Nature

Are you frustrated and concerned that your kids are always using some sort of technology? Between phones, games, and now virtual school for many kids, it is challenging to separate them from their screens.

We know that technology can have its negatives, including mental health issues like stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. We also know how nature can be an antidote for too much technology. While I deeply encourage parents to guide their children to take nature breaks every day that it’s possible, I have also discovered how technology can be a conduit to get kids out into nature.

Recent research shows that technology can help us successfully connect to nature in a number of ways. A 2017 study showed how children used an app to help them connect to nature. Actually, it was just as effective as if they were with an in-person environmental educator and it offered additional benefits, including more fun and increased social interaction. A 2018 study found that exercising indoors with simulated nature was more relaxing than regular exercise. This suggests that environmental exercise settings, also called green exercise, that include things like nature sounds or images of nature are effective in reducing stress. Another study discovered that participants who listened to a birdsong app became more relaxed than those who listened to a meditation app with a human voice.

Ways Technology Can Connect Us With Nature

There are a number of fun, easy ways for kids to use technology to connect with nature.

Nature Photography

One of my favorite hobbies is taking pictures of nature and then painting them with watercolor. Photography is a wonderful art form to help reduce stress and anxiety that we can share with our children. According to sound-mind.org, “…this particular stress management skill allows you to place your focus outside of yourself. Photography is a creative and fun hobby that can help distract you from the stress, anxiety, and depression you may be feeling.” Photography serves as a type of mindfulness meditation in which we get lost in the moment and experience a sense of flow while snapping photos with our camera. It can be quite calming to take photographs, especially of gorgeous nature and awe-inspiring images.

Online Nature Experiences

Nothing beats holding, petting, and being up close with an animal, but sometimes that is not possible. Children can also enjoy animals through virtual encounters. My daughter’s recent birthday fell during the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown and we had to think out-of-the-box for her birthday party. We already had her party booked at a local nature center, so we asked if they could do a virtual animal show for the children instead. It was a huge success, and the kids loved learning about turtles, snakes, owls, and sharks.

Here are some ideas for connecting with animals online:

• Look for virtual programs and tours sponsored by zoos, science centers, wildlife sanctuaries, farms, and aquariums.
• Sign up for animal-focused online classes and camps.
• Volunteer online with your pet through a therapy pet program.
• Go on a virtual “vacation” by searching for websites that have live cams of animals in the wild, including bird nests and underwater marine life.
• Be an electronic wildlife watcher. Use technology to view nature. There are numerous live nature cams online for you to observe animals around the world in real time. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Conservation Training Center, for example, broadcast a bald eagle nest. Also, Explore.org has all kinds of live animal cams to enjoy.
• Connect with a relative or friend who has a pet and ask if they will do a screen call so your children can see the animal.

Nature Videos/Movies

A study out of University of California, Berkeley found that watching nature on TV, in this case Planet Earth, led to feelings of awe, joy, happiness, and less stress. If you are unable to visit a place in person, the next best thing is to observe it using various media tools such as videos, movies, and documentaries. You can find these types of programs on National Geographic, Discovery, and PBS. Some of the best nature documentaries for kids include March of the Penguins, Bears, and Blue Planet.

Virtual Reality

Technology can give us the chance to enjoy nature experiences that we otherwise would not have access to, such as flying or walking on the bottom of the sea floor. My family and I participated in a nature-themed VR experience a few years ago at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I had never tried VR and was feeling a bit nervous that I would fall over or bump into a wall. But once I put on the VR headgear, I was transported to a gorgeous underwater world. The best part was when a giant whale swam by me and I tried to reach out my hand to touch it.

Using VR to connect to nature is a fun, unique activity for our children. I can envision a future in which we visit these virtual places to de-stress on days when we may not be able to get outside. While it may not completely replicate being in nature, it offers an opportunity to connect with images of nature. I walked away from that exhibit at the museum feeling happier than when I entered.

How To Ensure Balance

To me, there is nothing wrong with bringing technology along if you are incorporating it into your nature experience. If we use technology as an enhancement rather than a distraction while engaging in outdoor activities, we will reap the most benefits like stress reduction and feeling more balanced.

Just be mindful of how you and your family are engaging with technology. If you go to the beach to rest and relax on a blanket, don’t let the rings, buzzes, etc. on your phone interrupt your mindful nature time. If your iPhone or iPad is used as a tool, rather than a distraction, then it can be beneficial and help us connect to nature.

Of course, it’s also important to silence the device and put it away for a part of the nature experiences. For example, if you are going forest bathing, which is essentially a mindful walk in the woods, put the phone away for most of the experience. Pull it out to snap a photo and capture the incredible nature scenery that fills you with awe so you can reference it later for a creative project like drawing or painting. I did this when I went forest bathing in Pennsylvania and I am so grateful for the few photos I have to remember that special experience.

Want to learn more? Check out my podcast interview on Tech Talk for Parents.

 

Depending on where you live, you may already feel the air getting cooler and crisper. With school back in session and all the talk about Halloween, we know that fall is just around the corner. While we are busy with school and extracurricular activities, this is also a lovely time to take a relaxing break and connect to nature as a family. Here are some fun fall activities to help you and your kids connect to nature.

U-pick Farm

One of my most favorite memories of autumn is going apple picking with my family. I was so enthralled by all the hidden treasures hanging in the orchard. I loved tasting the different varieties of apples and deciding which was my favorite. My family and I actually just went apple and raspberry picking, so I was able to pass along my cherished childhood memories to them!

This time of year is the perfect opportunity to head to a local farm to pick your own produce of the season, whether it be apples, pears, raspberries, squash, or others available where you live. It is a wonderful chance for the entire family to enjoy a few hours strolling around an orchard or farm taking in the sights, fragrances, and miracles of nature. By taking your children on a u-pick adventure, they will learn a tremendous amount about healthy food and the environment, and you will support your local community. Plus, locally grown food tastes better, is more nutritious, and stays fresh longer.

