Ep 67: Get outdoors more as a Family with Claudine of The Outdoor Play Connection

As summer comes to an end and children are back in school, I find it becomes more and more difficult to find time to get outside with my children.  Yet, I understand how important it is to spend more time outdoors.  So today I spoke with Claudine of The Outdoor Play Connection and she is going to provide us with easy to do actionable steps to get outside, tips on creating boundaries for younger children, and so much more.  I hope you enjoy!

-Introduce yourself and explain why you started Outdoor Play Connection

-As many of our children are heading back to school, they end up spending so much time indoors.  How can we as families work on getting outdoor more and encouraging our children to get outdoors when there is so much enticing about staying in?

-Moms who are homeschooling, how can they work to incorporate more outdoor schooling into the program?

-How can we work to have fun outdoors at every stage and age with our children while also dealing with all of the elements outside?

-Tell us about how we can learn more from you.

Claudine is a mom of 3, a wife, and outdoor adventurer! When I realized so many people wanted to be outdoors, but they may not know how to get there, it was clear to me that my knowledge and experience was needed! My love for the outdoors, and passion to connect people to the resources they need, inspired me to create the Outdoor Play Connection.

Over the past 8 years I helped Moms create and lead outdoor co-ops, playgroups, and forest school groups! My own outdoor groups have continued over these years, and evolved as our kids have grown. The deep relationships that have resulted are an important part of my motherhood support system.

I offer 1:1 coaching to Design Your Time Outdoors the way it works for you, and Group coaching to Build Your Outdoor Community for outdoor play, co-op or forest school style learning for all ages.

Promo:

There are 2 openings available for my 1:1 coaching 8 week program, Design Your Time Outdoors. This includes a $100 gift card for gear at my favorite online store biddle and bop.  I am happy to also offer a $50 coupon to your audience to use towards my 1:1 program in the month of September.

https://www.outdoorplayconnection.com/design-your-time-outdoors

Links:

