Usually I’m not preachy, but watching this video of three generations talking about summer ‘fun’ filmed by Nature Valley jarred me to my roots. Our relationship to nature is changing and with technology at our fingertips, it’s easy to forget about what’s important, like being outside and enjoying nature. With each passing generation, children seem to be playing outside less and less.
What if our connection to nature is lost for good? I want my grandchildren to develop skills and knowledge that can be acquired only in nature. Learning to fish, to camp, swim, built forts and plant seeds are part of childhood – play is necessary for development. Not only are motor skills developed, but creativity, reasoning, logic and life skills are honed. Can you imagine having no access to food other than fish, but the only time you’ve held a rod was during a fishing video game? So let’s make a pact to get the kids outside this summer, K?
The time is now to rediscover the joy of nature.
The kids and I have completed our ‘Summer Bucket List’ and pasted it to the fridge, where we can check off the items as we complete them. I’m giddy. Too often the summer slips away from us and I regret not having slept in a tent or taking the kayak out. This will be the best summer ever.
I challenge you to complete your own Bucket List (click to get your own printable)! I’d also love to hear your ideas in the comments below. Happy summer!
Fast forward to the sunny day when our Springfree arrived. The kids were out at a friend’s and as I watched the crew set it up, my mind raced. I could jump on it every day and eliminate the need for a cardio machine that would hurt my back! The kids could be zipped in one at a time and I could spend time making a healthy dinner without supervising them. OOOH – the neighbour’s toddler could come and use it like a giant playpen! Maybe I could fill it with beachballs…. On and on the ideas streamed. The boys returned home and I didn’t hear whining for three hours. I had to keep going to check on them and the giggles were endless. They wanted their dinner served inside their new ‘fort’.
A Parent’s Perspective on the Springfree Trampoline
We sourced these images while on a jaunt to Harrod’s in London and the trip certainly rekindled my true love for everything baby!
If you’re a baby boomer or part of that X-Y alphabet generation, you probably don’t have a ton of student loans, never lived with your parents ’til you were 40, and only worked ‘for free’ to pad the ol’ resume. If you are a parent of a millennial, on the other hand, you probably realize that those days are gone. There is an unfounded perception that millennials are unskilled and lazy and now, years of unpaid internships are the norm. Housing prices are too high to support with entry-level jobs and university costs continue to rise. And there’s another problem. The gap between entry-level positions and senior executives from the boomer generation who are retiring is a cavernous chasm that you could drive a truck through. In a few years the top decision makers will be embarking on the Grand Tour they never made time for in their 20s, and there will be no junior executives who are able to take their place because anyone with potential has been relegated to the mailroom on an unpaid internship for a few years.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Boyd, the first successful intern in the Next to Succeed program. He explained the perilous job search he faced upon graduating and how many of his classmates are still working retail jobs or earning wages in fields other than what studied. So how did he land the role that is the envy of bright young stars across Canada? His Dad put an article on his bed about the new internship program with Walter Surface Technologies. Open not only to residents of Montreal, it was a well-paying internship with housing included where the employee would learn many facets of the business – from flying on the corporate jet to meet with the board of directors, shadowing executives and working on a high-level project in an area of his schooling. Boyd had been offered a full time entry level marketing position in another company but turned it down to be able to get the exposure and training with Walter Surface Technologies. We experienced close-knit, working relationships with senior management and was offered continued work with the company once the internship was complete. As Boyd says, “You don’t have to limit self to just one department. If you are going to be a CEO you have to understand them all.” To me it sounded like an executive MBA that you’re actually paid for. And also a win-win for the graduate and the business.
Dealing with fickle picky eaters can give moms and dads a bunch of extra grey hair, and at times it is hard to remember that fussy eating is a normal stage for kids when learning about themselves. Experts constantly weigh in on methods to ensure healthy eating and Jessica Seinfeld’s 
You can learn lots more about nutrition and health on the Iron Kids website, and they also have a great bi-weekly newsletter!
UrbanMommies had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Jason Priestley – actor, director and activist who travelled to the Dominican Republic and is working to promote the 
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