The best part is that you can go home from the farm and spend quality time together in the kitchen creating tasty meals from the food you hand-picked yourselves. There are so many healthy kid-friendly recipes to discover, from smoothies to side dishes to snacks. When your children play this much of a role in gathering and preparing their food, it will have a huge impact on them and influence the food decisions they make in the future.

Pumpkin Patch

Nothing feels more like fall time than pumpkin patches, hay rides, and corn mazes! Your kids will love running around outside in a corn maze and searching for the biggest, brightest pumpkin to take home with them. No matter where you live, you should be able to find a place in your area that offers these fun autumn seasonal treats for your family to enjoy.

And, of course, your children will have a blast carving the pumpkins and displaying their works of art for neighbors to see. We always love toasting the pumpkin seeds and enjoying them as a healthy snack afterwards. Even if you can’t find a pumpkin patch by you, you can still grab a few pumpkins at a local store and carve them outside in your yard to get some relaxing outdoor time together.

Fall Foliage

One of the most incredible aspects of nature is all the colors we can find. During autumn, colors pop out all over as the leaves begin to change. When we experience the vivid natural colors during this season, we are filled with awe. This special emotion helps us feel happier and calmer, and is worth seeking out. One way to fill your kids with some awe this time of year is to go for a hike or family road trip to observe the gorgeous hues of changing leaves.

The fall foliage can be so soothing as well as inspiring. Bring along a camera and be sure to snap lots of photos of the gorgeous leaves, and when you return home encourage your kids to draw or paint pictures based on what they saw. You can also organize an online slideshow of your photos or print them to create collages. Another fun idea is to collect some of the fallen leaves and bring them home for art projects.

Volunteering

This is also a great time of year to get outdoors and give back to others. When we spread kindness throughout our community, we actually experience a physiological change called a helper’s high. These positive feelings are heightened even more if we are volunteering outside and connecting with nature.

September happens to be the month when the annual International Coastal Cleanup takes place, so if you live near the ocean you can volunteer to clean it up either with a group or on your own as a family. This year the cleanup is on September 19th. Find out how to get involved.

Another way to volunteer outside is to contact a local farm and see if they need help with activities like weeding, planting seeds, sifting compost, digging, or watering. You can also ask about or organize your own gleaning project, which involves picking leftover crops from a farmer’s field after they have been commercially harvested and donating the produce locally. Finally, on a much more personal level, you could offer to rake a sick or elderly neighbor’s leaves. This is a great way to get your kids involved in community service and to see the results right away.

I hope you will take advantage of this special season to enjoy some fun fall activities as a family. You will be sure to build family memories that will last a lifetime!

What are your family’s favorite fall activities?

This school year will certainly be like no other we have experienced. If you are one of the many families like mine who have opted for online learning for your kids this fall, then you are probably feeling a bit uneasy about what lies ahead. We are hoping for the best and that our kids stay happy, healthy, and engaged.

However, sitting all day staring at screens can take a toll on their physical and mental health. Physicians recommend paying attention to posture and taking breaks to stretch and move around, but there is also another incredible way to balance our kids’ screen-based school day—nature.

Here are some fun, simple ways to add a bit of nature to your children’s school day to help them feel calmer and happier:

Decorate Their Workspace With Nature Imagery

Your kids don’t even have to leave their chair to experience a burst of nature when they look up from their computer throughout the day. Just gazing at pictures of gorgeous nature scenes like beaches, forests, or snow-topped mountains can spark a sense of tranquility and wonder. Consider hanging some nature photography or paintings in their workspace or keeping several inspiring nature photography books around like Ansel Adams’ collections for them to look at when they need to recharge. Get more ideas about nature decor that your kids will love.

Show Awe-Filled Nature Videos

Have you ever been to a doctor’s office that has a video of nature scenes playing in the waiting room? Catching a glimpse of nature’s beauty can bring a healthy distraction to an otherwise stressful situation. You can also incorporate this tactic into your children’s workspace by having them take a video break to watch something that calms and inspires them, such as a rushing stream flowing over rocks, wildlife in their natural habitats, or sunrises and sunsets. Some of my favorites are the time-lapse videos that show flowers blooming or the seasons changing.

Play Relaxing Nature Sounds

Listening to nature sounds can also help your children relax and improve mood. One study found that those who listened to ocean waves had considerably lower muscle tension, heart rates, and stress. Decide which sounds bring your children the most joy and be sure to intersperse them throughout their day. Some will have nature sounds along with music in the background and others will just be the sounds of nature. There are tons of apps that you can explore to help you find soothing nature sounds.

Read Nature Stories and Poetry

Another simple way to add some nature to your children’s day is to encourage them to read a piece of literature, poetry, or an article about nature that inspires them. The more vivid and descriptive, the better. Whether they love reading biographies of nature heroes like Jane Goodall or descriptive poetry about the beauty of nature, they will feel better after they take that reading break. Some other ideas include reading about scientific discoveries, animal behavior, or incredible places to visit.

Take A Quick Field Trip

It’s important to take time away from the intensity of the school day to help your kids recharge so they can come back inspired and ready to work again the next day. You are probably wondering: how can I take my kids on a field trip in the middle of a pandemic? Fortunately, there are plenty of places to visit safely, especially outdoors.  Carve out some time after school to get away to places that fill your family with a sense of peace and relaxation. Some ideas include parks, botanical gardens, sculpture gardens, nature centers, wildlife refuges, hiking trails, and fountains. Depending on where you live, maybe you can head over to the beach or a lake to enjoy the sights and sounds of the water. Even a quick walk around your neighborhood keeping an eye out for wildlife or attractive gardens can lead to some nature-filled moments. Enjoy!

How will you tap into nature to reduce the stress of online learning for your kids?

On Friday, March 13th, it was the day we knew the schools were shutting down and we were going into quarantine for who knew how long. (We’re still in it, for the most part!) I am sure most of you can relate to what that felt like.

I needed to figure out how I was going to get through this challenging, stressful time. So, I decided to walk the walk and turned to all of my research and writing that focuses on how nature can help us feel happier and calmer. So, the next morning, I embarked on a 100-day Eco Happiness Challenge to get through this rough time. While this challenge helped my family and me stay calm while stuck at home, it also provided the opportunity for us to build a nature connection habit that will benefit us in the long run.

