Sweden

A couple of weeks ago, I took a short trip to Stockholm, Sweden. Polarn O. Pyret knew I was a fan, so they invited me and Jordan to visit their headquarters and get a behind-the-scenes look. I was impressed. And I want to tell you all about it. But before I do, we need to talk about Sweden.

First off: Gorgeous. The city was gorgeous. The people were gorgeous. Super model gorgeous.

Second. My impression is that the entire country is like one big Waldorf school. Very wholesome, with lots of time spent outdoors. People work hard and enjoy their leisure time. The Swedes we chatted with joked about raising their kids like Pippi Longstocking — with lots of play and independence.

Third. They do childhood differently than we do in the states. So different. Every single day, children spend hours outside. Every single day without exception. Rain, snow, below zero temperatures. This is not me exaggerating. It’s the real deal. Every. Single. Day.

There are preschools that don’t even have a building! They are held entirely out of doors. From drop-off to pick-up. Snack time, play time, learning time all happen outside. And these preschools are not for the fringe thinkers, these are one of several regular options that parents pick from. Are you dying?!

Also. Babies in Sweden nap outside. All naps are outside. The babies are bundled up, put in the stroller and rolled out to the porch where they nap for hours at a time — in every kind of weather. Now are you dying?!!!

Let’s also remember, that Sweden is super far north. Like moose north. It’s cold up there!

So how do they do it? Well, every person I talked to said it was all about the gear. In fact, they have a Swedish saying that roughly translates to: There is no bad weather, just bad clothing. They are super serious about their cold weather wear.

This is getting long, so I’ll follow up with a post about the actual visit to the Polarn O. Pyret headquarters later on. In the meantime, I’d love your thoughts. What’s your take on outdoor time every day? Would you be up for it? Would your kids?

P.S. — How can you not love a country that came up with H&M, Ikea and Hasbeens? I love the Swedish appreciation for design! I snapped these photos at stores, hotels — even the airport.

220 thoughts on “Sweden”

  1. I used to bundle my son up and put him in his stroller on our back porch to nap during the winter. He used to sleep so well. My mother in law suggested this and at first I thought she was crazy, but what a great idea it was.

  2. I so want to visit there. It sounds delightful. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and for giving me a glimpse of this gorgeous country.

  3. I think playing/sleeping/whatever outdoors is such a good idea. I remember getting a little glimpse of this on an episode of Oprah – apparently they are like the happiest people in the world. Love it!

  4. My children love to be outdoors, they spend hours outdoors no matter the weather. I love the outlook of parenting in Sweden, who needs toys when all kids need is to be outside where they can explore and imagine a million different things!

        1. Well I’m not a swede but close – I live in Finland and we have the same philosophy here. The trick is layering! Polarn O. Pyret of course – they have great clothes – lots of layers, Reima (a finnish brand), very good too – and then Ticket to Heaven (a danish brand) and many, many more. The key with kids is functional clothes – coveralls so the cold won’t creep in and waterproof, so they don’t get wet. Wouldn’t dream of dressing my kids in a down jacket :)

      1. I’ve lived in Colorado for 20 years and finally “geared up” with warm winter clothes. All I wanted for Christmas was a long down jacket with a hood and it changed winter for me! I decided not be cold anymore :-). I basically never leave the house without a hat, scarf and gloves (makes all the difference). My kids went to Waldorf pre-school and spent A LOT of time outside.. they loved it! Sweden’s on the list!! I hope you post more about your time there.

  5. Genevieve Gibson

    My kids would love the outdoor time and outdoor preschool! How interesting…still wrapping my head around your post. :)

  6. I am from a rural area in the US and as kids we spent all day every day outside, even in the snow. My son won’t be much different when he gets a little older. However, I do live in the south. It’s a might uncomfortable to sleep outside during the day in the summertime. When temps border on 100F with humidity at 90% and a heat index of 105+, sleep is not really an option. However, that’s when you find a nice bit of water and play. :)

  7. I thought America was #1 with being outside? Or maybe it has to do with the region you live in? I love the Swedish mentality. My 6yo girl would LOVE a preschool spent outdoors! In fact, for the first 3 years of her daycare life, that is exactly what she did, rain or shine. We had a great daycare provider who took the kids out every day and only came in for lunch and nap. : ) Can’t wait to read more!

