OK, guess this one.

Um.

Fishing!

Is it fishing?

Yeah.

Nice.

Welcome to the third episode of “More childhood, please.™” A show by kids for kids.

It’s part of Akron Children’s mission to help you make the most of your time as a kid with fun ideas, challenges and ways to spend time with friends and family.

I’m Lily.

And I’m Rhys.

On our earlier episodes, we talked about screen time and emotions.

In this episode, we’re going outside.

This is “Explore the Outdoors.” Have your parents ever told you to go outside?

Yes, when I was younger, we would just play video games a lot, so my parents would just be like just go do something out in the yard.

How about you?

I’m usually outside for hours, and my parents have to come out there.

“Where did she go?” We know being outside can be fun, but why do our parents always tell us to do it?

I don’t know, but we have a guest from Akron Children’s to tell us why.

Hi, Rhys and Lily, I’m Doctor Miksit.

Thanks for having me on today.

I’m excited to talk with you about the great outdoors, one of my favorite places to explore.

Many of my patients say their favorite part of school is recess.

Well, outdoors can be just like recess, but at home.

Outdoors you can explore, use your imagination, and make your body strong and healthy.

In fact, experts agree that playing outside is one of the best things we can do.

It teaches us how to play with our friends, problem solve, keeps us healthy, helps us grow strong bones and get faster.

But the amount of time kids have spent outside has dropped a lot over the past five years.

So today, we wanted to help find ways to help kids spend more time outdoors.

Does that help?

Yes.

A lot.

Great, I’ll catch up with you guys later.

OK. Those are some good reasons.

We’re gonna hear more from Doctor Miksit and two other Akron Children’s pediatricians, Doctor Malik and Doctor Korah, throughout the episode.

Right.

They’ll pop in to do different segments to offer helpful tips and advice as we look into different ways to get outside and what to do out there.

My problem is I don’t really always know what to do when I get out there.

Maybe we need to get used to going outside every day.

That is exactly what our first segment does.

We asked several kids to go outside once a day for seven days in a row.

We also asked them to record something they noticed in nature that could be leaves, clouds, bugs, animals, weather, you name it.

Now we get to see what they noticed and whether having a goal made it easier to get outside each day.

This is “Noticing Nature.” Hi, I’m Zander.

I’m 12 years old, and I’m going to be going into eighth grade next year.

For the next week, I’m going to be going outside every single day and finding something cool.

Yippee!

Hello, and today I went to go find a four-leaf clover and I ended up finding a five-leaf clover.

You can see, one, two, three, four, five.

The fifth leaf is pretty small, but it still counts.

Apparently only 1 in 100,000 clovers would you find a five-leaf clover.

Isn’t that insane?

Today, I wanted to talk about our bird feeder / just animal feeder.

I filled it up with, like, dried corn and peanuts and stuff And I decided to sit and wait for an animal to come.

And then a blue jay came.

It’s the blue jay.

I like how it just stops flying sometimes and just falls down right to the location it wants to.

It looks super cool.

Look, it just came back.

It must really like the peanuts.

Today, me and my dad are going to be canoeing on this river.

Do you want your kids to spend more time outside?

Having adult supervision for outside play and a parent’s encouragement to go outside positively predicts kids spending more time outdoors.

Look at how pretty this all is.

It’s so cool.

Today, I would like to show you these rocks that I have found.

This one, it looks kind of like a brain, like it has like all these little, like, weird black lines and stuff, and it’s kind of yellow.

If you took the moon and you just went “crush.” That’s what this one looks like.

Hello, and today I wanted to talk about flowers.

Right here in our yard, we have these stereotypical looking roses.

They’re pretty red, and an interesting shape.

And then, you might have not known this, but there’s all sorts of types of roses.

And right here we have this rose called a beach rose.

It’s more pinkish than a normal rose and looks really big.

Hello, and today I wanted to talk about fruit trees.

Right here we have a pear tree.

You’ll see we have a small little pear right here.