website  https://www.outdoorplayconnection.com/

IG https://instagram.com/outdoorplayconnection

Transcript

Unknown: 0:08

Welcome to raising healthy humans, a podcast created for busy moms where you can easily find information on health and wellness for your family. Enjoy experts who share tips on how to raise children through each phase of life. Gather current information on nutrition and wellness. And listen to Courtney, a health coach, movement specialist and founder of form fit and active and supportive community where she helps busy moms move more on raising healthy humans podcast, Courtney shares her personal life experiences, training, knowledge and conversations with other health and wellness experts. So you can raise healthy humans. As summer comes to an end and children are back in school, I find it becomes more and more difficult to find time to get outside with my children. And I understand how important it is to spend more time outdoors. So today, I spoke with Claudine of the outdoor play connection. And she is going to provide us with easy to do actionable steps to get outside tips on creating boundaries for younger children, and so much more. So I hope you enjoy it. Hello, how are you caught in? I am great. Thank you so much for having me. Of course, of course. So tell me you, um, outdoor play connection? Yes. And tell me like how did you get started with this. So the outdoor play connection was kind of born because I realized that so many people, moms especially really wanted to be outdoors, but didn't really know how to get there and needed an invitation. When I moved from New York City to New Jersey, I had to find a whole new community for myself and my kids. And when I realized I just wanted to be outside and meet other people that like the same thing. I just sent an invitation and I had 30 families show up, it was mazing. And so many of them wanted me to do multiple days and fit it in their schedule. And I was like I really can. So I just started showing them how to do what I do. And it just turned into something that I was creating communities kind of all over the world. And I was doing that for a while I took a few years off because I had to have surgery and a few other things life happened. And you know, when the pandemic hit, I really kind of dug into my roots of how to build community. And you know, as through the pandemic, I just found ways to keep our communities together, and people reached out to me to help them keep their community together. And that's kind of where I was like, You know what, I have to make this a thing again. So outdoor play connection was kind of born out of me really wanting to help moms know how to build a community, but also foster it long term because it's so important on our journey as mothers and for our kids. So that's basically where it came from. Okay, so when you are talking about like gathering as a community are, is there something specific that you're focusing on each time you guys are? Or is it really just an opportunity to get together at the park or something like that? There's definitely a focus, there's a space and having some consistency, and meeting up regularly, whether it's weekly or monthly every other week. On the weekends, there is a focus in Hey, we get together and we do this consistently together because we enjoy it. That can look in many different ways. Okay, now with you homeschool, correct? I do. And I've heard about these homeschoolers who do a lot of outdoor like, the program is geared towards outdoor learning. Is that something you implement with your children? Yes, I am very, I love to be outdoors. And so we do bring a lot of our learning outside. And I think you can find balance in what works for you and your family and what that looks like. So I'm very much about you know what, being outdoors 95% of the time might not be your jam, and that's okay. I like to help people figure out what does work for you and what feels good. And it might just mean we're going to work on this project, but we're just going to take it to the table outside. Or you can actually have an outdoor curriculum that is utilizing the outdoors in that way. There's so many different ways to utilize the outdoors in your education, that it can be overwhelming. So I'm kind of here to help people figure out what works for them and then plug them into what will actually make it fun for them. Okay, so is there a like why do you feel that it's important to be outdoors So much. Yes, well, the list is so long. Yes, it's far. I mean, there are so many health benefits between, you know, the air outside being surrounded by just the color green is proven to, you know, help you the plants, just how we work with nature, the sunshine, vitamin D, there are no walls outside. So for children, there's just an ability to let the sound out, let the energy out, everyone feels a little more free, tends to, you know, keep the anxiety down, helps people sleep better. There's so many things. And when you're outside, I think it just brings a different element to whatever you're doing, there is just a sense of being out in the open. And whether you're doing an art project, or you're doing playing games or your whatever it is, you can just be in this open space that is also just re energizing you in ways that you don't even have to try to do. It's just happening by being Yeah, well in, I always find like when we think of schooling, any type of schooling, whether it be homeschooling, or at a traditional school, it's very structured. And this brings an element of less structure, when you just like you mentioned, I mean, you don't have to be doing anything specific. But just taking your work outside, it changes the, the, the feeling, like you mentioned just on the inside. Yeah, the energy is just completely different. And, you know, I personally run a few groups, I have a group where we do outdoor free play, where it's just whatever the kids come up with, sometimes we'll just put a table of supplies out and they just create the paints, they glue, they make things they've