  8. Wait, do kids not spend a lot of time outdoors nowadays? I’m seriously asking this. I don’t have kids, but the kids in my neighborhood are always outside. And when I was a kid we were outside all the time. For hours and hours every day. We just had to be home by dark. Are kids in the US not doing this anymore?

    “There is no bad weather, just bad clothing.” I love this outlook and I am adopting it.

    P.S. Stephanie, I think that Oprah episode was about Denmark, but many of the things she mentioned that kept people so happy would apply to the Swedish way of life, too. What wigged me out on that Oprah episode was when people would go into a store and leave their child in a stroller outside, unaccompanied. Apparently it’s so safe there people feel comfortable doing that, but that seems like crazy behavior to me, no matter the crime rate. I get stressed out just thinking about that, and I’m not even a mother!

    1. My kids spend lots of time outside, but when there’s a really cold day or a blizzard, the US schools we’ve attended keep kids inside all day (even in Colorado which is consistently voted the healthiest state). The kids don’t have the proper gear for being outside when it’s below zero. In Sweden, it’s just a fact of life.

    2. There has been a lot of attention to the trend for kids to NOT be outside much. Books have been written about Nature Deficit Disorder. I think that while some kids at some ages are playing outside regularly, many are spending a lot of time indoors on the computer and playing video games. We aim for more than an hour a day, but I have to confess that on cold or rainy days we don’t get that much in. On sunny days, though, we get quite a bit more. I think the cold is harder with young kids and infants. At least here in Colorado with our apparent “bad clothing!”

    3. My cousin spent a few years living in Iceland and it sounds like much the same philosophy. Everyone, she said, everyone has a pram that costs over $1000, but that’s just part of the normal baby gear there. The babies sleep outside in them and she said you’ll see prams lined up outside of shops while the parents are inside shopping, and then every now and then a passerby will pop their head in and say the baby in the blue (or whatever color) pram is crying. Amazing!

  9. Hadley Duncan Howard

    Ah, Sweden! We fell instantly in love with it when we visited a couple years ago. We were there over the summer solstice, which is a national holiday, and were so impressed with how the Swedes approach their holidays. Whereas, in the States, national holidays are very commercial days, in Sweden everything shuts down — everything. The only restaurant we found open in Gothenburg was in our hotel. The gas stations were closed, laundromat closed…absolutely everything in that large city was closed. It was like a ghost town. It forced us to take a (chilly) picnic like everyone else in Sweden, which was a welcome surprise, and one of our lovelier memories.

  10. That’s amazing! That sounds like a dream to me. Doesn’t Sweden also have some of the best parental leave options when you have kids? Incredibly long paid leave for moms AND dads when babies are born? It sounds like Sweden seriously has the key to happiness. I worry short days in the winter would drive me batty though– even with proper winter gear!

    1. We totally asked a million questions about the legendary maternity leave. Here are the basics as I heard them:

      Yes, you get an entire year of paid maternity leave. And then, when you come back to work, you have the option of only working like 60% or 75% (for corresponding pay). Which sounds awesome. But. Some women said that ended up being a bit of a trap, because although you’re only working 75% on paper, you end up doing 100% of the work, but only getting paid 75%. Tricky.

      I’m so fascinated by all of it.

      1. Swedish Maria

        We call it Parental leave. Most parents divide the period so that each of the parents stay at home at some time during the year. It´s still most common that women take a larger portion of the leave but it isn´t entirely uncommon that the leave is split in half or even that tha father stays at home longer than the mother. Every family can choose what suits them best.

