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Today I want to introduce to you the idea of a "green hour" in your home. It's something that my husband and I are seriously considering for our own kids and I wanted to introduce this idea to you as well.

Kids today are surrounded by electronics. They have computers, televisions, video games, and cell phones. Too many kids spend the most part of their day watching some kind of a screen. Sadly most kids don't get any time of unstructured play, especially outdoors.

The concept of "green hour" comes from GreenHour.org. This idea is to give your kids an hour a day where they have interaction with nature and play that is unstructured. It includes taking away the electronics for an hour, and getting your kids involved in play that is emotionally, physically, and mentally good for them.

I know sometimes I look at my kids and think how different it is to grow up today. Many kids just don't get out much. They don't relate to nature, and they don't fully explore their imagination by unstructured play.

This website, GreenHour.org, understands that it can be difficult to come up with ideas for your "green hour," so they provide a discovery journal and some great activities. In fact, each week you'll find a great list of activities to use, or you can come up with your own. You can even talk to other parents and share activities, ideas, and more.

The National Wildlife Federation is actually behind the "Green Hour" campaign. Some of the benefits of unstructured time outdoors has been proven to provide the benefits of lowering stress in kids, keeping them in shape, helping them develop immune systems that are strong, encouraging creativity, developing imaginations, and kids that play outdoors are less likely to deal with the symptoms of ADHD.

So, maybe it is time that your kids get some "green" time. It's so easy to let them stay occupied with all the technology of the day. Why not work to get them to spend some time playing outdoors or doing something creative? One day they'll thank you, even though they may fight you now.

With the average kid in the U.S. spending 44+ hours each week looking at some kind of screen, it's time to do something. So, why don't you join with me and try this out? If you do, I'd love to hear how it goes for you.