I was shocked to learn recently that Americans spend 93% of their life indoors, and the average child spends about 4 to 7 minutes playing outside and 7 hours a day in front of a screen. Of course, these are just the averages, and I know plenty of kids that spend a lot of time outside. There are many documented health benefits to getting outside, and I have noticed these in my own family too. Even before this research was done into the benefits, people knew of the value and health benefits of the sun and getting outside, because we have noticed that when we read old books, there is mention of it.  

While I was researching this subject, I wasn’t surprised to find that children (I’m convinced this goes for adults too), have more creativity, are more physically fit, have less depression and hyperactivity, better health (including stronger bones), improved eye sight, better balance, longer life span, and tend to sleep a lot better than people that spend little time outside. I have also noticed, at least in my own children, that allowing kids to build forts, climb trees, plant their own gardens and then experiment in the kitchen, and entertain themselves gives them better problem-solving skills and very few complaints of boredom.

Over ten years ago our family did something we have never regretted; we recycled our television. Back then I knew that we all needed to limit our tv time, and while I did well most of the time, sometimes I found it hard to say “no” to one more show, and I would give in, so I could get one more thing done. I felt so guilty, and I often noticed that my little kids were so hyper and unfocused, even after watching just one show, that it actually caused me more work.

While I needed to learn to say “no,” what finally convinced us to get rid of the television was our hearts had changed, and we didn’t like most of what was on television. We realized that we didn’t want our kids acting like some of the kids we witnessed on television, and there was so much garbage and indoctrination that we had had enough. It’s also very addictive. This is our own personal conviction, and I don’t share this to shame anyone or judge anyone for their television use (I watched a lot in my early life), I simply share this because sometimes we get so stuck in our habits that we don’t even realize the harm they produce or the joy we could experience if we got rid of them. That was us for many years.

After we got rid of the television, we noticed that our kids’ time outside and time spent learning increased. We also started spending more quality time as a family taking walks, sitting on our porch outside and talking, playing games, playing sports together (even though we aren’t very good), reading, and working together. I learned how to get more than one thing done at a time with my small children, and how to be more efficient. The kids were so much easier to manage, because we had also changed our diet at that time. There was greater joy in our household after that hard decision. When I asked our older kids today about it, they said they were, “sad” or thought it would be “horrible” but they are all very thankful and don’t miss it. Praise the Lord.

We have found the internet useful to learn new skills and add to our homeschool curriculum, but we are very careful to make sure that everything we are doing is edifying and doesn’t keep us from getting outside. We will watch videos on our small screen to learn how to fix something or learn a new skill like tanning hides or making cheese, to add to our textbook learning, for designing, helping others, and for our business. Sometimes we enjoy listening to podcasts while we do mindless work. Used in the proper context, technology can be very useful.

We are very careful to make sure the computer doesn’t become a distraction like the television did. We have rules set in place that we can all agree on, and Cory and I follow these same rules, because it’s good for us, and more is “caught than taught.”

There are so many modern distractions that can keep us from getting outside, and I hope that you will take this time to reflect about what is important and what things could be thrown out. When you are on your death bed, what will be the best memories that will come to your mind? Strive to create more of those and get out and enjoy the great outdoors. The weather is never perfect in Nebraska or anywhere for that matter, and I don’t recommend waiting for nice days to get outside. Bundle up in the winter, get out when it’s windy, don’t let the clouds keep you inside, and even when it’s hot and humid, just get outside, because the rewards are great!

Our family has learned to slow down, make careful observations of what heals/damages, get rid of the distractions, take a little more time preparing our food, and most importantly to seek the Lord’s wisdom. It’s a daily struggle and it never goes perfectly, but we just keep trying to do the best we can. If you are working toward a more traditional, clean, whole foods diet, and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were get your fats right, we had several weeks about seasonings and herbs, some important discussion about natural sweeteners, talked about Forgiveness, hopefully we got our eggs right, learned about the benefits of pastured, clean meats, considered getting mercury removed, we got the toxins out of our mouth, skin, and hair, made some changes in our cleaning routines, we talked about raw milk, learned about vegetables and fruits, fermentation and this week we are talking about the benefits of getting outside. Join us next Tuesday for Get Your . . . Right.