22 | Less Stress, More Dirt: A Realistic Plan for Nature Time With Kids & Why It's Always Worth It (Part 2)
Doctor. Hey moms, and welcome back to Intentional Motherhood, the podcast for stay at home moms juggling a bunch of tiny humans, big dreams, and trying to keep it all together. I'm your host, Kelsey Redd, a mom of four kids, six and under, and this is part two of our series on nature and how nature can be the emotional anchor in your family. Today, we're gonna get real about getting your kids outside, mud, meltdowns, and all, and why it is so worth it for you and for them, even though it feels like so much effort sometimes. And if you missed part one, we dug into why nature heals us emotionally, some of the history and science about how nature is actually so healing and emotionally regulating for adults and children.
Kelsey:So wherever you are, grab your water bottle, hide in the pantry for a second if you have to, and let's talk realmomlife when it comes to getting out into nature. I know that as a stay at home mom, some days feel like we are just surviving. Surviving the spills, surviving the tantrums and the cleaning that never ends. Getting outside can feel like just one more thing to do, but I'm telling you, it's like hitting the reset button on the whole household. Moods, tempers, emotions can all be reset by a little bit of nature time.
Kelsey:Even just spending five minutes breathing the fresh air outside while your kids run around can make you feel human again. And don't forget about my two minute nature imagery, just imagining being in nature, a meditation that I did for you on the last episode, part one of this nature series. So I'm not talking about always, you know, working towards the Instagram perfect hikes. It might just be sitting out on your back step, feeling the breeze, feeling the warmth of the sun and letting your toddler pick grass or throw sticks. Even just that much can make a difference.
Kelsey:A study in 2020 out of the University of Colorado shows that just a short time in nature lowers stress and clears our mind. So imagine the benefit for both moms and kids if you can just spend a short time in nature allowing your mind to clear a little bit, your toddler's attention to refocus and regulate rather than being overstimulated all the time. So for those of us moms who are chasing this idea of calm, regulated nervous systems, nature is the gold standard. And just for fun, let's dream for a second. Imagine a weekend retreat in the mountains, no diapers, no dishes, just you, some amazing, ambitious, high vibe women holding you and supporting you and laughing with you.
Kelsey:And spoiler alert, I have this exact opportunity coming up for you this September in the mountains of Utah. I'm working on a retreat for amazing moms and women just like us to just soak in that deep nature healing along with energy work, reconnecting with your inner knowing and allowing you to choose to step into the life that you've been dreaming of. It's the kind of reset that brings you back to your family grounded and ready to shine as the best version of yourself you can be. That's just a little teaser about what's coming. And if you want more information on the upcoming retreat, go into the show notes or find me over on Instagram creating.
Kelsey:Intentional. Mothers to find out more about this retreat. But for now though, let's just focus on stealing those small moments outdoors in real life with our kids. Okay, let's talk about getting your young kids outside. It's not always feeling magical.
Kelsey:Sometimes it is dragging a screaming three year old away from PAW Patrol, dealing with muddy shoes all over your car and realizing you forgot the snacks, right? So let me tell you a story about one of my nature activity adventures that went so wrong and yet was still worth it. I thought it was gonna be horrible and still at the end of it, was like, Oh, I'm so glad I did that. But let me just tell you the story. So I decided to load up all my kids.
Kelsey:We were gonna pack a bunch of sketchbooks and coloring pencils and crayons so that we could go out next to a river, lay out a picnic blanket and just hang out for as long as possible. Literally, I never, I try to not put time limits on these because I just love to be out for hours on end and to allow my kids to get really deep into the boredom and then all the way into the creativity and imagination. So this was the plan and I, well, first of all, one kid refused to come, just utterly refused to leave the house and he had to stay home with dad because it just wasn't I couldn't fight the battle. But the rest of us loaded up, drove down to the trail where we were gonna walk, pushing the baby in the stroller down until we found a really nice little beachy area of the Stream River that we could hang out down next to. Turns out we went the wrong direction on the trail and there are no nice paths down to a beachy area of the river.
Kelsey:So instead it was like bushwhacking down a steep ravine, holding the stroller in one arm, trying not to let that take off down into the river while restraining my little toddler behind me so that she didn't fall straight down the cliff. And we're making our way through this ravine. We eventually get to a little path and an area where we could access the really slow moving shallow riverbank. And there's no sand though, it's only rocks. So I'm like, okay, well, you know, whatever, we're just gonna lay on the rocks, that's fine.
Kelsey:I realized by this point that my baby has pooped in his diaper and I'm like, oh, that's fine. Except I don't have any wipes. I have an extra diaper, but I don't have any wipes. Why did I not bring wipes on a river outdoor adventure? I don't know.
Kelsey:If you know me, it tracks. Always bring wipes when you're going on your nature adventures. It's just good protocol. But I didn't have any. So I'm like, okay, well, I was planning on being here for hours.
Kelsey:How long can I reasonably let my baby sit in this poopy diaper? Or maybe I just take the diaper off and wash his bum off in the river? I'm not going to tell you which one I did. I didn't wipe it in the river though, okay? That's gross.
Kelsey:I wasn't going touch it. I wasn't going to contaminate the river water. I don't know if people drink that down the river. So we knew our time was going be cut short because I felt so bad for my little baby and his poopy bum. But we had a great time.
Kelsey:It was exactly what I imagined, minus the nagging stress over the poopy diaper. And after an hour or so of letting my kids just wander and explore and throw rocks and color in their sketchbook, we loaded back up. I had to now push the stroller back up the ravine while dragging my toddler who was slipping and sliding on the sandy, you know, cliff up the river bank. But I was so impressed. And I attribute this to the time in nature that my six year old daughter volunteered to carry as much as her cute little arms could carry as we trudged back across the river.
