October 22, 2024 • 35 mins
Are you an "outdoorsy" family? Would you like to enjoy nature with kids more than you do right now? In this episode, Laura interviews Sarah McCarty, head of Run Wild My Child, to learn tactics for getting outside together, even if it isn't your family's natural inclination.
In the Q&A, a listener writes in asking about Halloween costumes -- how do you handle it when kids change their minds?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Laura Vanderkamp. I'm a mother of five, an author, journalist,
and speaker.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
And I'm Sarah Hart Hunger, a mother of three, practicing physician, writer,
and course creator. We are two working parents who love
our careers and our families.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to best of both worlds. Here we talk about
how real women manage work, family, and time for fun.
From figuring out childcare to mapping out long term career goals.
We want you to get the most out of life.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Welcome the best of both worlds. This is Laura.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This episode is airing in late October of twenty twenty four.
I am going to be interviewing Sarah McCarty about getting
kids outdoors. Sarah is the founder of an organization called
Run Wild My Child, which has lots of editorial content
and other things about getting kids outdoors. We had been
wanting to do a show about this topic for a while.
(01:06):
There's various ideas out there of various adventurous things you
can do with your kids. I don't know if you
wish to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with your kids
or something like that, but for those of us looking
for a little bit more entry level outdoor activities.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Her ideas fit better with that.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So, Sarah, what are your general feelings about the great outdoors?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Uh, We're not the world's most outdoorsy, and I guess
that's a little bit probably of a disappointment to my
younger self imagining what life would be like with kids
tramping around in fields or doing all sorts of nature
centered activities. I would say the majority of our outdoor
time is like on the sidelines at soccer games, or
(01:52):
maybe at the pool, since swimming is always an easy
way to stay cool in the summer and just something
to do. We've had a couple of travel experiences that's
centered around more adventurous outdoor stuff and honestly haven't been
our favorites. However, the one exception would be skiing. I
think that strikes a nice balance for us between enjoying
(02:14):
being outside and fresh air, but then also like a
specific activity.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
I don't know hiking with kids as hard. We've done
a few good hikes, I mean with my older three kids.
A couple of years ago we did like a six
mile hike in Yellowstone that went quite well, and there
was a little bit of whining in the middle of it.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
But we made it. We saw stunning vistas and all
this other stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
But yeah, with little kids, I mean they don't really
walk briskly from point A to point B all that well.
But you know, we've had a good We're getting outside
with bikes. Biking around our driveway in the neighborhood has
been a fun thing to do, you know. I yeah,
I probably should be outside more like being outside.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
It's a little harder to involve the whole family.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But Sarah McCarty not hard anger, but the other Sarah
is about to share some great ideas, so please give
it a listen well, Sarah, as in Sarah Hartunger and
I are delighted to welcome Sarah McCarty to the program.
Sarah is the founder and editor of Run Wild My Child,
which is a magazine, website, et cetera devoted to getting
(03:29):
kids outside. So Sarah, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Hi, thank you so.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Much for having me. I'm honored to be here today.
Like you said, I am the founder of a company
called Run Wild My Child. This started off as just
a blog, a website basically for getting kids and their
parents off screens and outdoors. So I am an attorney
by trade, and back when I was a baby lawyer,
(03:55):
I decided that I would run a marathon, and I start.
I did a website and a blog all about writing
about marathon training, which sounds awful, but I realized I
quickly loved writing a whole lot more than the running portion.
So the writing continued through wedding planning and some infertility,
and then kids came along and it was all things
(04:17):
kids and babies. And as my kids got older, I
realized that there was this magical thing called the outdoors
that made kids act better, eat better, sleep better, get
along better. And I just couldn't believe that every parent
in the world wasn't shouting from the rooftops about just
(04:38):
getting outside with their kids. And I started writing about
my adventures with our kids and how much better it
made me feel as a parent, how much better my
kids were doing, and all the things that we were doing,
hiking and fishing and camping, and I couldn't believe the
response that I was getting from parents, just how do
(05:00):
you do this? Where do you go? What gear do
you use? I want recommendations. I think there were a
lot of parents out there that wanted to give their
kids the type of childhood that they grew up having,
you know that like go outside until the street lights
come on kind of childhood. But things are different and
there are these things called screens, and it was just
(05:21):
so much harder to get kids interested in going outside
or to figure out how just to get to the park.
And there were websites about hiking the Appalachian Trail with toddlers,
but there was nothing like how did just get out
the door with your sanity intact and kids wearing shoes
and snacks. So I decided, well I could do that.
(05:43):
So I started writing about runwot like our adventures. I
called it Run Wild My Child, and it just kind
of exploded. And I think it was just a lot
of good timing on my part, right before COVID, before
the world shut down and everybody wanted to be outside.
And then we have gone on to launch a podcast
(06:03):
in a magazine, and we still have the website and
we have a community, and it's just grew in a
way that I never could have imagined.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Well, I'm very curious, I mean, what is it about
being outside? I mean, obviously there are degrees of this.
I mean, if it's like one hundred and ten degrees outside.
I'm not you know, kids are not necessarily better behaved outside,
whether it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Sorry, I've had had.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Some whining myself in that situation, but in general, I mean,
if the weather is pleasant, what is it about being
outside that seems to make people more agreeable?
Speaker 4 (06:40):
I think part of it is taking away this structure.
You've probably heard the saying like, you can't bounce off
the walls if there aren't any walls. So getting kids
outside and giving them the ability to dictate their own play,
to come up with their own ideas or things that
they have to do. Is this magical thing called unstructured
(07:02):
free play where they are in charge and it's a
sensory experience. It's foster's creativity. It makes them curious about
the things around them. They have to pay attention, They
have to figure out what to do and how to
climb these things. And you know, if they find a stick,
what they have to turn it into a wand or
a sword or something, and just it really opens kids'
(07:25):
eyes to imaginative play and unstructured free play gives them
the power to control the things that they're doing. They
have to make up the rules, they have to communicate.
It's a little different than playing with toys inside because
a lot of times those toys have specific purposes and
there's one right way to play a board game, you know,
(07:48):
there's one right way to play with a truck. But
if you go outside, you kind of take away all
the rules and kids just come alive. And sometimes it
takes time, and it's not the thing that happens within
the first minute or two. And I think sometimes parents,
especially if they're just getting started with kids getting outside,
can get a little discouraged because they'll go out and
(08:09):
they're like, fifteen minutes later, like, why aren't they playing?
