Natural Wellbeing Blog

Since the school year started, many parents have experienced a scenario that’s all too common. The phone rings, and the caller ID says it’s from your child’s school. Their teacher is on the other end of the line explaining that your child has low grades and poor performance in class. This is all news to you—your kids seem fine when they’re at home!

It can be hard to connect with nature this time of year. It’s cold outside in the Western hemisphere, and in many areas, spending recreation time outside requires gear, or heavy jackets and snow pants at the very least. While there are plenty of reasons why it’s easier to stay inside, making sure that you and your children are getting quality time outdoors is vitally important. 

Many schools have transitioned to an online learning model for the school year. While this model is intended to keep children safe, it’s posing new challenges for focusing and learning as students adjust to attending lessons from home.

In general, kids are known for their distracted, high-energy behaviors. Parents everywhere will undoubtedly have days when they throw up their hands, feeling tired of repeating their requests or chasing their kids around the house. But what if this hyperactive behavior and inability to concentrate wasn't their fault at all? Many children struggle with their attention span in our modern age, and with all the fast-paced, distractions all around us, who can blame them? It's up to us as parents to recognize when our kids are struggling, and to help them learn the skills to cope and succeed in spite of their challenges.

Summer can be a stressful time for parents - kids are on a break from school, so there is extra entertainment, activities, and organization to fit into an already-busy schedule. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more complicated. Parents are taking on home-schooling, helping with online classes, and, in many areas, worrying about what the coming school year will look like in September. It’s vitally important for you and your child to take a break from screens and inside activities to spend time (safely) interacting with the natural world - the benefits might surprise you! 

As parents, it’s nearly impossible to raise a child without feeling some of the effects of technology usage in the home. Kids beg to watch movies on repeat, play colorful games on your phone and are even given homework assignments on the computer. Unfortunately, the increasingly prevalence of technology in our children’s lives has forced us all to question: What is technology really doing to our kids as they grow up? One major point of concern on this topic has been attention.

As we say goodbye to rainy spring and hello to sunny summer, getting outside with the kids is a great way to help them stay engaged and enthused. Social distancing is hard on everyone, and both kids and parents face unique family challenges. Bringing some of your activities out of doors can be a great way to stay refreshed and burn off some energy during the day! 

In general, children are known for their distractible, high-energy behaviors. Parents everywhere will undoubtedly have days when they throw up their hands, feeling tired of repeating their requests or chasing their kids around the house.

Anxiety is a mental health problem that has gotten more attention in the last few years, but it is still a condition that is often misunderstood. Anxiety disorders in children, especially, differ from the norm, because the symptoms children display may not align with what we typically believe anxiety looks like.