 

What Is Eco Happiness?

Spending time in and around nature is so beneficial to our family’s health and well-being. It calms us when we are feeling stressed and boosts our mood when we are feeling down. There are so many wonderful ways to tap into the incredible healing power of nature, from volunteering outdoors to green exercise to spending time with animals.

I created the Eco Happiness Project to focus on where nature and mental health intersect. It serves as a platform to tie together all the science and practical tools to live a happy, balanced life through nature. I also want to shine a light on why mental health should be part of the environmental movement and our daily lives, especially as we face challenges related to development, toxics, and climate change. Bottom line: we need to protect our environment for our mental health.

The Challenge

My family’s Eco happiness Challenge lasted for 100 consecutive days. You can view my daily posts on Facebook and Instagram that showcase each nature activity that we did during this time.

We smelled essential oils, drew whimsical birds, painted nature scenes, went for walks and bike rides around our neighborhood, swam in our pool, made nature-themed cards for the elderly to spread kindness, did yoga on our balcony, tried earthing for the first time, read nature poetry, enjoyed watching ducks paddling around our pool, planted seeds in our backyard, supported a local farm by purchasing a box of fresh produce, watched nature videos online such as one about hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail, and celebrated Earth Day.

Your family can join in on the challenge by grabbing your FREE 30-Day Eco Happiness Challenge Calendar. It is filled with fun and relaxing activities for your family to enjoy together without even leaving your own neighborhood. All of these activities can be done from inside your home, on your balcony, or in your backyard. You can start this challenge at any time, so sign up now to get your calendar right away. It is the perfect way to stimulate your own family’s interest and creativity around nature and help you build a nature connection habit.

Learn More

During this time, I was a guest on several podcasts to talk about my family’s experience with the Eco Happiness Challenge. Check out these episodes to learn more:

Mindful Mama Mentor Podcast—The Healing Power of Nature

Sunshine Parenting Podcast—The Eco Happiness Challenge

Apparently Parent Podcast—How to Connect to Nature During COVID-19

 

What are your family’s favorite ways to build a nature connection habit?

Whether it be riding around the neighborhood or exploring an off-road mountain trail, biking is an incredibly beneficial activity for your family. My family has always enjoyed bike rides, but with more time spent at home over the last year, we have been biking even more.

Some of our significant memories from family vacations involve exploring on bikes. During a trip to Puerto Rico, we ventured out to explore the property on a bike trail together. We also love biking on the boardwalk at the Jersey shore along the ocean. Recently, my husband and the kids biked all the way to the local post office and back. The kids loved this special experience since it was a fun way to get out of the house, exercise, and complete an errand. Biking has so many benefits to help us feel happier and calmer.

Provides Exercise

Riding a bike regularly is one of the best ways to reduce our risk of health problems linked to a sedentary lifestyle, including mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Biking is a healthy, low-impact exercise that your whole family can enjoy once the kids learn how to ride a bike confidently. It also has many physical benefits including building muscle strength and increasing stamina.

Gets Us Out In Nature

Whether we head to a mountain trail or city park, biking is also a wonderful opportunity to get outside in nature. You can see all kinds of scenery and even some animals! In fact, bicycling is a type of green exercise, a term used to describe our interaction with nature while engaging in a physical fitness activity. Green exercise is packed with mental health benefits, as experts have found a clear link between exercise and stress reduction, and nature and stress reduction.

Look for local parks in your area with biking trails or consider exploring some of the top ten places to bike in the United States on your next family vacation. These cherished spots include breathtaking scenery, daring mountains, and vast valleys. New trails continue to be developed for bikers in these iconic biking areas; however, the old trails are still around as well.

Besides biking, there are tons of fun nature activities for your family that will help you all feel happier and calmer. You can now download your own FREE 30-Day Ecohappiness Challenge Calendar filled with activities that can be done from inside your home, on your balcony, or in your backyard. Enjoy!

Gives Us A Healthy Break

Whether we take a solo ride or go as a family, biking provides an easy way to get a healthy break from the stress in our lives. Hopping on a bike and whizzing around your neighborhood streets or through a local park with the breeze blowing on your skin can be very relaxing. It is also a magnificent way to escape the doldrums of a normal day, blow off some steam, and experience new scenery.

Helps Us Bond As A Family

Life can get hectic and our children’s schoolwork and extra-curricular activities can quickly fill our family schedule. Be sure to make time for free play and exploring like family bike rides. It gives everyone in the family the chance to relax and share in a special activity together. When we feel closer to our loved ones, we all feel happier.

Additional Benefits

Bill Bone, a bike injury attorney, outlines some additional benefits of biking linked to improving mental health.

• Helps us sleep better by producing hormones that lead to deep sleep.
• Boosts memory by increasing brain cells in the memory region of the brain.
• Gives us a sense of pride after finishing a challenging run or knowing that we are helping to reduce air pollution.
• Increases creative thinking since many people are inspired to do some contemplative thinking while on a bike ride.
• Increases productivity since an afternoon bike ride can increase energy levels, so when we go back to work we are more motivated to get things done.

Important Biking Safety Tips

Biking can be very fun, but it can also be dangerous if we are not careful. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests the following tips on how to stay safe while biking.

• Ride a bike that fits you. Bikes that are too big can be hard to control. Use this bike size chart for guidance.
• Wear a bike helmet that fits you properly; your family’s safety depends on it.
• Make sure that the bike works, and there is nothing mechanically wrong with it.
• Wear bright clothing that makes you visible, especially in the evening.
• Have a white front light and a red back light.
• Ride only one person per bike with both hands on the handlebars unless signaling.
• Carry all items in a backpack or in a basket on the bike.
• Tie your shoelaces so they don’t get caught.
• Plan your route to safe places, not areas with heavy traffic.
• Ride on sidewalks and paths.
• Follow traffic rules and signs.
• Don’t text, listen to music, or do anything that might distract you while riding.
• Look for hazards in your path such as nature elements, trash, etc.