        1. Here in Hungary we have 2 years maternity leave! The first 6 months you get 75 % of your wages, after that it drops a bit.
          We have also an amazing system where health care workers visit you regularly after your child is born to check if everything is alright and help you with their advise.
          My son was born in November. After the first 2 weeks he was allowed to sleep outside until minus 5 celsius.

  11. That sounds so fantastic. I was just thinking this the other day…our kids do not get enough time outside, and spend far too much time in front of the TV and video games. As soon as the weather turned around here in the midwest, I hid the iphones and the video games where they couldn’t be found. But I am determined that just because the weather is bad doesn’t mean I can’t think of creative ways to get the kids outside. Great Post!

  12. We live in brooklyn and my son (2yo) is outside easily 6-7hrs a day when its not a rainstorm or blizzard, closer to 4 maybe if its snowing or raining. Its a lot of outside time but I find that toddlers especially love to run around and explore the world. I agree its all about the gear. We walk pretty much everywhere, which could be 2-3 miles in a normal day. Plus our apartment is TEENY and we all get sick of it pretty quickly. Next year he’s heading to a part time preschool that said we must supply all appropriate outdoor clothing because they go out every single day no matter what. I think its just a mentality you have to choose to embrace. Its so easy to stay home but he goes nuts if we are inside too long. If i had a huge house I might feel a little differently but I can’t imagine staying home with him all day. I guess I’d rather deal with the chore of bundling us both up. and a chore it is!

    1. I think you’re right, Bari. It’s mentally choosing to embrace it and everything that comes with it — investing in the right gear (rain stuff, wind stuff, snow stuff, hot stuff) and the time commitment involved putting it all on, keeping track of it and maintaining it.

    2. I grew up in Brooklyn and I’ve been told that I napped outside on the porch (within eyesight of an adult) but I would never feel comfortable doing this in my old neighborhood. I didn’t have a secure outdoor space when my kids were babies or I would have done the same. My 4 year old does not spend enough time outside for his liking and I am very disappointed in the limited amount of time outdoors that his preschool provides. I myself am an “indoor girl” – easily too cold, easily too hot, and eaten alive by mosquitoes the moment the weather is warm. I would have been so grateful to find a preschool that kept him outside the majority of the day. We live in an apartment in the suburbs and we spend less time outside that we would in a city I think, because we are in the car a lot. I was just saying last night how much I regret not having a private backyard because my son would be outside ALL THE TIME if we did.

  13. My mother was Swedish and I grew up there, though I now live in New England. And yes, I was a January baby and slept in my pram outside the store while my mother shopped. A Russian friend told me her mother would always put her to nap out on the balcony of her apartment in winter—fresh air is good for the baby! At my son’s school, kids are required to come with the 5 things: hat, gloves, snow pants, snow boots, and winter coat, every day from November through the end of March. That allows them be outside. My son spends a lot of time outdoors, our whole family does. Not necessarily doing sports, either. I think that is a big distinction between the US and Sweden. I’ve always felt the emphasis in Sweden is on walking, swimming, skiing, camping, hiking, sailing, picnicking—activities that allow you to truly enjoy and explore the outdoors, and spend time together. My American husband jokes that when we’re in Sweden with my family we don’t leave for a hike without a picnic basket and coffee. Ah, the good life.

  14. My kids are outside every day, no matter the weather. (Well not in a hailstorm I suppose – those hurt!) But rain just means stomping in puddles, cold winter is tons of fun with snowmen and sledding and spraying the snow different colors and digging tunnels and… And of course summer. Our preschool gets them outside every morning and afternoon – they come in for lunch (in cold weather) and naptime. (My son has taken some great naps outside at home.) Sometimes our schools have a hard time keeping up with the snow, but in general, we get outside a lot. I do agree – it’s all about the gear. I used to be a wimp in winter – I finally got good boots, and now I don’t mind it a bit.

    A preschool with no building is interesting though! This is fun to follow you on your travels and get little glimpses into life in other countries!

