15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to get out of the House and Connect with your Kids
I love this book. I found it on Amazon while searching for some pediatric specific health books for my collection. It is a very simple concept. The author is a woman/mom named Rebecca Cohen who lives in Virginia and has two boys. Prior to writing the book, she had a demanding corporate job but then left to start her own company so she could spend more time with her husband and kids. One year she made a new year’s resolution to get outside every day of the year with her kids for at least 15 minutes. She called it the 15 minutes Outside Campaign, started a website, and began collecting ideas for outside activities. Now she has published their outdoor adventures in this book.
The book is divided into seasons and months. It has a described activity for each day of each month. The activity ideas range from simple things like “lie under a tree and look up” to more involved activities like “plant a garden.” There are activities appropriate for each major holiday. There is also a list of the activities in the back. I think the most helpful suggestions for me were for the winter months since the author lives in a climate that also has cold and snow. I frequently have a hard time generating the energy to take the kids outside on cold winter days and the author has some really great ideas.
As pediatric obesity rates continue to rise in America, most of us who live in Central Oregon are committed to raising healthy kids who take advantage of our beautiful surroundings. This book is a great resource.
I hope to see you outside!
Dr. JB Warton