gone into my recycling and have made these amazing armors and had these like amazing like battles. It's just fun to watch how their their creativity just sparked. And then we also do structured activities, we have a Science Day, we have a tendency, we have a kickball day. So we pull out all the interests from the kids. And then we implement that throughout our week. And we also have forest days that we go and we adventure in the forest. And we have projects that we do that we create from materials that the forest has given us, we've made lanterns, you know, so there's, there's so much that you can do and it can be structured along with also being open. And having those materials out, allows the kids to come and go and flow and move when they need to move and come and focus when they want to focus. I love seeing how sometimes a child will sit at that table and just be so focused on what they're doing. And you'll sit there for like an hour, and then all of a sudden, they'll just run off something completely different. And then come back and like finish it up. And you're like, Look what I made. And I just love seeing how they're able to put that creativity to us in a way that like they need like, think about when as adults, even when we're being creative, we need those breaks, too, we get hyper focused, but then we need those breaks. I think this kind of environment allows that. And especially if you're in an open space in the forest, you can work on your project, and you can go climb a tree, right. So there's like that element of being able to kind of feed off of that energy. Yeah. Do you notice anything like have parents mentioned to you like the behavior of their children changes from being outdoors? Absolutely. Yeah, I see it in my own kids. My kids are almost for almost 10 and 12 and a half. So like we have birthdays coming up in the next few weeks. So but yeah, I see it even in my own kids. And I see it just when we get together, I have a group of about 15 kids. It's just amazing. Like they're just outside and the conflict resolution and just the ability to you know, if I'm frustrated, there isn't enough space at the time you need and to work it out. And you know, I'm not saying being indoors is bad. I'm not against being inside, right. So it's necessary, it happens. But there's just something else about being outdoors and allowing that energy out that it takes a lot of that anxiety and that stress and lets that release. And that's just true for children and adults. And the communities that I build are not only for the children, right? Adults, too. Yes, yeah. Yeah. Um, and I definitely feel it. I love to be outdoors as well. I mean, I think it's natural for us to want to be drawn to outdoors, and how much different like just taking my computer outside or going and reading a book outside the difference. I don't know what it is. I feel more relaxed. Yes, being outdoors with whatever I'm doing. Yeah. And there's a lot of science behind that and just how nature how we cohabitate with nature, and how just the sounds right and the air and the trees and the flowers. Just being in that open space, it does absolutely change things. And that's one of the things I say is when somebody is struggling to get outdoors and to have that extra time outdoors is, well, what can you just literally move from your inside table to an outside table? What can you move from sitting on your couch to sitting on a chair outside, where you're not having to do anything additional to make it happen? You're just moving your location. That's like a first step when you if you're really struggling, like how do I get outside? How do I do that? Just move that activity outside. One of my favorite things is on a rainy day, or just after it rains, give your kids a big box of chalk. And chalk and water is amazing. So if you're struggling with getting your kids to go outside, get like I get, I don't like 160 pieces of chalk because I have three kids. And if it's raining or if it's just up to the rain, they can use the chalk in the water. And it kind of makes watercolor with chalks and they make water paint, they make chalk paint out of it, they scrape it on like a grater, you know, like what you used to shifts sand and they make powder and you add a little water and then they have paint. And you know, we we paint on paper, we paint on our friends we paint on the sidewalks, and it's just wonderful. And you can they've made rainbows, you put water on it and like spreads the rainbow. It's so fun. It's sensory, it's you know, texture, its creativity, and it's just a box of chalk and some rain. I have never known this that is such a great idea. I've never I mean, you know, we do chalk when it's dry, sunny on a sunny day have never worked with chalk after it has rained. That's really interesting. It's really fun. And I enjoy it too. So it's for all ages for sure. And I it's definitely try it. It's gone. I love the idea. Okay, so with children who are in a traditional school, how can we work to help get our children outdoors? Yeah, that's a great, that's a great question. And I think the the first thing is you have to kind of normalize this is what you're doing. Right? So when you're first getting started, if it's not something your kids are used to be prepared for that transition, right? So manage your expectation in you know, what does that look like for you? Do you just want to get out to the playground? Once once in a while? Do you want this to be a weekly meet up and you want to go hiking? What does it look like for you and your family? What age are your kids? How far can they walk. So all of these things you need to consider so that you are setting yourself up for success. Okay, so if it means go out and get 160 things of chalk, and go out on a dry day and go out on a wet day. And every Thursday we do chalk then that's what it is. Because then it becomes a routine and it becomes normalized, along with also think about what your kids love to do. If there's something they really enjoy. Can they do it outside? Can you move that activity