by Sara Schafer | sschafer@ruralmissouri.coop
Kids can’t bounce off the walls if there aren’t any walls. This simple mantra guides Sara Holtsman McCarty in her mission to encourage, help and support parents in prioritizing time spent outside.
Like many other parents, Sara and her husband, Ryan, spent months in lockdown with their three young children during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The kids were bouncing off the walls and driving us insane,” she recalls.
Her saving grace? Outdoor play.
“I couldn’t believe people weren’t talking about this magical parent hack of going outside,” Sara says. “The kids would eat better, sleep better and get along better if they just spent some time outside.”
Sara spent her childhood in the northeast Missouri town of Louisiana. Now she and her family reside in the St. Louis community of Kirkwood. “I grew up in the country, so getting outside felt very natural to me as a kid,” Sara says. But, she admits, raising kids in one of the state’s largest metropolitan areas is a completely different experience.
“There were blogs about hiking the Appalachian Trail with your toddler and mountain climbing with your kids,” Sara says. “But there was nothing about simply how to go to a park, why you should always have snacks and how to make sure your kids have both shoes.”
If she had these kinds of questions and issues, Sara realized other parents did, too. For years Sara had blogged about everything from training for a marathon to wedding planning to raising babies. The content shifted with her life’s chapters, as she worked full time as an attorney. Eventually, she decided to focus her online content on the adventures her family had with nature. As she wrote more about camping and fly-fishing with kids, her blog readers flooded her with questions.
In 2017, Sara founded Run Wild My Child, an online resource for parents who want to transition their kids from screens to the great outdoors. The business includes a website, podcast, social community and quarterly magazine. Beyond Sara, 20 moms from across the U.S. and a few other countries write for the website and magazine. “We have a lot of diverse voices,” Sara says. “So whatever season or situation you’re in, you can find advice from a real mom who is doing it.”
Outdoor play and adventures in nature don’t have to be complicated, Sara says. In fact, the simpler the better. “It’s not necessarily about the length of time you’re outside, it is about enjoying your time when you’re there,” she says. “Although if you spend more time outside in longer increments you can really start to see changes. Sometimes it takes kids 20 to 40 minutes to really get going with unstructured free play.”
One of Sara’s favorite outdoor adventures is taking her children, ages 6, 10 and 12, to explore a creek. “From the time my kids could walk they have loved playing in creeks — and they still do,” she says. “Grab a net and head to a creek. Things will get wet, so just bring a change of clothes. The kids can catch minnows, skip rocks, find fossils or chase butterflies.”
For an extra educational option, Sara suggests downloading the iNaturalist app for your smartphone. Simply snap a photo of a plant or an animal and the app will identify it. Her family aims to discover a few new plants or bugs with each outing.
Any water-related activity is a hit with Sara’s family. “You know the saying, ‘Bored Kid? Just add water. I really do believe it,” she says. “Water always works.” Her family enjoys everything from fishing to paddleboarding to a sprinkler in the backyard.
Don’t let Missouri’s cooler winter weather deter your adventures, Sara says. “Winter brings about an entirely new sensory experience for kids,” she says. “A lot of stuff you do in summer you can also do in the winter; it just feels different. We have flown kites in the winter, gone fishing and camping. You just have to be prepared. Get some good gear and make the most of it.”
Speaking of gear, Sara says you don’t need to spend big bucks. Start by taking inventory of what you have already. “Unless we’re dealing with extreme weather, you can get out in whatever you have,” she says. “Then add slowly to your baseline of gear. Many times, you can find a lot of outerwear and kids clothing at secondhand shops.”
Parents can expand their hobbies alongside their kids, Sara says. For example, she just bought an e-bike and has joined her kids on biking trips to the library, out to lunch or on the Katy Trail “I grew up in the country in the woods, there wasn’t any place to bike,” she says. “Biking is all new to me as an adult; I can see the appeal now.”
Above all, Sara’s advice is to enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors. “Your kids will follow your lead,” she says. “If mom is checking her phone, complaining about the weather or saying she’s cold, no one will have fun. Sometimes you just have to fake it until you make it and let the magic happen.”
For more tips on outdoor adventures, visit runwildmychild.com. You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, X and Pinterest.