Children and Technology

Dear Parents,

Children, technology and how to get your kids moving again…

I am of the age when parents kicked their kids out the door after school or in the morning during school breaks or summer recess and they, we, stayed outside all day, playing, making up games with neighborhood friends, exploring, having fun.

Today, getting kids off their fanny’s and moving is a serious issue for many parents with far reaching and long term implications for them (parents and children) as well as society more generally. If you have children, you’ve likely struggled with these issues.

From my perspective, you do have one vastly under-utilized asset in the battle to get your kids up and moving: your backyard!

As a landscape architect, I work with parents all the time who, faced with these issues, look to their backyards for help.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the virtual world, social networks, gaming, the internet or smart phones. It’s a question of balance.

Many children today badly need to be exposed to the real world, the natural world, for a whole host of reasons, and the backyard is a great place to start.

Ideas abound: how about re-grading the backyard for a swing set or badminton court? How about a waterfall and pond with goldfish and aquatic plants complete with dragonflies? Many young children are fascinated with colors, flowers, fragrances, bugs and butterflies. How about planting a flower garden together? Or a vegetable garden? Birdbaths, sundials and bird houses make great additions to a landscape.

At their core, these are educational experiences masquerading as fun and play, especially when combined with some quality time with mom or dad. Result? These memories, experiences and lessons of and with the natural world will stay with your child for a lifetime. Your children will get the exercise, fresh air, sense of wonder and opportunities to develop social skills they simply can’t get in front of a computer screen or smart phone.

Call and let’s talk… about your family, your children and what we can do together to get your kids moving again, to get them really excited about the natural world.

Your backyard is the place to start!