Why are they still clinging to me? But I've read
somewhere that it takes sometimes twenty to forty minutes for
kids to really get actively involved in outdoor play, unstructured,
freakly on their own. So it just takes time and
patience and persistence and making this a priority, and then
(08:31):
you will really see your kids start to thrive outdoors
because there are so many health benefits and you know,
all kinds of just magical things that happen for kids
and adults, and you'll start to feel better too.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I was gonna say, let's talk about the adults,
because I mean, I may not be engaging in much
unstructured flee play outside I have to I'd say, I'm
not really climbing that many trees these days. But what
I mean it tends to put adults in a better
mood as well.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Yeah, and I think that a lot of that is,
you know, it's the fresh air, it's the sunshine, it's
getting outside and having some kind of white space around
you to think, to process, to work through things. I
just always feel like, not only am I do I
feel better, but I'm a better parent when I'm outside
because I'm not constantly like, stop doing that, No, don't
(09:24):
climb the walls, don't jump on that thing. You know,
like all the things that the distractions that are inside.
I'm constantly cleaning and finding things that I have to do.
You take all that away when you're outside and you
give yourself some space to really think and breathe and relax,
and it just, I don't know it you magically feel better.
There's plenty of research to prove it.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, we're going to take one quick ad break and
then we will come back and talk about some practical
ways to start building an outdoor habit. Well, I am
back talking with Sarah McCarty of Run Wild My Child,
(10:11):
a website about getting kids outdoors. So, you know, let's
get to the practicalities here, because, like you said, you
know what entry level getting outside. We're not hiking the
Appalachian Trail here, We're just looking to get outside for
a little bit. But we've got a lot of very
busy families listening to this show. You know, two jobs,
kids and a lot of activities. What are some practical
(10:33):
ways to start building this into our lives.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Oh, it's such a great question, and I want to
emphasize that having parents who are working in kids in
traditional schools and sports and activities does not prohibit anybody
from still being outdoorsy. I think sometimes the outdoor kid
industry really supports like homeschooling families and parents maybe that
stay home, but everybody is welcome outdoors and everyone become outdoorsy,
(11:01):
and I think really the first thing to do is
just decide that it's going to be a priority, and
sometimes that means putting in on the schedule. I live
by my schedule, by our calendar, so sometimes I've got
that scheduled into our day that we need to get
outside and then trying to figure out what it is
to do with them. So we have a huge list
(11:25):
of activities and parks and places to go and things
to do around us, and that will eliminate some of
that stress about like, well I don't know what to
do once we get out there, or where do we
even go? So I would start with making a huge
list of everything that you can do within fifteen minutes
of you and when you have some free time and
(11:46):
you get to that time of scheduling, like that's what
you do, You go out there, you do the thing.
Some of the times, it's great to revisit things that
you've already done. Don't feel like you always have to
try something new. There's so much benefit of going to
the same places over and over again. The seasons change,
things in nature change just naturally, so revisiting similar places
(12:10):
or the same place again and again is don't feel
like everything has to be a new adventure. And go
with them. I think, especially when they're little, you have
to be the one to get out there with them
and kind of model the behavior and what you want
them to do. If you're outside with them, but you're
checking your phone every few minutes, or you're distracted, or
(12:33):
you don't want to be there, or you're complaining about
the weather, like they're going to pick up on that
they don't want to be out there if you're miserable,
So model that you're having fun. So just you gotta
fake it till you make it. If you're not outdoorsy
like kind of you have to pretend for a while
until they can kind of figure out how to get
outside and how much better it makes you feel. And
(12:53):
it may surprise you and you may even become outdoors
by spending some time outside.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Well, when does this happen in your family schedule? I
mean you said, you know it's busy, you put it
on the calendar. What does that actually mean? Like in
the McCarty family schedule.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
So, my kids go to traditional schools, so we do
outdoor time after school, and sometimes that means we come
home and the kids ride their bikes to friends' houses
or just up and down the street around the neighborhood.
We kind of push back on homework or anything that
kind of comes with school until you know, we give
them at least an hour to get outside and play
(13:28):
kind of running around and get some of that energy out.
We schedule on weekends. We're both working parents, so weekends
are coveted for us. That is our family time together.
So we do sports and all the kids have their
own activities, but we try to find those pockets of
time or the weekends that we have off where we
can really get outside and do some more adventurous things.
(13:50):
We always have gear in our car, so if we've
got time in between two baseball games or in between activities,
we've got our fishing poles and in the back of
the truck will just stop somewhere and fish for an hour.
We've got our hiking clothes, so we can just jump
out and you know, at the park and take a
walk around. We try to find pockets of time wherever
(14:13):
we can and fit that in, even if it just
means taking a walk while someone's at practice. You know,
everybody else takes a walk around the block or around
the track, and really just trying to make sure that
you have opportunities, that you can take advantage of the
(14:34):
opportunities that you have.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
And you mentioned earlier, I mean one of the barriers
you were talking about parents like, well, I'm not going
to go hike the apple a tintral. I'm just trying
to get people out the door. I wonder if there
are more any sort of hacks you have about getting
small children out the door easier. There's always a lot
of shoes, and if you're in somewhere that's cold, like
(14:57):
Saint Louis, I imagine there are boots and hats.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
And there's always one mitten that there's.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
One man missing. So let's talk about that missing mitten
and how we make that not a barrier.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Yeah. I think the winter definitely adds an entire new
element to getting outside. And sometimes it will take you
longer to find all of the things and get dressed,
and it actually the kids will are willing to spend outside.
So I think that you just kind of have to
plan ahead of time and know what you're going to do.
So if you know you're just going to go outside
(15:28):
in the front yard, having a place where all of
your gear lives and it stays there, and that means
it's easy for the kids when they walk in the
door and they start shedding layers and stripping and throwing
things that it all can stay in one place. So
kind of think of the layout of your house and
how when and where the kids come in and where
(15:49):
things tend to gather and if you can put something there.
We have this giant rubber maid that has three drawers,
and so each kid has a drawer and that's where
they're gloves and there's arts and their hats and everything
goes there. And the rest of the year, when it's
not winter, that lives in the basement, so we don't
ever have we don't have to see it, but then
we pull it out every winter and it's there. And
(16:12):
then just having things ready to go. I always have
like a box in my car full of things that
I think I need, which means like a change of
clothes for everybody, because you may just happen a pond,
a creek, or a mud puddle that the kids feel
like they have to explore and they have to get into.
And I can't even tell you how many times we
(16:33):
have driven home with all the kids completely, you know,
with no clothes because they just got so wet and
money and had fine, but it was worth it. I
would rather be the mom that says, yes, you can
get money and not worry about it than try to
keep them from having fun and playing because they didn't
have a change of clothes. Now I'm a little bit
(16:54):
better prepared.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Have some towels in the car. Yeah, always a good death.
I'm wondering about.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Obviously it's fun to go somewhere, but I imagine a reasonable
amount of ones outdoor time could just happen in your yard.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
For our listeners who are.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Sort of standard suburban folk and have a quarter acre
lot or whatever it is, I wonder if there are
things you would recommend having for your house, outdoor toys,
outdoor equipment, things like that that would make your yard
competitive with YouTube shorts.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Oh totally, okay. So a slack line, it's a great
addition to any backyard. We have one set up just
out there year round and the kids go out on it.
They bounce, they flip, they do all kinds of things.
