The National Wildlife Foundation has an initiative they’re calling the Green Hour:

by giving our children a “Green Hour” a day — a bit of time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world — we can set them on the path toward physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Sound idea. I’ve read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods. I’m sold on the importance of connecting to the natural environment as a child. So I’ve been making a point of getting our kids outside to play for at least an hour every day.

But some days, it’s hard. One of the things I like most about living in Minnesota is the winters and all the fun we can have outside in the snow. But whew! Was it cold today! I used to say that I felt like I could dress for cold until it got to  -30F. Until then, don’t talk to me about cold. Then I had kids. Even when it’s “just” in the single digits, I’m not so keen on keeping my one-year-old outside in a dangerous windchill, no matter how he’s dressed.