The Dirt on Dirt!

It’s summer and time for fun with dirt! It turns out that playing in dirt is actually important for all of us. We reap many benefits! These include a stronger immune system, fewer allergies, better digestion, less heart disease, better stress management and contact with soil is a natural anti-depressant agent according to a 2018 article in Family Time and research by the National Wildlife Federation. Contact with dirt has been found to improve mood, facilitate learning, and reduce anxiety! Check out this article from Gardening Know How and learn more about how dirt makes us happy! https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil- fertilizers/antidepressant-microbes-soil.htm

So, get out there and get in the dirt with your kids! Some ideas include:

A Family Garden – Benefits here are reaped multifold as you get your kids involved in planting the food they eat – great for all kids, but also really great for the picky eaters we know. There is nothing like watching something you have planted from a seed emerge. Kids of all ages can dig and water and pull weeds.

Mud Kitchen – Use rocks, twigs, and of course dirt and mud to make culinary delights for pretend play extraordinaire!

Mud Art – Make sculpture or paint on sidewalks!

Written By: Robin Hoffman OTR/L