So we have paired our slack line with like a
ninja course, like so we've got the one the slack
(17:49):
line on the bottom that they can walk across, but
then they've got these like almost like an obstacle course
that they can have to hang on as they on
the top. So they loved that. We had for years.
My kids have finally gotten to the point where they
just absolutely destroyed it. But it was an outdoor clubhouse.
(18:10):
I think we got it at Sam's or Costco or something,
and it was a kind of a cedar wooden plank
like little clubhouse. And that clubhouse lasted years and it
took a beating. My kids climbed on it. They played restaurant,
they played shop like. They would just sit in it
when it rained and watch the rain. They made it
(18:31):
an igloo in the winter. They put fairy lights in it.
Like so many stories and like cute things happened in
that tiny little clubhouse. Other things. A little red wagon
is just a great addition. My kids have used that
for karting anything and everything and each other all around
the yard. I'm a huge fan of bikes and scooters
(18:54):
and anything that kind of gets them moving and going
and giving them a little bit more of a thrilling sensory.
As kids get older, they really try to seek those
thrills and find fun and exciting things to do. So
if you give them things like bikes and scooters, and
they just love that stuff. If you live on a
we live on a cold sax, so our street is
(19:14):
really accessible and easy for them to kind of just
you know, we don't have a lot of traffic, so
they run the entire neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Do you think it's easier for kids to get out
if they are in that kind of neighborhood or I mean,
is it something that our urban dwelling listeners can also
access pretty easily.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I think having other kids is so enticing for kids,
and that is one of the biggest things that I
would tell parents. If you've got other kids around, talk
to the other parents and see if there's something that
you guys can collectively do to get more kids outside.
Because I can have all of the toys and the
gadgets and the fun stuff outside, but my kids would
(19:56):
pick playing with other kids outside over anything I can offer.
So if there are other kids, that is a lot
more fun than whatever I can give them. And luckily,
like most parents right now really do want their kids
to spend time outside, and they're willing to post the
little backyard playdate today if you host tomorrow, or let
(20:17):
your kids come over and jump on the trampoline or
whatever it is. Like most of the time, parents are
pretty willing and it's a great way to get to
know your neighbors and then your you know, your kids
have built in friends on the street. And I think
we're very lucky living in a city. I grew up
in the middle of the country, which I feel like,
would we have a you know, getting outside and being
(20:39):
accessible to the woods in nature was so easy, but
I had nobody to play with. So I feel like
my kids are growing up in this amazing situation where
maybe they don't have a woods and a pond and
all of the amazing things I had as a kid,
but they have other kids, which is a whole nother thing.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, so I'm just pondering another barrier that's going to
be coming up for my family fairly soon. You know,
we're in Pennsylvania, which is on the Eastern time zone,
and we're on the eastern part of the Eastern time zone,
which means that in approximately a month after this episode airs,
it will be dark at four forty five PM, right,
so there's not a whole lot of daylight.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Can you still have fun in the dark?
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Oh, that's even more fun. As your kids get older,
they're going to find ways to have fun outside at night.
And it is so much fun watching this happen. So
I would start with if you've got little kids or
you need to keep them close and safe and watch,
start with creating a space in your own yard that
is lit up, that is fun and exciting for them.
(21:45):
So if you've got the toys in the seleck lane,
in the clubhouse and everything out there, or a playground
like a playset, swing set, put some fairy lights out.
I mean it doesn't take much. Get some with the white,
little twinkly lights and put them around your bench, or
decorate the swing set or the clubhouse with fairy lights,
and that is a huge draw. Kids are going to
(22:06):
immediately want to go out there and spend more time
out there. And then if you've got other spaces that
are safe for your kids, think about things like the
glow in the dark sports things. So there's like glow
in the dark, Capture the Flag. There are glow in
the dark footballs and baseballs. There's glow in the dark
stomp rockets, glow in the dark basketballs, so all kinds
(22:28):
of glow in the dark stuff. They're so fun for kids.
And it's sometimes the novelty wears off after a little while,
but at least those first few months or two when
it's starting to get dark. They really like those things.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Awesome.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Give them a head lamp or a flashlight and go
for walks or try to find some outdoor spaces that
are well lit. We've got things some parks and playgrounds
that stay open later and they're well lit. We've got
tennis courts and basketball courts are usually lit up later,
outdoor skating ranks and things like that where you can
(23:05):
go and it's public places where you can be outside
and still be safe and well lit.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
All right, Well, we're going to take one more quick
ad break and we will be back talking a little
bit more about getting kids outdoors. Well, I am back
with Sarah McCarty of Run Wild My Child. We've been
(23:32):
talking about ways to get outdoors even if it happens
to be dark, even if you need to bundle your
children up in various mittens and hats and all those things. So, Sarah,
we've been mentioning a lot of products that might help
make the outdoors as enticing as YouTube. But as we're
coming into the holidays, I wonder if there are some
(23:53):
go to outdoor related gifts that you think maybe we
should consider adding to the gift list.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
For kids this year.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Oh, where do we even start? There's so many good
wines we actually have. Every year we put together a
huge gift guide that's geared specifically towards outdoor kids and
outdoor toys outdoor gear. So I would say a few
things to add to Christmas lists if you don't already
have one. A bike is a great, just a really
(24:21):
all around great gift. If you can find some things
to make your yard a little more enticing, make sure
to add those to your list. If your kids are
in need of gear, consider like wool layers, a new
pair of boots, any kind of headlamp or flashlight or something.
Kids love. Gear and gadgets, Toys, classic toys like I mentioned,
(24:46):
like a wagon or something a hammock, a backpack if
you hike so they can carry their own gear. There
are so many fun things that the kids can that
you can add your kids Christmas list that will help
them spend more time outside.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
I love that you mentioned a hammock because outdoor time,
I mean it often is active time, especially if they're
little kids, because that's just what they do. They have
constant energy. But it doesn't have to be so if
you have a kid who is maybe more of a
like bookworm type, they can still get outside and read
on a hammock that would still count as outdoor time.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Oh yeah, absolutely. And there's a lot of things that
you could get for kids who aren't necessarily wanting to
be super active. Like I mentioned that the slack line.
I mean, it's active, but it's not like you're working
up a sweat on that. Things like fishing pools that
you don't have to be super active when you're fishing,
(25:43):
like a pocket knife you could have for an older child.
There are games and things you could do outside that
are you know, outdoor TikTok toe games and the clubhouse
that I mentioned, all good things for kids who may
not be as active.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
And one other topic I wanted to bring up is
outdoorsy trips because of course, obviously if kids are in
school and activities, parents are working. One of the major
times that people do have together is vacations. So if
we're looking for sort of accessible, outdoorsy type vacations, one
(26:22):
could take what are some places that you would recommend
looking into.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
Well, everyone's going to recommend national parks, and while I
think national parks are amazing, I wouldn't overlook your local
state parks. I think state parks are really underrated and
have some just absolutely amazing facilities and options for families
that don't want to spend quite so much traveling to
(26:50):
some of these kind of exotic locations. I mean, here
in Saint Louis, we don't really have a lot of
national parks or easy access, so we really rely heavily
on our state parks and they're sometimes just as spectacular.