We can encourage our children to ride bikes with a friend since it’s such a positive activity for their health and happiness. By taking a few extra precautions, our kids will stay safe and have a blast.

What are your favorite family bike ride memories or tips?

When you think of green exercise, you probably picture hiking and climbing mountains—pretty intense outdoorsy activities. However, green exercise can really involve any activity in which we interact with nature while moving our bodies and breaking a sweat. Believe it or not, this can even happen while exercising indoors.

We’ll look at what green exercise is, how it helps reduce stress and boost mood, and what types of green exercise activities your children can engage in to feel happier and calmer.

 

 

What Is Green Exercise?

Green exercise is a term used to describe our interaction with nature while engaging in a physical fitness activity. It was coined in 2003 by Jules Pretty, Ph.D., and Jo Barton, Ph.D., at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. Their focus in this area spurred a great deal of research into how nature and exercise together can benefit our emotional wellbeing.

Dr. Barton and Dr. Pretty have published dozens of studies on the benefits of green exercise. They have shown that exercising in green spaces—no matter if they are in a city or the wilderness—has a positive effect on mood. They also discovered that the effect of exercising near a body of water has an even greater impact on improving mood. Additional researchers from a wide background including physiology, health and well-being, environmental sustainability, community engagement, and behavior change continue to study the link between nature, exercise, and mental health. This groundbreaking work can help all of us find ways to feel happier and calmer by doing something as simple as going for a walk outside or even watching nature scenes while on the treadmill at a fitness gym.

How It Reduces Stress

Experts have found a clear link between exercise and stress reduction, and nature and stress reduction. So, when you combine the two, you get a double dose of wellness! In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some studies show that consistent exercise can be just as effective as medication for some people to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Other research shows that physically active people have lower rates of anxiety than those who do not exercise.

Here are several ways in which green exercise helps reduce stress and anxiety:

Produces Endorphins. When we exercise, our body releases feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins. These chemicals in our brain act as natural painkillers, making us feel better and less stressed. Endorphins are responsible for the natural high we get from a hard workout.

Reduces Stress Hormones. Exercise and being in and around nature reduce the level of stress hormones in our body like adrenaline and cortisol, helping us feel calmer.

Minimizes Fatigue. Exercise improves blood flow and our body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently. These changes in our brain reduce fatigue and improve alertness. This helps us when we are stressed out because we are depleted and need to return to a more balanced level of energy. When we are stressed, many nerves in our brain and throughout our body are impacted. Scientists conclude, therefore, that if our body feels better, then our mind will also feel better.

Provides A Fun Distraction. One of the best parts about exercise and spending time in nature is that these experiences give us a time to take a fun break from the stresses in our daily lives.

Encourages Mindfulness. A great bonus of exercise is that it provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy a mindful moment. While we work out, we can fully engage in the present moment instead of letting our mind run wild with worries. When we combine viewing nature (real or virtual) while we work out, we can get lost in the moment and experience a happiness boost.

 

Green Exercise Activities For Kids

Green exercise has really taken off in recent years, and there are even Green Gyms in the United Kingdom that combine physical activity with local environmental projects that have shown to improve mental health. There are more than 100 Green Gyms that offer programs consisting of a warm-up, cool-down, and a wide range of environmental activities including gardening, planting trees, digging ponds, managing trails, and more.

By creating opportunities for people to work together in meaningful outdoor projects, the program improves and maintains physical and mental health of volunteers by increasing their physical activity and reducing social isolation. A study from the University of Westminster found that after participating in a Green Gym for two months, volunteers reported higher levels of well-being and lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Researchers also collected saliva samples to measure the stress hormone cortisol, and results showed that volunteers were less anxious. Green Gym also piloted a school program for elementary school students, which resulted in positive behavior and well-being for the children.

While Green Gyms is a very specific green exercise program, there are accessible activities we can choose for our children that incorporate nature. Here are a few ideas to get your kids moving and connecting with nature to feel happier and calmer.

Hiking

Any type of hiking, whether it’s around your neighborhood or while visiting a National Park, can help your family enjoy some healthy exercise while taking in the beauty of nature.

Swimming

Spending time in water has a tremendous soothing effect. Experts have noted that swimming produces the same relaxation response as yoga, increasing calming chemicals and allowing us to enter a meditative state. When we swim laps, we can focus on our strokes and breathing, making it easy to shut off all the noises and activity going on outside the pool.

Obstacle Course

Your kids will love this fun outdoor exercise activity. You can set it up yourself or have them help you. Go through your house and garage and gather a variety of fitness equipment. Create several stations for different activities, such as a jump rope, cones to weave around, a box to jump over, and a basketball net to shoot a ball into. You can also have some stations that do not require equipment; for example, they can do jumping jacks, push-ups, or hop on one foot.

Biking

Grab your bikes and bike helmets and head out for a family ride in your neighborhood or through a local park. Riding around together is one of the best ways for your entire family to get some exercise, enjoy the fresh air, take in some natural scenery, and share special moments.

Team Sports

Team sports provide so many incredible benefits beyond just improving physical and mental health. Consider signing your kids up for a team sport that plays outside in the open air, such as soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, or beach volleyball.

Indoor Options

As mentioned before, green exercise doesn’t only have to be reserved for outdoor activities. We can also enjoy nature while exercising indoors. Some ideas include setting up a treadmill or stationary bike near a window with a view of the outdoors or tuning into some nature scenes on your screen while running, doing aerobics or yoga, or whatever other indoor fitness routine you choose. As long as you are connecting with nature in some way, you can experience the benefits of green exercise.

What is your family’s favorite type of green exercise?

Have you ever gotten lost in a gorgeous landscape painting and felt like you were transported to that time and place? There are so many visual elements of nature that help us feel calmer and happier. Amazingly, just looking at pictures of nature scenes can make us feel like we are actually spending time outdoors. A recent study by the University of South Australia found that displaying nature art in offices can reduce stress levels and mental fatigue by up to 40 percent.

Looking at the scenes for as little as one to five minutes revitalized workers and helped them refocus on tasks and feel less stressed. Interestingly, these results were similar to those found during studies where people looked at live views of nature. It’s clear that having a connection to nature, even by viewing a piece of artwork, can help us feel better.