outside? Can you make something consistent, and if the school days during the week, I know that can be there can be a lot with schedules and work and all of that there's just not enough time in the day, consider your weekend, consider a Saturday morning or Sunday morning or a walk after dinner. If there is that time. I know when you have little kids a little harder, you have dinner and then you kind of have to get ready for bed. I totally understand. But maybe it's breakfast in the morning is outside, you know breakfast, make the breakfast in the house and then take your plates, go to a table outside and eat dinner breakfast for 10 minutes outside, it's way easier to clean up. Because you can just leave the crumbs and go back inside. But these are like simple little ways to start feeling comfortable being outdoors more. And when these become normalized, it becomes easier to do the bigger trips to go out and go for a walk in the forest or to go for a hike or to go do a project out in a big field with some friends. Those if they feel too much start with what you can do. Okay, now you keep mentioning, mentioning, you know, getting more comfortable. And it makes me think I mean, I we live in southwest Florida. So it's very hot down here. So it but no matter where we're at, you know, you're dealing with cold elements. You're dealing with rainy elements. Is there what can we do? I mean, is it something I would imagine you don't recommend? Like just stay indoors during the elements? Do you let us know like what how can we work through this situation? Yeah, that's I'm so glad you're asking that because that is all weather play. I think it's so important. Because if you're just waiting for that perfect day to get outdoors, you're gonna wait for a while because there's always a reason, right? So it's more of how can I manage these elements and what is actually possible. So for us, I mean, it does get hot here. It's been very hot this August. And you know, maybe you get out earlier in the morning when it's cooler. So are you know, think of like, when is it cooler, or maybe it's the evening walk. So it's thinking about what works for me, some people love the heat. And they're like, I'm fine going outside during the day. Great, awesome. Another thing is gear. So making sure you have shirts that are breathable hats to cover, right? A wet cloth can go so far in the heats around your neck or on your head. And that's just dealing with the heat, right? So when you come to the cold when it's cold, you know, it does, it's January, February, we're up in the northeast, so we're in New Jersey, it's, it does get cold, but our expectation is, hey, we're gonna go out for an hour, and we're gonna play and then we're gonna come in, and then have some hot cocoa and do some other activities, and then we'll go out for another hour later in the day. So it's these little bursts that we can do, and that can work for heat or cold. And managing that expectation. Now, I'll tell you, often, I'm like, we're gonna go out for an hour and play in the snow, and then come back, and then it's three hours later, and we've been out in the snow. Like, that's because we make sure we have the gear, the kids have the right gear to stay warm, I have the right gear to stay warm moms, it's important to make sure you are ready for the elements too. So I really do think that it's it is somewhat individual, some people cannot stand the heat or the cold. And I understand that. But there are ways to get little bursts of time outdoors, even during that time. If we're looking at different ages, do you have like, other than the, okay, you've already explained like the where to start just going out for some simple, you know, like, read outside or eat dinner outside or things like that. If we want to take it a step further. And we really want our children to start to play outside. And like you mentioned, not just playing at a playground. But I love the idea where you said, you know, they're picking up leaves, and they're building lanterns from things in the forest, things like that. How can we start to work with our children to get a little bit more into nature, not just outside? Yeah, that's great. Because that's, that's the goal, right? Is a lot of people are like, I want to start here. But the goal is to be out in nature and to be on hikes be in the forest and be surrounded by nature in that way. And that's why I kind of start with like, do what makes sense for you to start because then it becomes easier to do those other things, right. But one of the things is, Do your kids love art? Do they enjoy science or engineering? All of those things, you can bring projects into the forest, what does your child have interest in, a lot of kids are totally fine. Also just going and being and walking and exploring. So having less expectations of like, we're not going to have to do a project, we're not going to have to do anything like that. Let's just go and explore can really help them want to be there. And I've worked with clients with where I work with the mom and the child to help them come together and what outdoors looks like for them. Because maybe the child is like yeah, no, I don't want to go on a hike mom. And my mom's like, I just want to go out in nature and share this with you. And that's hard. Because you're you want two different things, right? So I basically work with them in like, okay, let's find a way to bring you together. One way to do this is to allow the child to be the leader, give them that independence, give them that authority to say, Okay, let's look at the map. Where do you want to go? What do you want to explore, and let them lead on the trail, let them show you where they want to go. Bring a small bag, so if they find any treasures that they can bring with them. And then you can start saying, Okay, we're going to collect things to put in our lantern today. And then you bring those things home and you create your lantern at home or you can create it in the forest that's really like timing and what you what you're willing to do. But