Going camping at state park, I mean, is quite the
amazing experience for kids, And I would say if you
(27:11):
want to do any other types of traveling, really think
about your interests in your kids interests based on how
old your kids are. If they're little, then I would
pick things that are a little bit more focused towards
your interests or things that they can do. You know,
beach trips are great for little kids, but once your
kids get a little bit older, think about the things
(27:31):
that really excite them. If you've got kids into mountain biking,
consider going some players like Ventonville, Arkansas, that has absolutely
amazing mountain biking. If you've got a kid who really
wants to learn how to ski, then you may need
to travel a little further west, but you know, someplace
like Big Sky would be amazing to take kids skiing.
(27:52):
If you are looking for fishing, you could do saltwater fishing,
or you could go up north into Michigan or Minnesota.
And fishing is just absolutely a great outdoor sport for
kids and can be done in just a lot of
different various locations. But I would really consider what you
guys like doing together as a family and try to
(28:16):
find a place that will offer you some kind of
new and exciting things to do related to those interests.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Awesome, well, Sarah, this has been great. We always end
with a love of the week, so this is something
that is exciting for you this week. And I will
go ahead and throw out one that my listeners have
heard me talk about in the past, and we call
it toad time and our family and you know, it's
getting darker here in this part of the world, but
toad means time outside after dinner, and so I love
(28:46):
that there's a getting outside before dinner sort of seems obvious,
but time outside after dinner always feels like a little
bit of a bonus, a bit of a stolen time
into the evening. So the kids are definitely loving running
around in the yard before it gets dark, or maybe
it'll be after it gets dark pretty soon, but how
about you, Okay.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
My favorite thing that I have right now is my
e bike, so I got last year. I got an
e bike. And I have never really been a biking person.
I don't know, and maybe because I grew up in
the country, we didn't really have like a lot of
access to bike trails or anything, so a biking was
just never really my thing. But now that I'm in
the suburbs, I kept thinking, like, that might be nice
(29:29):
to have a bike, but also an e bike would
yoube even better? And I finally I got one last year.
It's a Radio Flyer and it has this little seat
on the back so I can put two kids on
the back, and I have a basket up front so
I can go to the grocery store, I can go
to the library, I can do like I can pick
the kids up from school. I use this thing way
(29:53):
more than I ever thought I would, and it is
so much fun. I have a total blast riding it
around town. Kids love it. They put on their like
they have like this wu face that like every time
we get out of they're like, whooh, it's just it's
so much fun. I We're just absolutely loving it.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
E bikes are pretty amazing. It's like the fun of
a bike, but also not as much of the work.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Sometimes it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah, I don't have to pedal up that giant hill.
You go up it as if you were Superman. So
that's always fun. Well, Sarah, why don't you let our
listeners know where they can find you?
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Yeah? So online, we're at runwildmchild dot com on Instagram
where at run wild dot my child And we have
a brand new printed hold It in your Hand magazine
that is coming out seasonally and it is filled with
adventure stories and misadventure stories, you know, adventures gone wrong,
(30:50):
seasonal activities. Every season has a theme and a challenge.
We have a kids section in there with chokes for
kids and nature like nature facts, and we have recipes
all kinds of amazing things. Just this is all for
outdoorsy moms and it is for everyone, and it's just
to help you feel supported in prioritizing outdoor time and
(31:13):
getting outside and it's there to hold your hand and
encourage you to make getting outside with your kids a
priority and not on a screen right right, which is amazing.
It really supports our cause we started it digitally and
after two or three issues we're like, we have to
get this printed. It's so nice to hold it in
(31:35):
your hands.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Awesome, all right, Sarah, Well, thank you so much for
joining us.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Well, that was great.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Lots of tips and gift ideas for the holidays. Hopefully
people were writing those down as they are making those
shopping lists for the next few months.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
So Sarah, our question this week.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
This listener writes in that I feel like every year
I order a Halloween costume and then my kid changes
as mind any tips or ideas.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Has this ever happened to you?
Speaker 3 (32:06):
I think we have had it happen a couple of
years in the past. Halloween is not like my favorite,
but I guess maybe as such, we treat it fairly
low key. Usually there's one trip to Spirit Halloween or
like one Amazon order and just kind of get it
all done. And my two thoughts are I generally am
not interested in buying two costumes. Like, we have a
(32:28):
lot of random costumes around the house as it is
between the three kids, and that's something that tends to
not get thrown out, but get kept because you never
know when it could be a fun play activity. So
you get one purchase costume, and then if you would
like to pivot, then the house is your oyster, do
I wyatt, do whatever you want, but we're not going
to necessarily make another shopping trip. And the other thought
(32:51):
is that if you delay that purchase, there is less
time to pivot. So let them pivot in their head.
But then when you shop, you know, two days before Halloween,
then hey, that's probably going to be the costume you
end up with just a couple of days later.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Yeah, no, I it's we've sort of evolved on the
Halloween things. So my first few years of parenthood, I
would sort of forget that Halloween is coming up because
if the kids aren't talking about it, if you got
like toddlers, it's not like they have any concept that
there's a Halloween holiday coming.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Up, And so I'd forget.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
And I remember I sent Jasper to daycare like not
in a costume when he was like I don't know,
I guess he would have been eighteen months and everybody
else was in costume or something, and it was just
I was like, Okay, next year, I'll put it on
the calendar, like October five. We're going to think about
it and order the costumes. And the upside of October
five is you can order long lead time stuff.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
You know, you don't have to order from Amazon. You
could order from other places.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
But as the kids have gotten older, the problem of
ordering at the beginning of October is, yes, you know,
people change their minds where they find out their friends
are going as something else or whatever. You know, So
we've sort of made our piece that it probably is
going to be an Amazon order. Now, Amazon does out
of stuff, so probably around October ten to twenty it
(34:05):
was the right range for setting a date where you're like, okay,
this is where we lock it in. I will order
you something if you have decided on it at this point.
But past that, I mean you can always, yeah, make
a run to Spirit Halloween. They might be out of
your kid's size, but I guess that's the way it is.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
You can all have something. They'll have so much stuff.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah, so maybe they'll change their minds of what exactly
they want to be. But I guess pick and eight
stick with it one costume. Past that, the kid can
be creative as they wish and figure out how to
make their own eminem costume or whatever.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
It is you said, eminem i. The wrapper is a
Mathers too if you'd like, But that's what you may
also be a green eminem many many, many options. All right, well,
this has been best of both worlds.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
We've been talking how to get outside with kids with
Sarah McCarty of Run Wild My Child. We will be
back next week with more on making work and life
fit together.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
You can find me Sarah at the shoebox dot com
or at the Underscore Shoebox on Instagram, and you.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Can find me Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. This
has been the best of both worlds podcasts. Please join
us next time for more on making work and life
work together.
