Newsletter

Curiosity and the desire for adventure is innate, and it is shaped over time by experiences beginning as young children. With each new experience, the brain catalogues what happened, if it was successful or not, and how it could have been improved. It’s critical for survival.

5 steps towards having more adventure

1) Get inspired. Reading adventurous books show the amazing experiences of explorers outweigh the problems that they had to overcome. Our favorite kids adventure books are Great Adventurers, The Lost Book of Adventure, and The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid, and Microadventures. Follow and subscribe to the Texas Kids Adventures website to find kid-friendly places to go. Join family nature clubs and local hiking meetups.

2) Get educated. Know how to identify poison ivy, where chiggers live, what poisonous snakes and arthropods look like. Use the iNaturalist app if you need help with identification. Stick around and I’ll show you all of these things or check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife Young Naturalist series.

3) Know the nature rules. Don’t ever stick your hand in a hole because that’s someone’s home and they are likely to defend it. Don’t ever pick up a snake unless you want to get bitten. Respect nature. Rely on your peripheral vision as you walk to scan the trail for surface roots or branches, poison ivy along the edge, and animals on the trail. Stick to the trail until you are more comfortable and knowledgable exploring offtrail. Follow the posted rules at parks since they are there to keep you safe and to preserve the habitat.

4) Plan for safety. Minimize risks. Learn to swim. Wear a lifejacket. Swim with a buddy. Wear sunscreen and sunglasses. Bring insect repellant. Wear a bike helmet. Bring extra water and a snack. Bring a map. Tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to return. Take a fully-charged cell phone in waterproof bag and a battery powered charger for backup. Take a camera for photos so you don’t run down your phone battery. Bring a first aid kit.

5) Start by taking small risks. Each time you do something adventurous and nothing terrible happens, then you build confidence in your skills. Check out Microadventures which are big adventures that are on a smaller scale. Take a guided tour at a local park or state park. Try camping in the backyard before you hit the state parks, or join the Texas Outdoor Family for to learn how to camp in a group setting at Texas State Parks. Try kayaking in shallow water. Check out ropes courses and smaller scale rock climbing through instructors.

The adventure that kids have today sets them up for a lifetime of not being afraid to try something new and learning wisdom through experience. There’s also a really good chance that you, as parents, will enjoy these trips as much as the kids to become adventurous adults yourselves.

- Gina Henry - https://texaskidsadventures.com

Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function. This includes cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance. All of these are negatively affected by sleep deprivation. Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function. Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance. Longer sleep has been shown to improve many aspects of athletic and physical performance.

Sleep quality and duration can have a major effect on many other aspects of your health. These are the factors believed to drive chronic diseases, including heart disease. Mental health issues, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders. Sleep improves your immune function.

Sleep loss reduces your ability to interact socially. Researchers believe that poor sleep affects your ability to recognize important social cues and process emotional information. Sleep deprivation may reduce your social skills and ability to recognize people’s emotional expressions.

We are just better people when we get enough rest. We look better, we feel better, and we are more enjoyable to be around.

- Kristine Dodge

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