Fortunately, we can easily bring these aspects of nature indoors to decorate our home and create a cozy, serene sanctuary for our family. For example, we can hang art on the walls that contain calming nature images, like trees or birds in the sky, to create a really tranquil atmosphere in the room. Here are some other ideas of how nature décor can help our family feel more relaxed:

Color

The most calming colors stem from nature. Creams, tans, pale blues, and pale greens help create a quiet atmosphere. According to color psychology experts, blue calms the mind and body, lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. It also minimizes feelings of anxiety and aggression and creates a sense of well-being. The color green promotes a serene and calming environment and is associated with health, healing, and well-being; soothes the body and mind; and reduces anxiety. Neutral colors—tan, beige, ecru, cream, light brown, taupe, and gray—manifest an organic, earthy feeling. They tend to soften the edges and warm up a space in a soothing way. In fact, using more natural hues when decorating your children’s bedrooms will help them more easily calm down and sleep better throughout the night. Try using cool colors like blues and greens because their calming effect can make your children’s rooms feel spacious and relaxing, like the blue sky or the ocean.

Patterns

Scientists have discovered that one reason why nature is so soothing to us is because of the many patterns that naturally occur in our environment. These fractal patterns are aesthetically pleasing and help reduce stress. Whether the patterns are observed outdoors or by viewing a piece of nature art, we feel calmer as a result of enjoying the images. A tree, for example, contains fractal patterns. First you see the large branches growing out of the trunk, and then you see smaller versions growing out of each big branch. As you keep zooming in to the tree, you notice tinier and tinier branches all the way down to the smallest twigs. Other examples of nature’s fractals include clouds, rivers, leaves, flowers, coastlines, and mountains.

Textures

Different types of textures can be comforting to our kids as they explore them with their sight and touch senses. Feeling different textures can be an effective distraction tool that shifts their focus away from their worries to something more positive. We can enjoy a variety of appealing natural textures in our home that may be smooth, rough, shiny, squishy, fuzzy, or hard. Try adding natural décor elements wherever possible, such as bamboo, smooth stones, wood or marble floors, and woven reed mats or sisal rugs made from earth-friendly materials.

Animals

Many types of animals bring joy and peace to children. Whether a child is petting a fuzzy dog, having a conversation with a parrot, or gazing at a picture of a colorful, awe-inspiring creature, animals provide many benefits. You can add this calming element to your home décor as well by decorating with pieces involving animals. Some ideas include hanging photographs and artwork of animals in their natural environment, placing animal sculptures throughout your house, choosing furniture containing animal motifs, or painting an animal mural on the wall. This way, your children will have a constant reminder of the animals they love most from the wild.

Water

Water is known to give us a sense of peace and serenity. In fact, medical studies have found less cortisol (the stress hormone) and more serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine (the feel-good hormones) in people as they spend time in, on, or around the ocean. When we’re around water, our brain becomes engaged in our environment and we enjoy pleasant sensory stimulation. We become so focused on the water that we enter a mindful state. As a result, we enjoy lower stress levels; relief from anxiety, pain, and depression; improved mental clarity and focus; and better sleep. We can enjoy these benefits of water in our home by hanging art containing water scenes, bringing in an aquarium, and installing a mini water fall.

Greenery

There’s no doubt that adding real plants, trees, flowers, and herb gardens to our homes will help make us feel better. Besides green being a soothing color as we discussed earlier, plants improve oxygen levels and freshness of a room. Research conducted in hospitals, offices, and schools has consistently found that even a simple plant in a room can have a significant impact on improving mood. But we can also add touches of greenery using other types of décor that mimic nature like artwork, wall hangings, and unique furniture pieces.

What are your favorite natural decor elements for your home?

I will be the first to admit that I am not a pet person and one of my biggest pet peeves is a dog doing its business on my lawn. But I have also dedicated a huge portion of my career to educating others about the mental health benefits of nature, including pet ownership. Although I personally don’t tap into this aspect of nature, I recognize how so many people (including most of my neighbors) feel happier and calmer by welcoming a furry friend into their home.

Dogs, in particular, have gotten a great deal of attention lately for being a soothing friend to their human owners. A recent study by Preventing Chronic Disease revealed that having a dog as a child makes an individual less likely to suffer from anxiety later in life. Scientists compared two study groups of young children: 370 who were living with a dog and 273 who were not. They discovered that 12 percent of those who grew up with a pet dog suffered from anxiety compared to 21 percent who didn’t have a dog.

Here are a few of the emotional benefits of having dogs for kids:

Offers Comfort and Companionship

The companionship of a pet offers coping skills for kids by alleviating loneliness and isolation, which can be part of anxiety and depression. Kids find support and security in having a pet companion to always be there for them and provide them with the feeling of unconditional love. A study published in the The Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concluded, “There is growing evidence that children turn to their pets for comfort, reassurance, and emotional support when feeling anger, sadness, or happiness. Thus, it is plausible that companion animals may have the potential to encourage better emotional health and reduce anxiety and depression.” Learn how your child can find emotional support from a comfort animal.

Provides a Healthy Distraction

Pets give children something to focus on that is positive versus the sometime negative thoughts swirling through their head. The magic of focused attention is that we can use it to help get over negative emotions like fear. We can redirect our attention towards something that relaxes us. Just petting or playing with a dog can give a child that healthy distraction they need to feel better. Pet Life can help you find all the products you need to keep your dog happy and healthy.

Boosts Positive Hormones

The simple act of petting a dog has been shown to release endorphins into our brain, which are powerful pain relievers and mood boosters. These are the same hormones that give us pleasure and that feeling of a natural “high.” Petting a dog also reduces cortisol, the hormone that is released in response to stressful situations. Dog owners are also less likely to be depressed, and in fact, have higher levels of serotonin and dopamine than non-dog owners.

Increases Social Interaction

Being social boosts happiness at all ages. Having a dog provides new ways to interact with more neighbors and friends. For example, when you go for a walk with your dog around the neighborhood, you will probably run into people to chat with. You can venture out with your kids to the park and see friends or make new ones. Dogs tend to also be a hot topic, so having a dog helps to initiate conversations with both those you know and those you want to know better.