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Laura Vanderkamp. I'm a mother of five, an author, journalist,
and speaker.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
And I'm Sarah Hart Hunger, a mother of three, practicing physician, writer,
and course creator. We are two working parents who love
our careers and our families.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to best of both worlds. Here we talk about
how real women manage work, family, and time for fun.
From figuring out childcare to mapping out long term career goals.
We want you to get the most out of life.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Welcome the best of both worlds. This is Laura.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This episode is airing in late October of twenty twenty four.
I am going to be interviewing Sarah McCarty about getting
kids outdoors. Sarah is the founder of an organization called
Run Wild My Child, which has lots of editorial content
and other things about getting kids outdoors. We had been
wanting to do a show about this topic for a while.
(01:06):
There's various ideas out there of various adventurous things you
can do with your kids. I don't know if you
wish to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with your kids
or something like that, but for those of us looking
for a little bit more entry level outdoor activities.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Her ideas fit better with that.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So, Sarah, what are your general feelings about the great outdoors?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Uh, We're not the world's most outdoorsy, and I guess
that's a little bit probably of a disappointment to my
younger self imagining what life would be like with kids
tramping around in fields or doing all sorts of nature
centered activities. I would say the majority of our outdoor
time is like on the sidelines at soccer games, or
(01:52):
maybe at the pool, since swimming is always an easy
way to stay cool in the summer and just something
to do. We've had a couple of travel experiences that's
centered around more adventurous outdoor stuff and honestly haven't been
our favorites. However, the one exception would be skiing. I
think that strikes a nice balance for us between enjoying
(02:14):
being outside and fresh air, but then also like a
specific activity.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
I don't know hiking with kids as hard. We've done
a few good hikes, I mean with my older three kids.
A couple of years ago we did like a six
mile hike in Yellowstone that went quite well, and there
was a little bit of whining in the middle of it.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
But we made it. We saw stunning vistas and all
this other stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
But yeah, with little kids, I mean they don't really
walk briskly from point A to point B all that well.
But you know, we've had a good We're getting outside
with bikes. Biking around our driveway in the neighborhood has
been a fun thing to do, you know. I yeah,
I probably should be outside more like being outside.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
It's a little harder to involve the whole family.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But Sarah McCarty not hard anger, but the other Sarah
is about to share some great ideas, so please give
it a listen well, Sarah, as in Sarah Hartunger and
I are delighted to welcome Sarah McCarty to the program.
Sarah is the founder and editor of Run Wild My Child,
which is a magazine, website, et cetera devoted to getting
(03:29):
kids outside. So Sarah, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Hi, thank you so.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Much for having me. I'm honored to be here today.
Like you said, I am the founder of a company
called Run Wild My Child. This started off as just
a blog, a website basically for getting kids and their
parents off screens and outdoors. So I am an attorney
by trade, and back when I was a baby lawyer,
(03:55):
I decided that I would run a marathon, and I start.
I did a website and a blog all about writing
about marathon training, which sounds awful, but I realized I
quickly loved writing a whole lot more than the running portion.
So the writing continued through wedding planning and some infertility,
and then kids came along and it was all things
(04:17):
kids and babies. And as my kids got older, I
realized that there was this magical thing called the outdoors
that made kids act better, eat better, sleep better, get
along better. And I just couldn't believe that every parent
in the world wasn't shouting from the rooftops about just
(04:38):
getting outside with their kids. And I started writing about
my adventures with our kids and how much better it
made me feel as a parent, how much better my
kids were doing, and all the things that we were doing,
hiking and fishing and camping, and I couldn't believe the
response that I was getting from parents, just how do
(05:00):
you do this? Where do you go? What gear do
you use? I want recommendations. I think there were a
lot of parents out there that wanted to give their
kids the type of childhood that they grew up having,
you know that like go outside until the street lights
come on kind of childhood. But things are different and
there are these things called screens, and it was just
(05:21):
so much harder to get kids interested in going outside
or to figure out how just to get to the park.
And there were websites about hiking the Appalachian Trail with toddlers,
but there was nothing like how did just get out
the door with your sanity intact and kids wearing shoes
and snacks. So I decided, well I could do that.
(05:43):
So I started writing about runwot like our adventures. I
called it Run Wild My Child, and it just kind
of exploded. And I think it was just a lot
of good timing on my part, right before COVID, before
the world shut down and everybody wanted to be outside.
And then we have gone on to launch a podcast
(06:03):
in a magazine, and we still have the website and
we have a community, and it's just grew in a
way that I never could have imagined.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Well, I'm very curious, I mean, what is it about
being outside? I mean, obviously there are degrees of this.
I mean, if it's like one hundred and ten degrees outside.
I'm not you know, kids are not necessarily better behaved outside,
whether it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Sorry, I've had had.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Some whining myself in that situation, but in general, I mean,
if the weather is pleasant, what is it about being
outside that seems to make people more agreeable?
Speaker 4 (06:40):
I think part of it is taking away this structure.
You've probably heard the saying like, you can't bounce off
the walls if there aren't any walls. So getting kids
outside and giving them the ability to dictate their own play,
to come up with their own ideas or things that
they have to do. Is this magical thing called unstructured
(07:02):
free play where they are in charge and it's a
sensory experience. It's foster's creativity. It makes them curious about
the things around them. They have to pay attention, They
have to figure out what to do and how to
climb these things. And you know, if they find a stick,
what they have to turn it into a wand or
a sword or something, and just it really opens kids'
(07:25):
eyes to imaginative play and unstructured free play gives them
the power to control the things that they're doing. They
have to make up the rules, they have to communicate.
It's a little different than playing with toys inside because
a lot of times those toys have specific purposes and
there's one right way to play a board game, you know,
(07:48):
there's one right way to play with a truck. But
if you go outside, you kind of take away all
the rules and kids just come alive. And sometimes it
takes time, and it's not the thing that happens within
the first minute or two. And I think sometimes parents,
especially if they're just getting started with kids getting outside,
can get a little discouraged because they'll go out and
(08:09):
they're like, fifteen minutes later, like, why aren't they playing?
Why are they still clinging to me? But I've read
somewhere that it takes sometimes twenty to forty minutes for
kids to really get actively involved in outdoor play, unstructured,
freakly on their own. So it just takes time and
patience and persistence and making this a priority, and then
(08:31):
you will really see your kids start to thrive outdoors
because there are so many health benefits and you know,
all kinds of just magical things that happen for kids
and adults, and you'll start to feel better too.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, I was gonna say, let's talk about the adults,
because I mean, I may not be engaging in much
unstructured flee play outside I have to I'd say, I'm
not really climbing that many trees these days. But what
I mean it tends to put adults in a better
mood as well.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Yeah, and I think that a lot of that is,
you know, it's the fresh air, it's the sunshine, it's
getting outside and having some kind of white space around
you to think, to process, to work through things. I
just always feel like, not only am I do I
feel better, but I'm a better parent when I'm outside
because I'm not constantly like, stop doing that, No, don't
(09:24):
climb the walls, don't jump on that thing. You know,
like all the things that the distractions that are inside.