  15. My mother-in-law also suggested that we bundle infants for nap time and put them out on the porch. She was raised in northern Ontario and that is what her mother of 5 children did, then my mother-in-law of 5 children and now myself…after the intial shock….mother of 5 children did in the U.S..
    It really works…same for playing outside for hours… no matter the weather. My children would often comment on bad weather days…”Where did all of the people go?” ;0

      1. Isn’t that what doctors recommend when kids get croup or similar ailments? I have tried taking them in the cold for croup and it totally works! Maybe I should just be sleeping them outside!

  16. Hello, I’m from London and also have to go outside every day come rain or shine (well, it’s England so there is a lot of rain, hail, grey sky and cold :-)) . Maybe it’s a European thing? I’m not sure if I am basing my parenting philosophy on dog ownership? The dogs have to go out for fresh air so the baby does too? I’d love to visit Sweden.

    1. i too would say that it’s a europe thing…
      one reason {my canadian friends told me} is that we’re very short of parking spots…so obviously we decide to walk/ride the bike more ?…
      my girls attend a waldorf-kindergarten and part of their daily routine is to be outside every day for at least 1 1/2 hours {winter} up to 4-5 hours {summer, when they’re having breakfast, doing their crafts outside…
      those preschools “without a house” is very popular in northernish europe. and they actually do have a kind of house, in most cases it’s a site caravan/trailer where they keept their food, books and spend REALLY cold days {which are rare with such a great gear:)}
      oh and the maternity/parental leave is a very european thing as well:)

  17. Sweden sounds glorious! Love their outdoor mentality. My goal for this summer is to spend as much time outside as possible; and also to cook and eat outside as much as we can.

  18. My son went to preschool in Michigan and we were told to send snow gear everyday, as they would play outside regardless of the weather. I balked at first but when I went to see for myself, the “chore” of bundling all the kids up was so worth it. They seemed truly happy playing outside. I am a huge fan now of this rain or shine mentality.

    I love way Sweden sounds! Could the Blairs possibly be spending another year abroad?? :)

    1. Our time here is flying by so quickly that for sure we’re tempted by another year. But I think our kids would go nuts if we talked about moving to another non-English-speaking country before they’ve mastered French. : )

      1. Swedish Maria

        Then come to Sweden a year! Your kids will get by fine with english, almost everbody speaks good english.

  19. I’m from Winnipeg (Winterpeg), Manitoba so I know cold. The right outdoor gear definitely makes all the difference in the world. Of course, that knowledge didn’t benefit me much in high school. For some reason, it wasn’t cool to wear hats or scarves or even mittens. If you were really *cool*, you’d even have your coat unzipped in 30 below weather. I wasn’t willing to risk hypothermia so I wore the minimum amount of gear that allowed me to stay somewhat warm without being teased.

    My experience is that babies — and adults — sleep better in a cooler environment. I’ve never layered my babies up to go to sleep — no need for a onesie *and* a sleeper. One sleeper will do just fine. I’ve never had a baby wake from sleep because he’s cold.

  20. How beautiful! My kids go outdoors in pretty much every weather. We have everything from rain gear to snow gear, and they are constantly learning about storms so they know when to come in.

  21. Thank you for this post. It reminds me that the best lessons our children can learn are from nature. We’ll be following the Swede’s lead and spending more time outdoors.

  22. I’m from England and we always went outside everyday – from a very early age playing in the rain was very normal. So many people walk to school that you just get used to, and enjoy, all the seasons.

    I spent over half of my childhood living in Europe – everything is so much closer that walking is a part of life and the outside is there for family fun. Somehow life doesn’t seem as scheduled. There is more time spent being and enjoying life without organized activities – I miss that now I live in the US. Our girls go to a Waldorf school and I am doing all I can to give our family that gift of outdoor time.

    I spent a semester in Sweden, by the way, and yes – it is THE most beautiful place in the world – even the grannies are hip!