Encourages More Exercise

We know how important exercise is for our physical and mental health. Having a dog to walk helps us get more exercise, which ultimately reduces stress. A study out of the University of Missouri showed that the best companion for a walk is your dog. The study showed that individuals who walked alone with a dog averaged 300 minutes a week of walking versus 168 minutes a week if they walked with family or friends. The study also found that those who walked a dog reached the recommended level of physical activity for their age group 50 percent more often when compared to those walking without a dog.

But what if you can’t or aren’t interested in owning your own dog? There are so many reasons why having a dog just isn’t possible: allergies, your partner or child doesn’t want one, your apartment or neighborhood doesn’t allow it, you travel too much, illness, financial constraints, etc. There are ways that you and/or your children can still enjoy time with dogs to feel happier and calmer. Here are some ideas:

• Volunteer to walk dogs at an animal shelter.
• Offer to walk the dog of an ill or elderly friend or neighbor.
• Participate in a therapy dog reading program at your local library.
• Partner up with a friend or relative who owns a dog to volunteer with the animal to do community service like therapy visits or participating in a dog-friendly charity walk, run, or other event.
• Offer to watch after a friend’s dog while they are out of town.
• Foster a rescued dog temporarily or volunteer with the rescue organization.
• See if your school will start an adopt-a-dog program or at least bring in a dog occasionally. Research shows that classroom pets provide significant benefits for children’s social, behavioral, and academic development.

We are so fortunate to have many natural tools available to us to help our children relieve stress. Tapping into our sense of smell is a simple, effective way for us to feel calmer, even if it’s for just a few moments. If you haven’t yet tried aromatherapy for stress relief, you may be overwhelmed by all of the different scents and ways to use essential oils. However, there are a few very effective scents known to reduce stress that are safe for our children.

How Essential Oils Relieve Stress

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, including smelling/inhaling them, ingesting them, or rubbing them into our skin. They can be used in many forms like candles, sprays, and as part of items like meditation eye masks. Essential oils are concentrated, liquid plant extracts used for multiple purposes for the mind, body, and spirit including stress relief. They are called “essential” because they contain the essence of a plant, including its aroma and health properties. They can be taken from all types of plants, so they can come from a variety of sources including flowers, grasses, fruits, roots, trees, and leaves. They have been around for a very long time, as many ancient civilizations like Egypt, China, and India have been using them as a complementary and alternative therapy for the past 6,000 years.

Scents can be a powerful way to uplift our mood. According to Psychology Today, the olfactory nerve gives us our sense of smell and sends signals to parts of the brain, including the limbic system and amygdala. These areas are in charge of emotions, mood, and memory, and also help to regulate our nervous system and keep our stress response in check. When we sniff in a pleasant scent, it can trigger positive reactions in our body that last even when the smell is gone. In fact, essential oils have been shown to act similarly to many anti-anxiety medications.

Scents Known To Relieve Stress

When choosing essential oils for our precious children, it’s critical that we use only high-quality products made from 100 percent natural ingredients. Here are a few of the best essential oil scents to help relieve stress:

Lavender

Extracted from the fresh flower of the lavender plant, the oil has been shown to have sedating effects to help our mind and body relax. The antioxidant components of lavender can impact our endocrine system to lower the levels of stress hormones. It is particularly known to calm nerves and help reduce insomnia. According to the New York Times, a 2018 study confirmed the incredible anxiety-reducing qualities of lavender. When your children are stressed and before they go to sleep at night, try diffusing some lavender in their bedroom or adding a few drops to their pillow for them to inhale this calming scent.

Bergamot

The smell of citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and grapefruit help to calm us down when we feel anxious and give us a boost of energy. Bergamot is a fragrant citrus fruit the size of an orange with a yellow or green color similar to a lime, depending on ripeness. Bergamot essential oil is generally citrusy, yet fruity and sweet with a warm spicy floral quality.

It is known to help people feel calmer and have a boost of energy. A 2015 study found that bergamot essential oil inhaled together with water vapor can lead to positive psychological and physiological effects in a relatively short time. In addition, a 2017 study published in Phytotherapy Research found that exposure to bergamot essential oil for 15 minutes improved participants’ positive feelings in the waiting room of a mental health treatment center. It also is used as a natural relief for headaches and muscle tension, both symptoms of stress.

Ginger

Another calming fragrance, which may surprise you, is ginger. It has a warm, spicy, woody, peppery scent that we are most familiar with in Asian food recipes like sushi and stir fry. But the scent is also known to revitalize us, provide emotional balance, and reduce anxiety since it is filled with antioxidants. It is also helpful in treating headaches and digestive issues.

Your children will love smelling these different fragrances that will also make them feel so much calmer. There are also other scents from Gya Labs that help relieve stress that I encourage you to try, such as mandarin, vanilla, rose geranium, and lime. I personally love lavender and even have lavender sprays, perfumes, and an eye mask because it makes me feel so good. Experiment a bit by testing out different essential oil scents with your kids to see what they favor.

How To Safely Use Essential Oils For Kids

The best way to use essential oils safely with children over 6 months old is to have them smell the scent either directly from the bottle; use a diffuser; or add a few drops to a cloth, pillow, or even a stuffed animal. Children should not ingest essential oils, as some can cause harmful effects if swallowed in certain amounts. Also, avoid rubbing the oils on your children’s skin since young children’s skin tends to be more sensitive than adults’ skin and can potentially cause irritation. If your child already has skin or asthma issues, avoid essential oils until you consult with your pediatrician.

It’s also important to take some safety precautions. Always keep essential oils away from your children’s eyes and mouth. Be sure to safely store the essential oils out of reach of your kids as you would any medication or home cleaner. If you ever have any questions or concerns about your children using essential oils, please contact your pediatrician.

What is your experience with using essential oils for stress relief?

A few summers ago I enrolled in a watercolor painting class. I remember enjoying art as a kid, but it was never a focus in my life. To my pleasant surprise, painting has become a part of who I am now. Most importantly, it helps me get lost in the moment and forget about my worries.