I'm constantly cleaning and finding things that I have to do.
You take all that away when you're outside and you
give yourself some space to really think and breathe and relax,
and it just, I don't know it you magically feel better.
There's plenty of research to prove it.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Well, we're going to take one quick ad break and
then we will come back and talk about some practical
ways to start building an outdoor habit. Well, I am
back talking with Sarah McCarty of Run Wild My Child,
(10:11):
a website about getting kids outdoors. So, you know, let's
get to the practicalities here, because, like you said, you
know what entry level getting outside. We're not hiking the
Appalachian Trail here, We're just looking to get outside for
a little bit. But we've got a lot of very
busy families listening to this show. You know, two jobs,
kids and a lot of activities. What are some practical
(10:33):
ways to start building this into our lives.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Oh, it's such a great question, and I want to
emphasize that having parents who are working in kids in
traditional schools and sports and activities does not prohibit anybody
from still being outdoorsy. I think sometimes the outdoor kid
industry really supports like homeschooling families and parents maybe that
stay home, but everybody is welcome outdoors and everyone become outdoorsy,
(11:01):
and I think really the first thing to do is
just decide that it's going to be a priority, and
sometimes that means putting in on the schedule. I live
by my schedule, by our calendar, so sometimes I've got
that scheduled into our day that we need to get
outside and then trying to figure out what it is
to do with them. So we have a huge list
(11:25):
of activities and parks and places to go and things
to do around us, and that will eliminate some of
that stress about like, well I don't know what to
do once we get out there, or where do we
even go? So I would start with making a huge
list of everything that you can do within fifteen minutes
of you and when you have some free time and
(11:46):
you get to that time of scheduling, like that's what
you do, You go out there, you do the thing.
Some of the times, it's great to revisit things that
you've already done. Don't feel like you always have to
try something new. There's so much benefit of going to
the same places over and over again. The seasons change,
things in nature change just naturally, so revisiting similar places
(12:10):
or the same place again and again is don't feel
like everything has to be a new adventure. And go
with them. I think, especially when they're little, you have
to be the one to get out there with them
and kind of model the behavior and what you want
them to do. If you're outside with them, but you're
checking your phone every few minutes, or you're distracted, or
(12:33):
you don't want to be there, or you're complaining about
the weather, like they're going to pick up on that
they don't want to be out there if you're miserable,
So model that you're having fun. So just you gotta
fake it till you make it. If you're not outdoorsy
like kind of you have to pretend for a while
until they can kind of figure out how to get
outside and how much better it makes you feel. And
(12:53):
it may surprise you and you may even become outdoors
by spending some time outside.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Well, when does this happen in your family schedule? I
mean you said, you know it's busy, you put it
on the calendar. What does that actually mean? Like in
the McCarty family schedule.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
So, my kids go to traditional schools, so we do
outdoor time after school, and sometimes that means we come
home and the kids ride their bikes to friends' houses
or just up and down the street around the neighborhood.
We kind of push back on homework or anything that
kind of comes with school until you know, we give
them at least an hour to get outside and play
(13:28):
kind of running around and get some of that energy out.
We schedule on weekends. We're both working parents, so weekends
are coveted for us. That is our family time together.
So we do sports and all the kids have their
own activities, but we try to find those pockets of
time or the weekends that we have off where we
can really get outside and do some more adventurous things.
(13:50):
We always have gear in our car, so if we've
got time in between two baseball games or in between activities,
we've got our fishing poles and in the back of
the truck will just stop somewhere and fish for an hour.
We've got our hiking clothes, so we can just jump
out and you know, at the park and take a
walk around. We try to find pockets of time wherever
(14:13):
we can and fit that in, even if it just
means taking a walk while someone's at practice. You know,
everybody else takes a walk around the block or around
the track, and really just trying to make sure that
you have opportunities, that you can take advantage of the
(14:34):
opportunities that you have.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
And you mentioned earlier, I mean one of the barriers
you were talking about parents like, well, I'm not going
to go hike the apple a tintral. I'm just trying
to get people out the door. I wonder if there
are more any sort of hacks you have about getting
small children out the door easier. There's always a lot
of shoes, and if you're in somewhere that's cold, like
(14:57):
Saint Louis, I imagine there are boots and hats.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
And there's always one mitten that there's.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
One man missing. So let's talk about that missing mitten
and how we make that not a barrier.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Yeah. I think the winter definitely adds an entire new
element to getting outside. And sometimes it will take you
longer to find all of the things and get dressed,
and it actually the kids will are willing to spend outside.
So I think that you just kind of have to
plan ahead of time and know what you're going to do.
So if you know you're just going to go outside
(15:28):
in the front yard, having a place where all of
your gear lives and it stays there, and that means
it's easy for the kids when they walk in the
door and they start shedding layers and stripping and throwing
things that it all can stay in one place. So
kind of think of the layout of your house and
how when and where the kids come in and where
(15:49):
things tend to gather and if you can put something there.
We have this giant rubber maid that has three drawers,
and so each kid has a drawer and that's where
they're gloves and there's arts and their hats and everything
goes there. And the rest of the year, when it's
not winter, that lives in the basement, so we don't
ever have we don't have to see it, but then
we pull it out every winter and it's there. And
(16:12):
then just having things ready to go. I always have
like a box in my car full of things that
I think I need, which means like a change of
clothes for everybody, because you may just happen a pond,
a creek, or a mud puddle that the kids feel
like they have to explore and they have to get into.
And I can't even tell you how many times we
(16:33):
have driven home with all the kids completely, you know,
with no clothes because they just got so wet and
money and had fine, but it was worth it. I
would rather be the mom that says, yes, you can
get money and not worry about it than try to
keep them from having fun and playing because they didn't
have a change of clothes. Now I'm a little bit
(16:54):
better prepared.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Have some towels in the car. Yeah, always a good death.
I'm wondering about.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Obviously it's fun to go somewhere, but I imagine a reasonable
amount of ones outdoor time could just happen in your yard.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
For our listeners who are.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Sort of standard suburban folk and have a quarter acre
lot or whatever it is, I wonder if there are
things you would recommend having for your house, outdoor toys,
outdoor equipment, things like that that would make your yard
competitive with YouTube shorts.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
Oh totally, okay. So a slack line, it's a great
addition to any backyard. We have one set up just
out there year round and the kids go out on it.
They bounce, they flip, they do all kinds of things.
So we have paired our slack line with like a
ninja course, like so we've got the one the slack
(17:49):
line on the bottom that they can walk across, but
then they've got these like almost like an obstacle course
that they can have to hang on as they on
the top. So they loved that. We had for years.