allowing them to have this ownership of being outdoors really can help and with the younger ages, you can't give them too many options. I understand that but you know, it's like make it exciting. And see we're just gonna go and explore to see what we're gonna see and having a same location every week, especially for those littles who like that repetition, and have that kind of consistency because they know what to expect is really great. So if you find that location, you go over and over every week or even every month to see what it looks like the next time you show up. It's succeeding in itself because nature is always changing. Even you know in Florida I'm sure things still change. It's you know, not the same temperature all year round. A little. There might be a different home for an animal somewhere there. A tree may have fallen, the plants might have grown differently. There's always something that's changing nature's always bringing that for us. We don't have to do much to create that difference in their experience and giving them that ownership even when they're young, like my, the toddlers, you know, my three year old, he'll lead you right down on the path where he wants to go. And then as parents and as adults, as caregivers, we get to see through their eyes, what the experience, there are so many things that I have experienced, because my children have shown it to me that I would have missed. Because let's just be realistic, we are in the forest. And we're trying our darndest to not think about the to do list to do at home, right? So we have to let go of all of that and try and be present with our kids. So if we say that in our expectation and say that in our intention, I'm just going to take this hour, and I'm gonna be here with my kids and follow them. It takes all the pressure off of you. You don't have to provide anything, you're providing them the space to show you. And it can be that simple. Okay. Well, and as you're saying that I'm thinking of like, when my children were little, and because they were smaller, they saw things more than I saw, like, you know, the little bug on the ground, they would run up and Mom Look at this, you know, that type of thing. So they're seeing things differently, because they're, it's a different perspective for them. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And as they get older, it changes, right. So they start to see things differently. They get taller, their their mind is changing and how they process things. So yeah, it's so fun. I've loved like over the years, just seeing how my kids take it all in as they grow. Okay. All right. So I've got two thoughts going right here. The first question I have is still sticking with the little ones. How do you and this would be more for that parent who's very hesitant to allow their child the freedom to just kind of go? How do you create safe boundaries, but allow opportunities to explore? Do you have any recommendations of how to go about that? Yeah, I think it's really important to, number one find a place that can be safe for them. It's kind of called that Yes. Zone, right. Where, when I've scouted out locations for our groups when my kids were younger, and still now I still have a three year old. So which adds another layer of me trying to find places for both ages. But you can I have put my kids in the carrier, we go for a hike and I check it out and like say, okay, you know, they're not going to walk as far as we're going to walk when they're that little. But what does this entryway look like? Are is there water? Are you comfortable with water play, if there is water, is it shallow, if there is, you know, kind of cliffs, you don't want to go on a trail where you have to keep pulling away from the side, just don't go there. Because it's not going to be fun, find a place that works for where they are developmentally and make it appropriate. So we have a favorite spot. That's great for our littles because it's a very short walk in to a big field. So the walk is through the forest, and then it opens up to this big green field. And it's so open, that it allows the little ones to run and go and test their limits as to how far they want to be independent, and comeback. But it also allows mom to see you and not feel like okay, your kid is all the way over there, and I can't see you. So I understand like, those are hesitations. And then I would challenge you to also check where those fears are coming from. Because if you are in a safe space, if you're in a place where they can be okay. And you're aware of your surroundings where I know like for us, we deal with a lot of poison ivy and ticks. And I know there's very interesting frogs down in Florida by you guys. So knowing these elements and knowing what you're dealing with and finding a space that you feel okay with your kid exploring is the first step. But then also check in with what is your fear? Where what are you worried about in that letting them have that space? And how can you help support yourself and saying, This is going to be okay. And allowing yourself to slowly realize that it will be and giving them that ability to kind of explore a little bit more. And there's a there's a there was another thought that is going to come back to me, Oh, I have a call system that we utilize for safety also. And this really, it's amazing because it just it doesn't only work in the forest, it works everywhere. But we have a call system where it's very loud call that I do and it's either a one call to call or three. So it's a very loud sound that I've produced outside and one means respond back because then I want to know where you are. And this is great when your kids are kind of exploring a little bit further than your vision or if you're allowing the big kids to kind of go ahead while you're staying back with the toddlers. It's kind of how I balanced my age difference. One call they will call back to me and I know where they are. Okay, calm means come back no questions, right? They do what to call back. So I know they heard me. And they return, no