  23. Wow, I’ve been to Sweden twice before being a parent (I’m a big fan too!). I fell in love with it the first time and had to go back a second time a few years after. Everywhere you look is design bliss! And is so beautiful. They are a wealthy country and it shows, but I didn’t know anything about their parenting views until reading your blog. I’m speechless. I’m glad to learn here that even with all their wealth, they keep it real with education and child care and not plug kids into high-end technology and have them miss the beauty that surrounds them every day. Glad you got to visit!

  24. First, hurray! You went to Sweden! Stockholm is gorgeous. I hope you went to the old city.

    Second, our childcare provider brings our child out twice a day if it is over 25 degrees outside. We try to bring him outside as much as possible in all weather. There are so many good options for protective gear that there is no excuse for not giving your child outdoor time (did I say that right?)

    Third, My godmother would have her children nap outside (in Vermont!) in all season on her front porch because she believed it was good for their health. Incidentally, her background is mainly French.

    My comment appears to be numbered and organized this morning. Cheers!

  25. Sweden I my favorite place on earth! My husband has said the clothing saying for years & it’s true! Once I had good clothes I stopped complaining.

    One of our visits to Sweden we passed a preschool walking outside of a museum with their full suited rain outfits. I was super jealous.

  26. I always put my children in the pram outside to nap when they were babies, but you do need a decent pram that keeps them warm when its cold or in summer has a proper sunshade, we live in cheshire on a farm.
    My mum told me that she only kept us in as babies when it was foggy as she didnt think the fog was good for the lungs!
    My children are 14, 12 and 9.

  27. I love it! Sweden sounds great on a number of levels. I adore my son’s maternelle here in Paris, but I do not love the fact that they have only a very small courtyard for play and they do not let the littlest ones outside in the winter “because they might get sick”–hhmm I think they are more likely to get sick in the same small classroom with twenty other snotty kids. In any case, we compensate by spending two hours everyday at the park between the sortie and dinner.

    There is a small Swedish preschool nearby and those kids are always in the park and always have on rain gear etc. as needed. We are currently going through chicken pox at our house, so no park time, and they are bouncing off of the walls. It is the first time when I have really missed our life in the country. Your kids, if they have not already had chicken pox, could just run around your huge garden!

    Jennifer

      1. Did you end up vaccinating your kids? I did not remember it as too bad, so I chose not to vaccinate, but my older son seems to have an awful case and I feel as though I probably should have spared him.

  28. Me and my mum travelled around lots of Scandanavia when I was young and it was the MOST fun. I remember their trains had special children compartments that had climbing frames in!! The children I met there didn’t start school until 6 and when they do go they are encouraged to play most of the time to learn, and don’t start doing proper sit down work until they’re older – it seems to breed a very good work ethic!
    (And yes, we used to have to buy extra luggage out there to bring back our H&M buys… even though we have plenty of them in London!)

  29. I live in the UK (although I’m originally from southern CA) and I think in general, the kids here spend a lot of time outdoors. I hear my sister complaining about the rain on the East Coast of the US and how she’s cooped up inside with her three kids…and then think, if I had that attitude, I’d be stuck inside with my kids about 95% of the time! (Or it just seems like it’s raining here that much :) ) Both my kids’ nurseries/schools have been insistent that they come prepared for outside play in all weather. Also, my daughter’s nursery naps the babies in prams outside. And I’ve found now she’s moved up to the next room, where they nap inside on mats, she has a MUCH shorter nap each day, so the outside napping really agreed with her (fresh air, shade, nice outdoor noises, what’s not to like?)

  30. What an inspiring post! I’m usually cold even in the house! Rarely a winter day when I’m without a robe AND slippers (and socks!). I’m also a PhD student, so I try to spend time indoors working on my dissertation while the girls play quietly in the house. Sounds like confinement, I know. I shoudl work my laptop into our outdoor routine.