Isn’t it really cute?

I think it’s cute to see a smaller version of fruit.

And today I wanted to show you this tiny little pine cone that me and my dad found at Sippo Lake.

There’s also a bigger pine cone here.

These pine cones came from this pine tree here.

And, this pine tree is really cool because first off, it’s so tall, like, look at how tall it is.

And then, these pine trees have like, little, like, pompom looking leaves instead of normal leaves, which looks really cool.

Hi, I’m Kallan, and I’m 8 years old.

I love nature because the birds chirp and it sounds really nice.

I found this bug upside down on its back.

I’m going to help it.

When we hear “nature,” we often think of forests, lakes and mountains.

But nature includes any space that uses natural elements like plants, water or wildlife in its design.

Looks like he’s happy.

I’ve got a frog.

He’s very big and tickles very much.

We need to show Dad.

I’m going to put this little buddy in a very safe place.

Yay!

He’s gonna love it here.

I found these flowers in my backyard.

I don’t know what type they are, but I’m going to smell them and see if they smell good.

Mmm.

They smell great.

I love them.

I found this rock and it has moss on it, so it’s really special to me because then I can just sit here and listen to the beauty of, beauty of nature.

And it helps me calm myself.

It’s me again.

And there’s a beautiful sunset back here.

And that’s why I’m out.

Because the mosquitoes aren’t out.

And it’s really nice.

I’m in my favorite tree.

And it’s really nice to just come here and lay down or just, like, rest my body up against it.

Ahh.

I was climbing this tree, and, I found a bird’s nest with four eggs in it, and I looked at the nest, and right now there’s a mama bird in it.

What do you know about her?

I know that she’s a type of robin.

And what color were the eggs?

They were light blue.

It was so pretty.

Hello, my name is Lucy, and I am 13 years old.

Today I noticed wild black raspberries growing in my backyard.

At first, they were tiny and green, and as they grew, they became bright red.

And throughout the summer, as they ripen, they will become big, black and juicy.

It is so cool how food that is normally bought at the grocery store can be found in nature.

Today in nature, I noticed grass.

At first glance, it’s so plain or simple, but it really is so complex with different species, colors and even textures.

Today in nature, I found milkweed in my backyard.

When you break open the stalk, you can see the milky white inside, which is how it got its name.

Right now there’s several pollinators.

And in a few weeks when the milkweed is in full bloom, it’ll bring monarch butterflies and milkweed bugs.

Today I found some frogs in a frog pond.

Frogs are such interesting creatures with their slimy skin, long legs meant for swimming and jumping, and their vocal cords specifically designed for their signature ribbiting.

Today in nature, I found the plant called lamb’s ear.

It got its name because it is the shape of an actual lamb’s ear.

And because it is very soft.

Today I’m getting an up close look at an abandoned bird’s nest.

Throughout the weeks, me and my family have watched the mother bird build this nest and then raise her chicks in it.

We even got to see the baby birds fly away for the first time.

Today in nature, I noticed the flowers.

They smell so sweet and their colorful petals are very pretty.

I love wild flowers because every flower, each petal, are so unique.

You never know what you are going to find.

As a challenge, just going outside and noticing nature seems simple.

I wonder what’s in my own backyard that I’ve never noticed.

One thing I’ve noticed outside recently is mud.

It is everywhere.

Literally!

Anywhere you walk, you will see some mud.

Mud is messy, but there’s something cool about it, too.

It squishes, squelches, it’s slippery and it’s just fun.

As long as you don’t bring it inside.

Yeah.

My mom does not like mud in the house.

But, this next segment is a celebration of mud.

It’s called the “Mud Cam.” We’re going to see kids getting muddy.

It could be a little or a lot.

And we’re going to rank how muddy they get with the Mud-O-Meter.

Let’s watch.

Oh, I, I think – With the clogs, too?

That’s like a one.

I’d say 1 1/2 because he’s just like, I think he’s just like sauntering.

I think it was just his feet.