questions asked. And this is because either they took a wrong turn, it's time to head out whatever that reason is, they come back. This is great when you're kind of like, at home too, and you need them to come in for dinner, or I've used it in, I've used it in stores, I've used it in many places, that works really well, as long as you don't overuse it. A three car is emergency come with help. So this has never been used for us. But we have it so that we have that security of like if something happens, and we need you to come they do a three call, it usually means like we need medical attention. Okay, okay. No, yeah, that gives us kind of a set of kind of security of like, we can communicate, because you can always use cell phones in the Forest Service. And honestly, not all kids have devices. So this is a system that works no matter what, you just need your voice. Right. And I think it's really important to be able to be self sufficient in that way. So relying on something that might not work, right. That's great. With you had mentioned, like trying to figure things out for your older children and your younger child. Is there a way to kind of allow the opportunity for I'll give you a specific thing that I'm thinking of when my we like to go up to the mountains, and my husband, and my older son would love to climb rocks, and you know, explore, which has me just like, don't do that. Don't do that, like I'm terrified. But the other children, the younger children want to get involved as well, to have any recommendations on like, how to safely do that. Because you know, the big kids, they're gonna do what they want to do and what they feel is safe. But the younger children want to emulate the older children, but may not be a safety. For me, it's just all mom. No, it's, you're describing my life. I have two older girls, and my youngest is a boy. And like I said, they're 1210 and four, so that he does not believe he's three at all. So I think I've gone through this a lot. I'm constantly like, okay, they want to do this thing, it would be fine for them to do it. But he's seeing it now. So now he wants to do it. And I do have to take a deep breath. Like I'm just as human as the rest of the moms like, I'm like, and there was a time where the girls climbed in their friends climbed up this big rock in the forest. And then he's like, I'm going to do that too. And I'm like, Yeah, we are mommy to climb a rock right now. And I think it's really important because I let him do it, because I wanted him to experience that. And I do think it's important because they will start to learn their limits. If we hold them back. They're not going to know if they can or can't do things. So how do I help him do it? Well, it takes a little bit more out of me. Because to be honest, when my girls were exploring like that, they didn't climb, things like that. They didn't have that kind of influence. So maybe they would climb a smaller area. So it wasn't, I could really let them be free in that. But when he's watching them, I go with him. Right? I kind of I will check in with him. And I very cautious and how much I help him because I want him to feel his body's ability. So if we're constantly holding them and constantly placing them where they need to go, they won't have that realistic understanding of this is hard to climb, I'm going up higher. This feels not very good to me like and asking those questions. And when they say can you help me see what what's making you feel like you can't do it? Like, let's check in with your body. If it feels like you don't want you shouldn't do it, then your body's saying let's hold off and respecting those boundaries, and also cheering them on in that you don't need to do everything your sisters did. Right? In letting them celebrate what they have done. Now he did make it to the top of course. And you know, I it was a great video my friend took because I climbed it with him and like I got to the top and just basically exasperated myself because like, I can't believe we just did that. So he's a bit fearless. So we've been working on him understanding like what feels good for him in that sense, because he will climb and then just think someone's going to catch him. So I'm very cautious on like, verbalizing that to him because he is having a different experience. And I don't think it's bad, right? It's a negative experience at all. I think it's just very different. And as moms I know like for me it's been an adjustment because he is literally growing up in a very different environment than his sisters did, it can't be the same, right. But when you have multiple kids like that, it's important to remember that you're not read, you're not redoing the childhood of the older siblings like, this is his childhood where he has two older sisters. And this is where Multi age groups come in. And why I think they're so wonderful because it does allow the older children to have a leadership role and be mentors to the little kids. And the little kids get to look up to somebody other than mom, that they might relate to a lot more girls grew up in multi age groups, and had these older teenage or preteen kids in their groups. And now they are those kids. Now they are those preteen kids, with the younger kids. So they're now experiencing the leadership aspect of it, when in the past, they looked up to the mentors of the other kids. So I think those dynamics are important, especially like schools can't not all schools can do that. Right? Schools, very age specific. mingling in different age groups can bring such a different dynamic and a different learning experience. Because they're learning from each other. And they don't really, they're not really saying, hey, well, how old are you? Like, can you show me this thing? It's like, Hey, can you show me how you did that? Right? Yeah. It's, it's a way adults learn to when we want to learn something new. What do we do we go to somebody who knows how to do it. Right, right, someone who's ahead of us. Yeah, yeah. That is, that is great, what you just said, because I feel like