If you’re any kind of normal parent you’ve had your days where you simply said (or maybe hollered) “Outside! Now!” It’s not a bad thing to say when you’re at the end of your patience. (Ideally we don’t get to the end of our patience and make going outside sound like a fun idea and not a command. Maybe some day, huh?) Anyway, we’re learning it’s extremely good for kids to be outside, too.

KidsHealth.org, the #1 website devoted to children’s health and development, looks ahead with its annual list of “10 Kids’ Health Issues to Watch.” Here’s just one item: Fighting Nature Deficit Disorder–“Parents are all too aware of how much time their kids spend parked on the couch watching TV or glued to a computer/cell phone/gaming system. Mix this with parental fear of “stranger danger” and you get kids spending less and less time exploring and enjoying the great outdoors.”

The National Wildlife Federation is also promoting Green Hour to encourage unstructured play outside. They say, “Scientific research shows kids are happier and healthier when outdoor time is in better balance with indoor time.” Sadly, it also points out, “Our kids are out of shape, tuned out and stressed out, because they’re missing something essential to their health and development: connection to the natural world.”

Before you get too depressed by this information, know the remedy is fun and easy. Get outside! Start enjoying time outside with your family and your kids will follow your lead.

But what if you actually don’t have an “outside” to enjoy? A lot of us can’t tell the kids to get out because there’s nowhere safe to go.  And we’re not always able to take the bus to a park or wherever. I asked a spunky seven-year-old I know who lives in the woods in northern Minnesota what a kid should do if they don’t have a yard to play in. “They should build a fort in the living room,” she said knowingly. Good idea! If you can’t hollar “Outside! Now!” You can declare a no electronics afternoon and see if your kids can discover the joy of exploring the world in its natural state.