But he has on clogs and they have holes in them.

OK. Yeah.

Because I feel like from, he got his feet wet and then like to here got muddy probably.

Yeah.

1.5.

Yeah.

1.5.

Oh wow.

This is pretty muddy.

Let’s say – This one – That went like all, that went – The little baby right there, when she sat down.

Yeah.

I say a 4.5.

I think, yeah, I agree, because Oh my gosh.

If it's on – oh.

Oh wow.

It’s on her head.

Then let’s raise that.

Oh.

Oh, wow.

This is muddy.

She's about a – OK, I’d say – Oh, it’s in the – Oh, it's in her boot.

Oh this, this is definitely 6.5.

I’d say 6.5.

I agree.

6.5.

That is a lot.

Oh, gosh.

Oh this is muddy.

Oh, wow.

They’re, they’re using the bucket and pouring it on themselves.

Nine.

Yeah, I think like.

Eight.

Seven.

Like 7.5.

Yeah.

I feel like – It's, but it's, look, look at their hair.

True.

I think eight.

I think eight.

Not that bad.

It’s like liquidy.

Now her.

Yeah, she’s like in the mud more, but I feel like it’s sort of liquidy, so it’s like, not sticking.

So like three?

I’d say four.

You think four?

Yeah.

Four.

Mud play is a great sensory experience.

Playing in it could also build your child’s immune system through contact with beneficial bacteria in the soil.

I don’t know if I have ever been that muddy – challenge accepted.

So far, we’ve seen a couple ideas for what to do outside.

This next one is something you can do all over the country.

You may or may not get muddy.

It’s earning a Junior Ranger badge.

Almost all national parks have a Junior Ranger program where you get outside, explore and learn about the park.

And there’s one right in our own backyard.

So, Lily and I are going on a quest to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

We’ll see if we can earn our Junior Ranger badges in just one afternoon.

And best of all, it’s free and open to anyone.

Let’s head on to the park.

This is “The Junior Ranger Quest.” We are at the Boston Mill Visitor Center at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

We’re going inside to talk to a park ranger to get started on our Junior Ranger Quest.

Let’s go.

Thank you.

Hi!

We’re here to do the Junior Ranger program.

Fantastic.

Welcome to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Have you been to the park before?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Nice.

So, Junior Ranger in Cuyahoga Valley is this booklet.

You just have to do eight of the activities.

Directions are right up here in the front.

Some of the pages in the book you can do anywhere in the park.

Other ones you can do here around the visitor center, like the Sense of Boston Quest.

But when you’re all finished, you can come back in and chat about it with all the rangers and we can get you your very own Junior Ranger badges.

Oh.

Do you have any questions for me?

Yeah.

How long do you think it would take us to do it?

So it normally takes about a couple hours, depending on how quickly you’re doing the pages.

And how long you have to spend on it.

So I’d give yourselves about a couple of hours.

What’s your favorite part about the park?

Anywhere along the Towpath Trail is really cool.

That’s part of the old Ohio and Erie Canal infrastructure, runs the whole way through the park.

And then I also really like the ledges area.

They’re big sandstone rock cliffs.

Not a lot of stuff like that in Northeast Ohio, so it’s just really cool to see.

Thank you.

Thank you.

No problem.

Here’s your books.

Thank you.

Yeah.

We’ll see you back.

Wow.

There’s so many fun activities in here, like the Sense of Boston Quest, the Cuyahoga Valley Bingo and the Recreation Challenge.

The Sense of Boston Quest seems fun.

Yeah.

It gives us clues.

Let’s try it.

Yeah.

And we should also look out for things on the list or on the bingo sheet.

Speaking of bingo sheet, look, there’s a stream right there.

Circle that.

This is such a cool bridge.

Oh, yeah.

Are you ready?

Watch.

I’m going to throw this rock.

Spending time in nature can improve overall health by encouraging exercise and helping children build confidence to be more active.

Look, there’s the trail map.