I gravitate towards nature art painting because I love how flowers, trees, and animals are so unique, colorful, and fresh. When I focus on a gorgeous flower, for example, I feel more relaxed. This is certainly no coincidence since we know that nature can calm us. Both spending time outdoors and just looking at pictures of nature scenes can improve our health by reducing feelings of stress, anxiety, and anger. I have enjoyed developing a hobby that combines several relaxation tools from our toolkit.

Here’s a bit about my process. First, I go for a walk and look for attractive nature in my neighborhood (exercise) or I seek out nature during our travels, whether it be a trip to the beach or a science museum (awe). Then I snap a photo of it using my phone (creativity). When you are looking for beautiful images, you learn how to be more mindful of your surroundings (mindfulness). Later, when I’m ready to sit down and paint, I scroll through my images and choose one to create my artwork. I can pull up the image on my phone or computer, or I can print it out the old-fashioned way to use as a reference photo. Next, I draw the object or animal. Finally, I get creative with my color palette. I really enjoy painting natural scenery using watercolor. In addition to using the nature photos for painting, I post them online to inspire others with the beauty of nature all around us.

How Art Reduces Stress

Creativity can be such a wonderful stress buster for our kids as well. Art has been scientifically proven to reduce stress levels, so much so, that an entire discipline of art therapy has been developed. Art is a way of tapping into the right side of the brain where creativity, intuition, visualization, emotions, and daydreaming stem from. Here are some ways that art helps reduce stress and boost mood:

• • Distraction. An important tactic in managing anxiety is to distract ourselves from what is tormenting our minds. Art is a great way to focus on something more positive, productive, and inspiring.
  • Flow. Artists can become so absorbed in their work that they achieve a state of flow, the sense of being completely engaged in an activity to the point of being in a near-meditative state. When we are in a state of flow, we forgot about all of our thoughts and lose track of time.
  • Mindfulness. When we are focused on an art project, we become completely absorbed into the present moment. This helps to quiet the mind as we become more concerned with doing the task at hand as completely and mindfully as we can and less concerned with judging and relating to things beyond the immediate context.
  • Self-care. Having a hobby that we enjoy helps us feel more balanced and allows for mental and emotional downtime. If you or your child are struggling with mental health issues and need some extra help, then consider contacting a therapist to guide you.

How To Build A Connection Of Art And Nature

Since both art and nature are such effective (and fun!) stress reduction tools, we can seek out ways for our kids to connect with nature and be inspired by it to create a masterpiece. We will be teaching them to look for beauty and awe around them, encouraging them to spend more time outside, and showing them the importance of being more environmentally aware so that they will want to protect our precious environment.

Children can really connect to nature through hands-on art projects like nature drawing. In fact, studies show that environmental art influences what children think, feel, and do about environmental issues because they remember the images they created themselves for a long time.

Nature is filled with so much beauty to spark creativity in our kids. “I love looking to the natural world when searching for inspiration for creative things to do, either with children or just for my own endeavors,” explained Lee Foster-Wilson, author of The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids. “With children, I think doing anything creative with them that involves nature, whether that be searching outside for natural objects to incorporate into games, creating dens in trees or with sticks, or simply looking in an encyclopedia for weird and wonderful animals to draw, gets them thinking about and interacting with the environment. I do believe that this sort of creative play can help foster a love and attitude of care and empathy for all things wild and wonderful, including other people.”

Here are some ways to harness nature art creativity in your kids:

Mindful Coloring: For children who aren’t ready or not in the mood to draw or paint themselves, consider starting them out with some mindful nature coloring. You can look for coloring books filled with images of landscapes, flowers, trees, and animals.

Nature Art Photography: Photography is a wonderful art form to help reduce stress and anxiety that we can share with our children. According to sound-mind.org, “…this particular stress management skill allows you to place your focus outside of yourself. Photography is a creative and fun hobby that can help distract you from the stress, anxiety, and depression you may be feeling.” Photography serves as a type of mindfulness meditation in which we get lost in the moment and experience a sense of flow while snapping photos with our camera. It can be quite calming to take photographs, especially of gorgeous nature and awe-inspiring images.

Nature Art Drawing: The options are endless since our kids can find inspiration to draw nature all around them, from your local park to science museums and nature centers to books. Lee Foster-Wilson’s book The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids is a must-have for nature drawing inspiration in your home. It is packed with how-to drawing and painting projects and creative prompts. There are sections for drawing all sorts of animals from cats and dogs to birds and reptiles, flowers, trees, leaves, shells, and fruits and vegetables. The illustrations are colorful and the instructions are simple. Your entire family will love drawing nature art using this amazing guide!

Nature Art Painting: As I mentioned earlier, my creative endeavor of choice is watercolor nature art painting. You can also use other types of paints, and even children’s paint sets. A really fun way to get your kids’ creative juices flowing is to take them outside in your backyard and set up the paint set and easel and ask them to paint what they see. Even if it’s raining or too cold outside, set them up by a window to paint. Imagine the gorgeous snow scene they can paint during a winter storm!

The trick is to expose your kids to different types of natural scenery to get inspired, such as science museums, butterfly gardens, arboretums, aviaries, botanical gardens, zoos, mountains, forests, hiking trails, beaches, waterfalls, sunsets, sunrises, canyons, and caves.

What are your family’s favorite ways to get creative with nature?

Both volunteer work and spending time in nature have been scientifically proven to increase happiness and improve mood, so why not combine these ideas by participating in outdoor community service projects as a family that also help our environment?

Benefits Of Volunteering

When we give back to our community, we actually experience a physiological change called a helper’s high. This euphoric physical sensation results from our brain releasing chemicals called endorphins such as dopamine. According to Psychology Today, this “high” makes us feel good naturally, giving us a rush that leaves us elated and excited. Also, thinking about, watching, or practicing kindness stimulates the vagus nerve, which is linked to the production of oxytocin, a hormone that soothes us. As a result, we experience positive health changes including less stress, anxiety, and depression.

