Curing “Nature Deficit Disorder” Getting our kids to enjoy the outdoors in the winter months

[Kakie]

I recently had a business conference where all my co-workers flew in from all over the country to the Twin Cities Metro area. One of them said to me; “I can’t believe you have parades in the winter time in Minnesota. That’s crazy, why do you do that?” Newsflash! Minnesota is not a tropical walk along a sandy beach in the winter and we need to do something in all of this cold.

We are optimists in the upper Midwest and celebrating the seasons comes naturally to us. There are nights the snow is so beautiful that it shines in the moonlight like diamonds. When it is five degrees outside, it isn’t that bad if dressed correctly. This year, the day after Thanksgiving, I went with my two sisters and their kids to a night time parade we have downtown Minneapolis. It is called the “Hollidazzle” and it is full of family, fantasy, lights and glamour. The events run a few days each week from Thanksgiving through to Christmas. This year was my son’s first experience at a parade like that so he was front and center. Although he LOVES being with his cousins, he was so captivated by the lights that when the other kids were cold and wanted to go inside, he wanted to stay.

http://burburandfriendsblog.com/2008/01/30/getting-our-kids-to-enjo...