parents, especially parents of younger children, are very much like I want my children to be surrounded with children their own age. And for you to bring that up, just hopefully opens their eyes, the opportunities for that, on both sides, allowing the child to be the older one or the younger one, there's benefits to both, there's benefits to being around kids your own age, because they're gonna relate to each other in certain ways. And there's benefits to being around kids that are older or younger, because then you see the difference in have the opportunity, like my son who's four, when he's around a two year old, he wants to help them bringing that into a child's life and giving them that ability to be a mentor and a leader. I mean, just think about what that can do for them long term, right? Having that ability to be a helper, and to be there to teach what they know. These are skills that you can teach, just by letting them exist in a space with multi ages, you don't have to teach it, you can't. But when you're in a situation where they're able to share their knowledge, share what they know and help others. That's something that I mean, it's, I'd like to just say magical, because it's really wonderful the impact that it has on all the ages. Perfect. Okay, so what I always like to do is leave something with my like an actionable step for my moms to take, can you give them something to take with them today? To where they can go out and practice? You know, the opportunity of going outdoors more? Sure, I'd love to, I think, I think first. So there's I'd like to say two things to Sure. Yeah. Because I get a lot like a pair of moms who say I'm not doing enough. I'm just not doing enough. How can I do more. And I just want to say, you don't need to take that on as if you need to do more. We are constantly put under a lot of pressure to do more. And instead, take a moment before you think about what you're going to do. And take a moment and look at what you are doing. Because a lot of moms that I work with, when we get started, I look at their kind of their schedule and what they're doing. And I'm like, so you're doing all of this already. Just know you're already winning. So let's look at those things that you are doing in which ones do you enjoy the most. And let's do that more. So instead of just saying I want to get outdoors more and picking something that you're now going to do, I encourage you to look at what you are doing already and what really sparks joy for you. So even if you do that once a month, and you're like Oh, I really love it when we go to the farm and we go for a walk or we go to this nature preserve and love it when we go there and go there more, maybe schedule it where you go once a week, every other week, you know, do that find out what you're already doing because I guarantee there is something you've done in the last six weeks. If you need to look back in months, that's fine too. I guarantee there's something you've done recently that you really enjoyed that you can do consistently. And if there if if there's nothing on your schedule that you've been enjoying, then start with taking that meal outdoors, because that is something you literally are already doing and can just take it outside party fit. Can you tell us where we can find you, where we can learn more from you and anything that you offer? Sure. So I'm on Instagram. That's basically where I spend most of my time. And you can find me at outdoor play connection. And I also have a website, outdoor play connection.com. And I offer one on one coaching with moms where I will basically check out exactly what your goals are and help you step by step get there. It's very personalized. Like I said, I've worked with moms who are like, I want to get out more for myself. I've worked with moms who are like, I want to get up more with my kid who doesn't want to get outside. Really, whatever your goal is, I also offer a group coaching program, it just started so it's closed right now. But you can sign up for the waitlist for the next one. And this program is where I help you create the communities that I've been talking about. It's a group program and we go step by step all the logistics, it's basically the one thing on your list that you don't have to actually think about because I'm going to help you do it. It's an eight week program where we go through all of the steps of how to create a community that works for you. Oh, perfect. That's great. Okay, so outdoor play connection. And on Instagram, same thing, right? Okay. Perfect. All right. Thank you so much for taking the time out today to speak with me. This was really fun. Thanks so much for having me. This was great. Thank you for taking time out of your day to listen to our podcast. I hope you found this information valuable, and hope that you can immediately use some of the information that was provided, make sure to check out the show notes for all of the links that we discussed today. As a mom myself, I understand that at times you can feel alone and are looking for a sense of community. It is my goal to help bring moms together to find each other to help support one another and also help raise healthy humans. That is why I've created a Facebook group, it is free for you to join and you can go to moms raising healthy human. I also have upgraded our membership portal for you. If you are interested, I now have three tiers because I want to make sure that everybody is moving more no matter where you are. So the first one if you happen to like our weekly movement snacks, you're gonna want to join our first tier, it's $5 a month, and you will have a daily movement exercise that you can do. If you want to move even more, you might want to try one of our other memberships, where we go even deeper, and you can join us for live zoom classes. Remember, it is my goal to help bring moms together in a healthy and supportive community. And I feel like that's what I'm doing with the forms that community so head to form fit s o r NSIT online.com. To see our new website and to learn more