It seems to me that most people are incredibly busy, confined almost every moment to the indoors at school and work, and on weekends so burdened with shopping and chores that like-it-or-not (and I don’t) we are becoming more and more disconnected from the natural world. We simply can’t get outdoors enough! And the problem is different for different age groups. For example, my eighty-year-old mother is very arthritic and as much as she loves the outdoors she hardly ever gets outside and receives almost no outdoor light.

I really yearn to be outdoors more, especially now that it is spring. How about the rest of you? Here is a start. We offer three everyday ways for kids, teens, adults, and elders to connect more to nature. Please chime in to add your suggestions (the link is below)! We all need inspiration on this one, as parents (teenagers, anyone?), for ourselves, to help those who are aging:

Kids
1. Do an outdoor activity outdoors that requires that they get dirty (such as playing in the mud)
2. Take wildlife-watching walks
3. Take a trip to a working farm

Teens
1. Play outdoor sports
2. Outdoor seasonal projects (raking, gardening, filling the bird feeders)
3. One meal a week, ask them to make the food choices and talk with them about the production (organic versus conventional, etc.) of the foods they pick

Adults
1. Go camping
2. Spend time outdoors gardening, taking walks, picnicing–whatever suits
3. Connect to your local farms or farmers’ markets

Elders

1. Take walks to drink in the beauty of nature
2. Sit outdoors when you can (in a park or yard)
3. Invest in some binoculars to watch birds

We welcome you to share your ideas.