    When I’m outside I’m a complete wimp. Since having kids, I’ve been outside more, but I needed a post like this to inspire me to be outside more. I do great in warm weather, and even warm rain, but when it’s cold and WINDY, I really balk at going outside. But I know that it IS good for them and they do have fun! Nature, I find, is an instant baby soother. Thanks for the inspiring post!

  31. My husband served his mission in Sweden and spent a lot of time in Stockholm – he has only good things to say. I cannot wait to get there someday! We love going to IKEA just so he can read all the signs (which usually don’t mean anything) :) They are amazing people.

    1. Not true! Most of the IKEA names mean something, most of the names are either of places (for example their couches) or they are related to the item’s “task” – they have glasses named “Klunk” which means “swallow” or a shower curtain “Gömmare” which means “hider”.

  32. I would *love* it and my daughter would, too. One of the things I feel sad about is that my daughter gets less unstructured outside time than I did when I was her age.

    My father’s Dutch grandmother used to put him and his twin brother outside for a period of time every day no matter the weather (and he grew up in Michigan). He also used to sleep with his window open in all seasons when I was growing up. Maybe it’s a northern European mindset about fresh air?

  33. Oh how I love Scandinavia (I’ve visited Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Bergen in the last few years). And oh the amount of money I spend on Scandinavian kid’s clothing!

  34. Ah yes, the homeland. I still have relatives that live in Gotland (the island in the Baltic), and we visited them during June for Midsommar. What a wonderful place. I cannot wait to go back.

    Did you get a chance to marvel over amber in Gamla Stan? Or see the mosaics in Stadhuset? (the view from there is stunning) I remember that visit was my first introduction to the possibility of no homeless people. My seventh grade self was shocked. I’ve always been a bit socialist since then. :)

  35. Wow I spent a long weekend in Stockholm once but didn’t speak to anyone about children (I didn’t have any at the time!) and I had no idea about any of this. Eye opening and thought-provoking, for sure. I can’t wait to share this with my husband tonight!

  36. Growing up in the UK (quite a few decades ago), it was the norm to see babies sleeping outside in their prams no matter the weather and there was plenty of gear (rain covers, buntings, etc) to keep the child comfortable. While I see some children in the neighborhood at play outdoors, it is also apparent that far too much of their so-called leisure time is scheduled to the minute; their parents run the roads to take them for this practice, that lesson, or some event. Just doesn’t seem that there is enough free time for some children to just spend time with their imaginations.

  37. When we went to Denmark, we would see napping babies in their buggies outside of restaurants! It’s a totally different culture than here, where we are very protective in a different way, not letting kids out of our site usually. (Not saying they’re not protective in Scandinavia… it’s just a different perspective, I think)

  38. i am from Swedish emigrants and also have been to Sweden. I love how they know how children are and incorporate their sensibilities into designs of the buildings (i.e. the play room at IKEA, playgrounds at museums and sculpture parks, etc) i also love how in every stairwell in Stockholm built in are run-ways for wheelchairs and strollers…brilliant!

  39. amazing.

    oh how I wish we Americans would adopt some of our Euro friends traditions and ways. the travesty of childhood obesity, ADD/ADHD and so much more could, in humble opinion, be eliminated by something as simple as outdoor play.

    our daily walks to any one of our neighborhood parks are almost ALWAYS met with silence and solitaire. I have commented, aloud, and often – “where are all the kids?”

    No pools splashing. No basketballs flying.
    Silence.

    The Swedes sound simply marvelous. I look forward to hearing more from your visit.

    As alsways, thanks for inspiring
    best – d.

    post script: don’t forget, shoulders back.

  40. I grew up in Yugoslavia – a country admittedly much further south than Sweden, with a lot more warmth and sunshine. But the playing outside, every single day, well, we have that in common with the Swedes. Also, the babies napping outdoors, we have that in common as well.

    My kids grew up in the US, but I tried as much as I could to make sure that they spent time outdoors every day. It was not easy, especially as they got older and spent more and more time in school.