My kids have finally gotten to the point where they
just absolutely destroyed it. But it was an outdoor clubhouse.
(18:10):
I think we got it at Sam's or Costco or something,
and it was a kind of a cedar wooden plank
like little clubhouse. And that clubhouse lasted years and it
took a beating. My kids climbed on it. They played restaurant,
they played shop like. They would just sit in it
when it rained and watch the rain. They made it
(18:31):
an igloo in the winter. They put fairy lights in it.
Like so many stories and like cute things happened in
that tiny little clubhouse. Other things. A little red wagon
is just a great addition. My kids have used that
for karting anything and everything and each other all around
the yard. I'm a huge fan of bikes and scooters
(18:54):
and anything that kind of gets them moving and going
and giving them a little bit more of a thrilling sensory.
As kids get older, they really try to seek those
thrills and find fun and exciting things to do. So
if you give them things like bikes and scooters, and
they just love that stuff. If you live on a
we live on a cold sax, so our street is
(19:14):
really accessible and easy for them to kind of just
you know, we don't have a lot of traffic, so
they run the entire neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Do you think it's easier for kids to get out
if they are in that kind of neighborhood or I mean,
is it something that our urban dwelling listeners can also
access pretty easily.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I think having other kids is so enticing for kids,
and that is one of the biggest things that I
would tell parents. If you've got other kids around, talk
to the other parents and see if there's something that
you guys can collectively do to get more kids outside.
Because I can have all of the toys and the
gadgets and the fun stuff outside, but my kids would
(19:56):
pick playing with other kids outside over anything I can offer.
So if there are other kids, that is a lot
more fun than whatever I can give them. And luckily,
like most parents right now really do want their kids
to spend time outside, and they're willing to post the
little backyard playdate today if you host tomorrow, or let
(20:17):
your kids come over and jump on the trampoline or
whatever it is. Like most of the time, parents are
pretty willing and it's a great way to get to
know your neighbors and then your you know, your kids
have built in friends on the street. And I think
we're very lucky living in a city. I grew up
in the middle of the country, which I feel like,
would we have a you know, getting outside and being
(20:39):
accessible to the woods in nature was so easy, but
I had nobody to play with. So I feel like
my kids are growing up in this amazing situation where
maybe they don't have a woods and a pond and
all of the amazing things I had as a kid,
but they have other kids, which is a whole nother thing.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, so I'm just pondering another barrier that's going to
be coming up for my family fairly soon. You know,
we're in Pennsylvania, which is on the Eastern time zone,
and we're on the eastern part of the Eastern time zone,
which means that in approximately a month after this episode airs,
it will be dark at four forty five PM, right,
so there's not a whole lot of daylight.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Can you still have fun in the dark?
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Oh, that's even more fun. As your kids get older,
they're going to find ways to have fun outside at night.
And it is so much fun watching this happen. So
I would start with if you've got little kids or
you need to keep them close and safe and watch,
start with creating a space in your own yard that
is lit up, that is fun and exciting for them.
(21:45):
So if you've got the toys in the seleck lane,
in the clubhouse and everything out there, or a playground
like a playset, swing set, put some fairy lights out.
I mean it doesn't take much. Get some with the white,
little twinkly lights and put them around your bench, or
decorate the swing set or the clubhouse with fairy lights,
and that is a huge draw. Kids are going to
(22:06):
immediately want to go out there and spend more time
out there. And then if you've got other spaces that
are safe for your kids, think about things like the
glow in the dark sports things. So there's like glow
in the dark, Capture the Flag. There are glow in
the dark footballs and baseballs. There's glow in the dark
stomp rockets, glow in the dark basketballs, so all kinds
(22:28):
of glow in the dark stuff. They're so fun for kids.
And it's sometimes the novelty wears off after a little while,
but at least those first few months or two when
it's starting to get dark. They really like those things.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Awesome.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
Give them a head lamp or a flashlight and go
for walks or try to find some outdoor spaces that
are well lit. We've got things some parks and playgrounds
that stay open later and they're well lit. We've got
tennis courts and basketball courts are usually lit up later,
outdoor skating ranks and things like that where you can
(23:05):
go and it's public places where you can be outside
and still be safe and well lit.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
All right, Well, we're going to take one more quick
ad break and we will be back talking a little
bit more about getting kids outdoors. Well, I am back
with Sarah McCarty of Run Wild My Child. We've been
(23:32):
talking about ways to get outdoors even if it happens
to be dark, even if you need to bundle your
children up in various mittens and hats and all those things. So, Sarah,
we've been mentioning a lot of products that might help
make the outdoors as enticing as YouTube. But as we're
coming into the holidays, I wonder if there are some
(23:53):
go to outdoor related gifts that you think maybe we
should consider adding to the gift list.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
For kids this year.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Oh, where do we even start? There's so many good
wines we actually have. Every year we put together a
huge gift guide that's geared specifically towards outdoor kids and
outdoor toys outdoor gear. So I would say a few
things to add to Christmas lists if you don't already
have one. A bike is a great, just a really
(24:21):
all around great gift. If you can find some things
to make your yard a little more enticing, make sure
to add those to your list. If your kids are
in need of gear, consider like wool layers, a new
pair of boots, any kind of headlamp or flashlight or something.
Kids love. Gear and gadgets, Toys, classic toys like I mentioned,
(24:46):
like a wagon or something a hammock, a backpack if
you hike so they can carry their own gear. There
are so many fun things that the kids can that
you can add your kids Christmas list that will help
them spend more time outside.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
I love that you mentioned a hammock because outdoor time,
I mean it often is active time, especially if they're
little kids, because that's just what they do. They have
constant energy. But it doesn't have to be so if
you have a kid who is maybe more of a
like bookworm type, they can still get outside and read
on a hammock that would still count as outdoor time.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Oh yeah, absolutely. And there's a lot of things that
you could get for kids who aren't necessarily wanting to
be super active. Like I mentioned that the slack line.
I mean, it's active, but it's not like you're working
up a sweat on that. Things like fishing pools that
you don't have to be super active when you're fishing,
(25:43):
like a pocket knife you could have for an older child.
There are games and things you could do outside that
are you know, outdoor TikTok toe games and the clubhouse
that I mentioned, all good things for kids who may
not be as active.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
And one other topic I wanted to bring up is
outdoorsy trips because of course, obviously if kids are in
school and activities, parents are working. One of the major
times that people do have together is vacations. So if
we're looking for sort of accessible, outdoorsy type vacations, one
(26:22):
could take what are some places that you would recommend
looking into.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
Well, everyone's going to recommend national parks, and while I
think national parks are amazing, I wouldn't overlook your local
state parks. I think state parks are really underrated and
have some just absolutely amazing facilities and options for families
that don't want to spend quite so much traveling to
(26:50):
some of these kind of exotic locations. I mean, here
in Saint Louis, we don't really have a lot of
national parks or easy access, so we really rely heavily
on our state parks and they're sometimes just as spectacular.
