it’s the perfect season to cherish quality time with loved ones. We share heartfelt wishes for a memorable summer filled with meaningful connections, recommending activities like playing games, creating chalk art, and enjoying family picnics. Tune in for valuable insights and tips on how to make the most of your summer, strengthening bonds and creating lasting memories with your family and friends.
Ever wonder how a simple walk in the park could transform your child's mood and patience, especially if they are on the autism spectrum? Join us for an eye-opening discussion on the incredible benefits of outdoor activities for children. We'll guide you through engaging ways to introduce your kids to nature—from planting gardens to bird watching. Learn how sensory experiences can enhance not only their listening skills but also their emotional well-being. We offer practical tips to help even the most reluctant children find joy and comfort in the great outdoors, emphasizing the strong, positive impact of family involvement.
Remember the days when we felt more connected even with corded phones? Let’s take a nostalgic trip back to simpler times and rediscover the joy of unplugging from our devices. With summer’s fleeting days, it’s the perfect season to cherish quality time with loved ones. We share heartfelt wishes for a memorable summer filled with meaningful connections, recommending activities like playing games, creating chalk art, and enjoying family picnics. Tune in for valuable insights and tips on how to make the most of your summer, strengthening bonds and creating lasting memories with your family and friends.
Hi everyone. I hope you're having a good day today and things are going well. Today I'm going to talk about summer and the outdoors and our kids that are on the spectrum. It's good for our kids to be outside and enjoy the environment. I realize that we're everywhere, it doesn't matter where you live. Our summers are getting hotter and hotter, so we have to be very careful of that. But even if we take them outside for just a few minutes and let them enjoy the environment a little bit, get away from the iPads and phones and the TVs and put their head up and look around If your child is not liking the outdoors or spending time on the outdoors, then maybe you can do some things to kind of help with that.
Speaker 1:
One thing is that they need to use all their senses and you too, so you know, have them feel the dirt, and how you can do that is maybe have them plant something. There's a lot of kits out there that you can buy where they paint the outside and then they plant the seeds and then then they go out every day and just kind of feel it, watch it grow and water it, take care of it and talk about the. You know that it needs sun and it needs water in order to grow, and maybe you're going to plant flowers or you can even plant some food or something. If you have a little garden where you plant vegetables, have them be involved in that. There was an article in the Aut parents that has. They did some research and it shows that if kids are outside and enjoying their environment that they will become calmer and better listeners, more patience and less irritable. So the outdoors is very important.
Speaker 1:
When, when we were kids, we always went outside, it didn't matter. I mean, we couldn't wait to get outside. Nowadays, kids do not enjoy the outdoors as much as they used to. And you can do other things too, like look at the birds or the squirrels or things that are outside and that, and then do stories around them and maybe, if they're looking at squirrels, find a squirrel story and share that with them, kind of bring it to to life and then talk about their environment, where they live and what they like to eat. Those are some things that you can do to help them to learn about what's outside.
Speaker 1:
Like I said, I know that there's times that it's too hot. Maybe have to do it in the morning, or you maybe do it in the evening hours If they are afraid of the outdoors. Just pick an area that you go to every single time so they can get comfortable and not feel frightened, and then maybe venture it out a little bit. Parks are a good place to go to do a little walk or something like that Maybe just around your neighborhood and talk about all the stuff around your neighborhood the colors of the houses, the numbers on the houses, things that they can learn as they are enjoying the environment, houses, things that they can learn as they are enjoying the environment. Talk about, like I said, all the colors. If you see different colors of flowers, or the texture, how one leaf feels, or while one tree feels and another one maybe feel a little bit different, or how the leaves are different on different trees, or something that you can do when we get to the fall, if you live in an area that the leaves change colors, you can do different crafts ideas with the leaves.
Speaker 1:
Like I said, use your senses and let them use their senses. You want to help them to be less fearful of the outside or you also want to help them to enjoy the outdoors. You can get chalk and do chalk art outside. Or, like I said, there's kits you can buy to do planting or growing of roots or vegetables, or you can do flowers, things like that, make a flower bed. Those are some things that they can get outside and do and they can do it for every day. For just a few minutes is all it takes, really. If you just want to go outside for 10, 15 minutes or just to play a game, you know, hit the ball or play basketball, those are some other things that you can do too. But before you do those activities, just have them enjoy, see if they can spot a butterfly or a bird or a squirrel or something like that. Have them enjoy that. Always take some pictures as you do it too, and then have them look at those pictures and say, you know, to help them review what they did the day before and what they experienced and stuff, so they can enjoy that experience. I always use positive reinforcements, you know, praise them for being outside for a little bit, get away from their laptops or computers or whatever they're on, and it's a way for us to kind of stretch out and kind of enjoy the environment, breathe some fresh air, get some sunlight, because we all can use that a little bit, and it's healthy for all of us to do that. And then, as the times go by and we get a little bit cooler, you can stay out a little bit longer and enjoy the weather when it gets nice out again. But being in the environment helps our kids in so many ways, because they're so connected now to our technology that we're losing our kids to enjoy the environment.
Speaker 1:
Maybe you're the kind of families that do picnics outside or barbecues. Make sure they're out there enjoying it with you. Give them a job or something to do. Set the table, pour some drinks, watch dad or grandpa barbecue on there, help them serve, get them involved in it. Don't just ignore them and they're sitting in a chair with electronics no electronics outside and you do the same thing. Leave them inside. It's not the end of the world. Whoever needs to get a hold of you will get a hold of you eventually. So where you're enjoying each other as a family or friends and things like that, they're talking and interacting with other playing games. We need to do that with our kids and we don't. We lose touch with our kids in our own home because we're on our computers or we're on our electronics or TV or whatever we're doing and so we lose that connection. And that's. This is a great time during the summertime to kind of get that connection back. I don't know if any of you camp, but when you're camping I realize you have to take your phones and things with you for certain things, but spend a part of the day without them and just enjoy your family and be observant of what they're doing and help them to interact with you. Maybe you're going fishing or something like that. Take one phone and just put it in the pocket and only need it if it's an emergency or something. Those are some ideas that I have for this summer.
Speaker 1:
I think it's very important to engage our kids into the environment. I think it will help in all areas for them and it will help you too to maybe better understand your child and your child understand you and the environment. And it's just a break from the electronics. I mean, if you stop and think about it, don't we get a little tired of them? They're always connected to that.
Speaker 1:
My day we had a cord. It kind of shows how old I am. We had a cord that was to a wall and I thought we were connected more that way, but we're not. We're more connected to our phones without the cord than we are with the cord. So, anyway, take some time and enjoy the outdoors, enjoy the time with your child, enjoy the time with environment and and your friends and your family, and have a great summer. Won't be long in school we'll be starting again, and so that life will get busier and in a different way than it is this summer. So have some fun and I wish you guys all the very, very best. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