Kelsey:We had had to cross the river to find the flat ground to lay on. We had to trudge back across the river and she's carrying as much as she can while I'm carrying a toddler in one hand and a baby in the other hand. And we get back to the stroller and we're pushing it up the ravine and she's being so helpful. I just think this is the kind of emotional regulation that we came out here for. Then we had about a half mile back walk on the trail to get to the car.
Kelsey:And again, her and her sister were just getting along so well. Their teamwork, holding a ginormous branch that they have decided to bring with us on this trail. One of them holding it on a scooter, the other holding the other end on their bike, working together to get back to our car. And I just thought, oh yeah, this is why I do this. This was so hard.
Kelsey:This was such a disaster. I tripped and like, I had scraped my shin on the stroller on the way down the ravine. I was carrying my kids across the river. I had a poopy diaper baby. And at the beginning I was just like, why?
Kelsey:It's not worth it. Why did I do this? Why do I do this to myself? That's what I ask myself almost every time I go on these adventures is why do I do this to myself? But then at the end and when they're in the just relaxed regulated state of being in nature, I have to remind myself it's worth it.
Kelsey:It's worth it. And I have to remember this the next time I'm trying to load screaming kids into the car to do this, that it will be worth it. And I really do feel that way, it is. So let's talk about how do we make this work in RealMomLife. First of all, start by keeping it simple.
Kelsey:At the beginning especially, aim for fifteen to thirty minutes outside at a park, in your backyard even. No fancy gear, just you and your kids, hopefully some grass and dirt, maybe even a bucket, but it's not worth But don't feel like you have to make this big adventure plan. It's worth it to just get outside for a few minutes. My next tip for you is just embrace the mess, embrace the chaos. Let your toddler splash in mud, dig in dirt, chase ants and bugs.
Kelsey:It's okay. I'm sure you've seen this going around Instagram, but are we saying no because it's dangerous? Or are we saying no because it's inconvenient to us? Stick a towel in your trunk and then you don't have to worry about the mess they're making. I love seeing the way that kids learn to play and the sensory experiences that they're getting when they're in nature, like in it, like in the dirt.
Kelsey:This is where they calm themselves and they get creative. So speaking of sensory, sensory play is so important. Young kids thrive on touch and sound and smell. Hand them a stick and just let them play with that for twenty minutes. Let them feel the grass on their bare feet.
Kelsey:Let them listen to the wind. This is what is the difference between overstimulation of screens and technology versus regulating stimulation through nature's sensory experiences. This stuff wires their brains for calmness, not chaos like screens do. My next tip is of course the freedom. Freedom with boundaries.
Kelsey:This unsupervised time for little ones means that you're close, but not hovering, right? I like to have a blanket that I hang out on while I let my kids roam around the area as far as they can reasonably within where we can still see each other and where I maybe tell them don't go past this point. But I love to sit back and let them figure it out. We've talked about independent play and this is so critical for social and emotional development. When kids have the space to figure things out on their own, they're gonna figure out what feels safe to them.
Kelsey:They're gonna figure out how to interact with other kids. They're gonna figure out how to teamwork on building a teepee or a fort in nature. And those are such gifts to give your kids. And my last tip is as much as you can, make time for your whole family to be in nature together. It's kind of part of that family culture where you can have these memories that are connected to both a nature and adventure and family connectedness.
Kelsey:That to me is ultimate. That's just my heaven right there. Of course, it's not always perfect. Of course, hikes become struggles, but it builds connection. And our family, my kids are learning that this is what we do.
Kelsey:This is what our family is all about. We are an adventurous family, and I want that to be part of our whole family culture. So as much as we can, we involve dad and all the kids when we can. So I know it can be hard to get out the door, but when you see your kid in awe over a caterpillar that they found, or you feel your own stress melt away when you're listening to a babbling brook, it is so worth it. So I hope you're getting a sense of what even little doses of nature can do for you.
Kelsey:I know it's not super convenient, but these moments are gold for kids emotional regulation and for your sanity. So here's your plan. And I want you to see if you can commit to this over the next week or so. Get ten minutes of outside time daily for yourself and your kids. Maybe you're just sitting on the grass breathing and let the kids play around you.
Kelsey:Try to have your kids get fifteen to thirty minutes of free playtime outside, whether it's at a park or your backyard or in nature, embrace the mess. Just let it happen and let them be unsupervised as much as you can. Maybe even start a family nature ritual, a weekly walk outside, maybe in these beautiful summer nights, you're heading out late to see the stars. It doesn't have to be fancy or perfect, but start some sort of ritual that your family can all engage in together. And to help with the commitment, I need you to come up with a why.
Kelsey:Write down one reason why nature time matters to you and is important to you and why you're committing to it. Maybe it's seeing your kids thrive, or maybe it has to do with the calm you feel. Maybe it's because nature helps connect you to your creator, and it's a spiritual practice. Whatever it is, give yourself a why so that when it is hard and when you're you're struggling to get out of the door and into the car to load up to go to nature, you can remember, this is why I'm doing this. It's going to be worth it in the end.
Kelsey:Lastly, one last quick teaser about my retreat that I'm planning for women and moms just like you, a weekend to just soak in the healing power of nature, water, high vibe women around you, reconnecting with your purpose and come back to your kids and your family refreshed and rejuvenated. Find out more on my link in my Instagram bio creating. Intentional. Mothers or in the show notes below. And while you're over on my Instagram, I would love to hear about your real outdoor nature moments with your kids.
Kelsey:Make a post and tag me so that I can hear how it's going for you. I would love to find this community of amazing women who are giving our best at being intentional mothers and building a family full of love and connection and growth. And don't forget that mother nature has got your back even when it's messy. Keep showing up dirt and all because you're doing an amazing job. I'll see you next time on Intentional Motherhood.