Going camping at state park, I mean, is quite the
amazing experience for kids, And I would say if you
(27:11):
want to do any other types of traveling, really think
about your interests in your kids interests based on how
old your kids are. If they're little, then I would
pick things that are a little bit more focused towards
your interests or things that they can do. You know,
beach trips are great for little kids, but once your
kids get a little bit older, think about the things
(27:31):
that really excite them. If you've got kids into mountain biking,
consider going some players like Ventonville, Arkansas, that has absolutely
amazing mountain biking. If you've got a kid who really
wants to learn how to ski, then you may need
to travel a little further west, but you know, someplace
like Big Sky would be amazing to take kids skiing.
(27:52):
If you are looking for fishing, you could do saltwater fishing,
or you could go up north into Michigan or Minnesota.
And fishing is just absolutely a great outdoor sport for
kids and can be done in just a lot of
different various locations. But I would really consider what you
guys like doing together as a family and try to
(28:16):
find a place that will offer you some kind of
new and exciting things to do related to those interests.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Awesome, well, Sarah, this has been great. We always end
with a love of the week, so this is something
that is exciting for you this week. And I will
go ahead and throw out one that my listeners have
heard me talk about in the past, and we call
it toad time and our family and you know, it's
getting darker here in this part of the world, but
toad means time outside after dinner, and so I love
(28:46):
that there's a getting outside before dinner sort of seems obvious,
but time outside after dinner always feels like a little
bit of a bonus, a bit of a stolen time
into the evening. So the kids are definitely loving running
around in the yard before it gets dark, or maybe
it'll be after it gets dark pretty soon, but how
about you, Okay.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
My favorite thing that I have right now is my
e bike, so I got last year. I got an
e bike. And I have never really been a biking person.
I don't know, and maybe because I grew up in
the country, we didn't really have like a lot of
access to bike trails or anything, so a biking was
just never really my thing. But now that I'm in
the suburbs, I kept thinking, like, that might be nice
(29:29):
to have a bike, but also an e bike would
yoube even better? And I finally I got one last year.
It's a Radio Flyer and it has this little seat
on the back so I can put two kids on
the back, and I have a basket up front so
I can go to the grocery store, I can go
to the library, I can do like I can pick
the kids up from school. I use this thing way
(29:53):
more than I ever thought I would, and it is
so much fun. I have a total blast riding it
around town. Kids love it. They put on their like
they have like this wu face that like every time
we get out of they're like, whooh, it's just it's
so much fun. I We're just absolutely loving it.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
E bikes are pretty amazing. It's like the fun of
a bike, but also not as much of the work.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Sometimes it's fantastic.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah, I don't have to pedal up that giant hill.
You go up it as if you were Superman. So
that's always fun. Well, Sarah, why don't you let our
listeners know where they can find you?
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Yeah? So online, we're at runwildmchild dot com on Instagram
where at run wild dot my child And we have
a brand new printed hold It in your Hand magazine
that is coming out seasonally and it is filled with
adventure stories and misadventure stories, you know, adventures gone wrong,
(30:50):
seasonal activities. Every season has a theme and a challenge.
We have a kids section in there with chokes for
kids and nature like nature facts, and we have recipes
all kinds of amazing things. Just this is all for
outdoorsy moms and it is for everyone, and it's just
to help you feel supported in prioritizing outdoor time and
(31:13):
getting outside and it's there to hold your hand and
encourage you to make getting outside with your kids a
priority and not on a screen right right, which is amazing.
It really supports our cause we started it digitally and
after two or three issues we're like, we have to
get this printed. It's so nice to hold it in
(31:35):
your hands.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Awesome, all right, Sarah, Well, thank you so much for
joining us.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Well, that was great.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Lots of tips and gift ideas for the holidays. Hopefully
people were writing those down as they are making those
shopping lists for the next few months.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
So Sarah, our question this week.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
This listener writes in that I feel like every year
I order a Halloween costume and then my kid changes
as mind any tips or ideas.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Has this ever happened to you?
Speaker 3 (32:06):
I think we have had it happen a couple of
years in the past. Halloween is not like my favorite,
but I guess maybe as such, we treat it fairly
low key. Usually there's one trip to Spirit Halloween or
like one Amazon order and just kind of get it
all done. And my two thoughts are I generally am
not interested in buying two costumes. Like, we have a
(32:28):
lot of random costumes around the house as it is
between the three kids, and that's something that tends to
not get thrown out, but get kept because you never
know when it could be a fun play activity. So
you get one purchase costume, and then if you would
like to pivot, then the house is your oyster, do
I wyatt, do whatever you want, but we're not going
to necessarily make another shopping trip. And the other thought
(32:51):
is that if you delay that purchase, there is less
time to pivot. So let them pivot in their head.
But then when you shop, you know, two days before Halloween,
then hey, that's probably going to be the costume you
end up with just a couple of days later.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Yeah, no, I it's we've sort of evolved on the
Halloween things. So my first few years of parenthood, I
would sort of forget that Halloween is coming up because
if the kids aren't talking about it, if you got
like toddlers, it's not like they have any concept that
there's a Halloween holiday coming.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
Up, And so I'd forget.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
And I remember I sent Jasper to daycare like not
in a costume when he was like I don't know,
I guess he would have been eighteen months and everybody
else was in costume or something, and it was just
I was like, Okay, next year, I'll put it on
the calendar, like October five. We're going to think about
it and order the costumes. And the upside of October
five is you can order long lead time stuff.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
You know, you don't have to order from Amazon. You
could order from other places.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
But as the kids have gotten older, the problem of
ordering at the beginning of October is, yes, you know,
people change their minds where they find out their friends
are going as something else or whatever. You know, So
we've sort of made our piece that it probably is
going to be an Amazon order. Now, Amazon does out
of stuff, so probably around October ten to twenty it
(34:05):
was the right range for setting a date where you're like, okay,
this is where we lock it in. I will order
you something if you have decided on it at this point.
But past that, I mean you can always, yeah, make
a run to Spirit Halloween. They might be out of
your kid's size, but I guess that's the way it is.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
You can all have something. They'll have so much stuff.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah, so maybe they'll change their minds of what exactly
they want to be. But I guess pick and eight
stick with it one costume. Past that, the kid can
be creative as they wish and figure out how to
make their own eminem costume or whatever.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
It is you said, eminem i. The wrapper is a
Mathers too if you'd like, But that's what you may
also be a green eminem many many, many options. All right, well,
this has been best of both worlds.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
We've been talking how to get outside with kids with
Sarah McCarty of Run Wild My Child. We will be
back next week with more on making work and life
fit together.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
You can find me Sarah at the shoebox dot com
or at the Underscore Shoebox on Instagram, and you.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Can find me Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. This
has been the best of both worlds podcasts. Please join
us next time for more on making work and life
work together.
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