Other benefits of volunteering include experiencing more compassion, feeling more connected to our community, being more grateful for what we have in life, and viewing the world from a broader perspective. All of these experiences are also linked to greater happiness and less stress.

Benefits Of Spending Time In Nature

Spending time in and around nature is very beneficial to our health and well-being. It calms us down when we are feeling stressed and boosts our mood when we are feeling sad. The natural world offers solace and comfort unlike what we can find in any manmade environment. We have a nature instinct known as biophilia—an innate bond we share with all creatures and plants in the natural world that we subconsciously seek. Therefore, spending time outdoors naturally reduces the level of human response to stress and allows us to recover from stressful situations more quickly.

Outdoor Volunteer Project Ideas

In addition to encouraging your children to spend more time outside enjoying nature, they can play a role in improving and protecting it through a number of hands-on volunteer projects. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Beach Or Park Cleanups

Nature offers so much beauty, so it’s critical that it stays pristine and garbage-free. One way that we can help to ensure this is by participating in a trash cleanup at a beach, lake, playground, or other location that needs attention. With the abundance of trash in the oceans, ingested by marine life, and washing up on beaches, we are seeing a rise in popularity of beach cleanups all along the coasts. According to my own research about beach cleanups, volunteers feel more connected to nature and some feel less stressed after spending time outside cleaning up the beach. If you have ever participated in a beach cleanup, please fill out my survey to provide your feedback.

You don’t even have to join an organized event to clean up the environment. I know one father in my community who has made it his mission to pick up bags of trash during his morning runs. He brings his children along either in a stroller or on their bikes and they work together to collect trash in their neighborhood. He is spreading this on social media and recently worked with a local children’s running club to collect trash as well.

Community Gardens

Look for opportunities to volunteer in a local community garden. Gardening in itself is a relaxing activity that your children will enjoy outdoors. Community gardens increase the amount of green space, build positive community interaction, and many also provide fresh produce to those in need. Your children will enjoy planting seeds, weeding, and picking fruits and vegetables. There is a wonderful garden near my family that is run by an organization for adults with special needs. Once a year we volunteer in the garden. This year we planted seeds, removed weeds, and moved some plants to better locations in the garden. The food is then used in the organization’s kitchen to provide healthy meals to adults in the program.

Work With Animals 

Most children love to spend time with animals, so this is a wonderful option for a family-friendly volunteer project. Caring for a lovable creature has so many positive benefits for children including teaching them responsibility and empathy, providing them with companionship, boosting their self-esteem, and showing them the importance of protecting other living creatures on our planet.

There are many ways to volunteer your time as a family to help animals outdoors, whether it be at a nature center, zoo, horse ranch, or animal shelter. For example, many animal shelters need volunteers to walk the dogs at their facility. This is a wonderful activity to do with your child–just check all the rules and age requirements with the shelter directly. A few years ago when I moved to a new area I volunteered at a nature center. My role was to take visitors on guided tours and point out the wildlife during our nature walk. This would be fun to do with children as well.

Tree Or Flower Planting

A lovely way to make a big difference to beautify our world and reduce the impact of climate change is to volunteer to plant trees, flowers, or other vegetation in your community. This is such a positive, hands-on activity for children because they will get to see for themselves the impact they can have. Many towns host planting events and have goals to plant a certain number of trees annually. Check out Tree City USA for information in your area.

Local Farm

Contact a local farm to see if they need help with activities like weeding, planting seeds, sifting compost, digging, or watering. You can also ask about or organize your own gleaning project, which involves picking leftover crops from a farmer’s field after they have been commercially harvested and donating the produce locally. My children and I participated in a gleaning project last year and truly enjoyed picking green peppers to donate to our local food bank to help those in need.

Finding The Right Volunteer Opportunities For Kids

Finding the right family volunteer activities can be overwhelming at times. You may feel uncertain about what is expected and question whether your children can participate. It is so important that your children feel comfortable where you volunteer, get inspired by the work you do, and enjoy themselves. Without these three components, our children won’t reap all the amazing benefits of volunteering outside. When searching for the appropriate activity, consider the following priorities:

Project Focus. The first step is to brainstorm as a family to decide what types of volunteer activities you are interested in doing. It is important to narrow down your choices and focus on projects that your family will get the most out of.

Organization’s Mission. Do your research before you sign up with a specific organization. Find out the group’s history and how it got started, the goals and mission, who its leaders are, and how it is funded. Check their website, search online for press coverage, and visit sites like www.charitywatch.org and www.charitynavigator.org. If possible, ask a current or past volunteer about the pros and cons of the organization. Getting a referral from someone you know is the best option, especially because your children will be participating.

Location. Search for projects that are close to home so you do not have to drag your kids far to volunteer.

Cost Of Family Volunteer Activities. Although rare, check to see if there are any fees to volunteer. You may also want to consider any other costs involved like travel, equipment such as certain clothing required, or requested products or monetary donations.

Time Commitment. Decide how much time you have to volunteer. It could be once a week, once a month, or once a year. Start slow and gradually increase your involvement if the project is working out well. Or you may choose to volunteer with different organizations each time to expose your children to a wide variety of experiences.

Age Range Guidelines. Look for activities that your whole family can participate in. Before you commit to a project, check to see if there are any age requirements listed.

Activity Expectations. Before you show up, find out exactly what you will be doing. Will there be heavy lifting involved? Will you have to get down and dirty? Will the project be a boring and repetitive task that will make your kids annoyed?  Make sure the activity is something that your kids will actually enjoy before you invest your time.

Fun Factor. If it isn’t an enjoyable experience for your kids, then what’s the point? Choose projects that involve your children in a fun way, but also teach and inspire them. Be sure to engage with them afterward and ask what they thought, and if they would be willing to do it again.

Some good resources for finding outdoor volunteering opportunities for kids include:

• Contact your city’s sustainability or environmental director.
• Search for environmental organizations in your area.
• Find beach cleanups here: Ocean Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, volunteercleanup.org.
• Check websites like Corporation for National and Community Service, Volunteer Match, Create The Good, Just Serve.

What experience do you have volunteering outdoors as a family?