    There is so much discussion about education reform in the US these days – I wish play time outdoors were on top of the list!

  41. So interesting about all of the different cultures getting the babies out into the cold. My nextdoor neighbor is from Russia, and she told me how she would often take her Christmas born baby outside in the Vermont winter for naps and fresh air. With my American parents and Korean in-laws, the instinct seems to be the opposite–the grandmas always assume my babies are cold and try to wrap them up in tons of layers, even when we are inside!

    I have to try to get outside more with the kids. It just seems so much easier to be in most of the time, so when I’m tired (which is usually, with 2 small kids and DH and I both having demanding jobs), I just want to relax as much as possible. Still, we enjoy our time more when we are outside, so I think it’s worth the effort.

    1. I’ve noticed the same thing — the American instinct seems to keep a newborn inside all winter. Although really, I guess it’s not keeping them inside, it’s keeping them away from crowds and public spaces that might have lots of germs.

      So interesting to see how babies are approached in different countries.

  42. “There is no bad weather, just bad clothing.”

    Omg, yes! I have to try to imprint that into my husband’s brain before we move. The only time he’s not complaining about the weather is during the summer months lol. It Rained all day Sunday so we ended up canceling our plans and stayed indoors. I’m totally taking notes. I just love that the Swedes do not allow something like weather to disrupt their lives.

  43. Danes and Swedes are very similar in their mentality and my kids LOVE living here in Denmark. I have never seen them so happy. They are becoming more independent by the day and soaking up every last second of being outdoors. The expression we hear constantly is “There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing!”

  44. I am from Ukraine, and loved playing outdoors when I was growing up, no matter the weather. Now with a 9-months old, we live in San Francisco and have a small apartment with no porch or balcony, but we do have parks and playgrounds. From the day we brought him home from the hospital I’ve taken him for long walks and now to the playground at least once every day. He may be an urban baby, but it is really fun to watch him discover plants, bugs, sand and the urban wildlife.

  45. Yes here in the U.K. my babies nap outside, play out in any weather and I totally agree with the ‘bad clothing’ theory. I love the idea of forest nurseries, they are catching on here but there isn’t one near enough for my children to attend. And my children’s school and nursery put them out doors to play in all weathers

  46. Outdoor time…ahhhhh. Well I grew up somewhat like that, although we didn’t nap outdoors, and we spent more time inside in the winter, but generally got outside a couple hours everyday. It was WONDERFUL, however as we lived in Vermont (oh, it’s such a magical place…) where it’s MOOSE cold as well, we had a general rule about staying inside if it was below 10 degrees.

  47. Thanks so much for reporting on this! I love it. We have a seven month old and my husband are pretty adamant about keeping technology (like video games and computers) exposure pretty sparse in favor of playing outside and being creative with his surroundings for entertainment. Europeans get it right in so many ways…

  48. My kids love to be outside, so much so that they will often pitch a tent in our backyard and “camp” in it over long weekends. Last year they pitched it for Thanksgiving weekend. Normally, I make them take it down after the weekend, but they begged to keep it up. Since I’d noticed a few great things about their backyard “camping trips”, I let them keep it up with some stipulations, and imagined it would last a few more days. Well, that tent outside is like magic: they love to go to bed when they are sleeping in that tent! They also get along famously, wake themselves up early, and are usually in the house bright-eyed and happy when I get up at 6:15- no dragging anyone out of bed! (It also didn’t hurt that I could say things like, “Well, if you want to sleep outside tonight you have to …” , and my every request was eagerly fulfilled!) Well, a few nights turned into every night from Thanksgiving until after New Year’s- including school nights and Christmas Eve! The dog slept out with them, and I always kept our bedroom window open so we could hear them, but I finally made them take it down when school started back again in January!!! I used to joke with my sisters that it was a magical tent, but perhaps it was all that fresh, cold air working its magic! One day I hope they have happy memories of the month + they lived in the backyard!

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