We are in the full swing of summer, and many people are enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. It is the perfect time to do this since the kids are out of school and the weather is nice. There is fun to be had outdoors, but there are more benefits to being outdoors than a person may not realize. Read on to learn more about the benefits of being outdoors and great communities to be a part of.

Healthy Tip Tuesday is brought to you in partnership with Trinity Health Systems

So what are some of the benefits? Studies show:

• It is free! Hiking and walking do not cost anything, and if a person has a bicycle, rollerblades, or skateboards it is still generally inexpensive.
• Improves a person’s memory and attention: After just an hour of interacting with nature, memory performance and attention span improved by 20%.
• Heals: Patients in hospital rooms with a view of trees had shorter stays and less need for pain medications than patients with brick views.
• Improves psychological well-being: Joggers who exercised in a natural green setting felt less anxious, angry, or depressed than people who jogged in an urban setting.
• Children who spend time outdoors develop a positive attitude toward nature.

What are things a person can do outdoors with children?

• Maintain a birdbath, grow native plants, or build a bat house.
• Collect lightning bugs at dusk and release them at dawn.
• Keep a terrarium or aquarium and learn about the plants and animals
• Be a cloud spotter; build a backyard weather station.
• Encourage a “green hour” every day. Give kids a daily green hour that includes time outside, unstructured play, and interaction with the natural world.
• Collect stones. Even the youngest children love gathering rocks, shells, and fossils.
• Learn about and raise butterflies.
• Hang up a bird feeder and watch birds.

Some really neat movements promote getting our youth outside. One is called 1,000 hours outside. On the website, a person can find a tracker to help count how many hours a child has spent outside, ideas, among other things.