Here are some ideas of how to slow down, stay connected as a family and still enjoy being outdoors.

Consider cutting back on rushed, frenzied activities and create some free time for your family to hang out together in the evening and on weekends. Some of our most profound thoughts and useful inventions come to us as we are just sitting around, letting our minds wander. Breathe a sigh of relaxation into your lives as you let go and give yourself as much unscheduled time as possible.

Get a map of the parks in your area. Plan to eat a picnic supper with your family at least one night each week or on a weekend. This is a great way for busy families to take time out to relax. Pack the cooler the night before so that you can put it right into the car in the morning. Prepare a bottle of frozen water for each of you. Include frozen bread for your sandwiches, cut up veggies and a bag of fruit, a container of sandwich fillings and frozen containers of yogurt for desert. The frozen items will keep everything fresh until your picnic supper. Kids love picnics and often won’t care what healthy items you pack for dinner as long as they get to eat while sitting in the park. Relax, eat, laugh, and don’t forget to swing on the swings. Ahh!

When you are doing nothing, lying in the park, wouldn’t it be nice if the phone didn’t ring? Leave your cell phone in the car. Switch your work brain off to give your family your full attention. We all work so much now that we have to be very diligent about guarding our family time. We need to plan time for our families and really be “present” when we are with our kids.

Look in the paper or call your local library, school, park or activity center to discover all the free events that are happening in your community. Look for outdoor concerts, story times at the library, nature educational hikes and more. Make a list and decide which events appeal to your family the most. If your family is interested in lots of things like mine, you may have to cut your list in half! As a group, choose activities that are fun for everyone. Or, let each family member choose one activity. Be sure to leave lots of unscheduled time for lounging around as well. We don’t have to be in motion all of the time. Being outside as much as possible will feed your soul.

Choose one day a week as “family day.” On this special day, agree to spend time together – no friends or business calls. You can stay home and relax or plan an outing. If you stay home, encourage your kids to go outside, away from the TV and computer. Give them jump ropes, balls, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, books, books on tape, and cards to relax without media stimulation. Our kids need to have down time as much as we do. If they complain they have nothing to do, help them wash the car. Hoses, water, sponges, shorts – sounds like a water fight to me! You can also help your kids to work on the yard and putz around in the garden. Reward them with a picnic lunch on the lawn.

Enjoy this summer with your family! Relax, play and just “be” together. Fall will be here soon enough with all of its demands for working and school. Now it’s time to soak up the sun and watch the clouds roll by.