OK. We’re at the starting point for the quest.

Let’s read.

“Five times on this quest, you will take a seat and use your senses to explore what’s neat.

At the kiosk, welcome, begin your hike, stroll right of the barn and avoid any bikes.” So that would be right here.

“Turn right onto the path when the coast is clear.

Imagine mules pulling boats along the canal here.

See that ditch on the left?

It was once a waterway bringing factory goods to Ohio from far away.” So this used to be the canal, I’m pretty sure.

It looks like this could be a canal.

Yeah.

The way it dips.

You don’t see many grass look like that.

This is the path that the mules probably went on.

Oh, my gosh.

A tree grew right in the middle.

Right in the middle of it.

That’s cool.

“Ahead the Cuyahoga River comes into better view, winding this way and that, making turns quite a few.

Just before the footbridge, turn to the right.

Sit on the block of stone and take in the sight.

Take advantage of “Every Kid Outdoors.” It’s a federal program that gives fourth graders free access to America’s national parks and historic sites for the year!

Aren’t the vines going up it cool?

I think the vines going up it are cool.

I always wonder how they grow like that.

“The bridges big and small are for another day.

Turn left and let the river’s flow lead the way.

Toward the village, retrace your tracks past cars, a shed, a bench and bike tracks.

Walk to the largest building in white.

Boston Store is in your sight.

Down the side porch is where you must go.

Turn left to the front, then take it slow.

Return to the towpath, safely cross the street.

Smile at the hikers and bikers you may meet.

Walk beside the fence screening houses from view.

At the ‘Lock 32’ sign farther on, rest a few.” Oh, look.

Lock 32.

“The opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal turned Boston, a modest frontier settlement, into a thriving village.

You are here.” Oh, look.

“Stairs ahead are where you must go.

Take a seat at the top, looking around and below.

Canal boats once passed between these walls of stone.

Now this old boat elevator is a wetland zone.

Lowland forest and marsh plants grow in a wet ground.

Turtles, frogs, bats and birds of all kinds abound.

To reach the last stop, return the same way.

Head back to the street again without delay.” Well, this is the last clue.

We have to find the stamp, but we’re not going to give away its location.

So if you want the stamp, you’ll have to do the quest yourself.

The Boston Quest is done.

Let’s do the Recreation Challenge.

For this challenge, we have to check off one thing on this list for every year old we are.

So I have to do 13.

I only have to do 11.

Cheater!

You’re lying.

That’s cheating!

Ha.

OK. Let’s start.

Well, let’s do it.

I hiked on Blue Hen Falls Trail.

We did that.

I took a picture of me in the park.

Mhmm.

I climbed 20 steps.

Mhmm.

I found a trail sign.

Yep.

I ran for more than one minute.

Yep.

We did not ride a bike, but we did cross a footbridge.

Yes.

We’re having a picnic in a park right now.

We sat quietly on a rock.

We completed the Sense of Boston Quest.

We did skip inside a yellow train station.

That was lots of fun.

I played rock, paper, scissors in the park.

I found a trail map on a park bulletin board.

We did do that.

We found a stick shaped like lowercase “l.” Yep.

Skipping stones, we just skipped stones.

I think that counts, too.

Well, do you want to count them?

Sure.

OK. Let’s see.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

So we both did it.

We did 14 out of the recreation challenge.

Great.

Cool.

Let’s check out the Bingo.

We saw the gas station.

Yeah.

We saw the Cuyahoga River.

Right there.

We saw the bridge.

Mhmm.

We saw the train tracks.

Private home.

The free space, obviously.

A forest.

The towpath.

Boston Store.

Wetland.

We saw the lock.

Hiking trail.

Stream.

Yes.

Oh.

Bingo!

Wow, that was fun.

That was.

Let’s go back to the visitor center to get our badges.

Hi.

You’re back.

Hi!

Yes we are.

Are you all done?

Yes.

Fantastic.

So, let me check your books here.

And as I’m looking through them, what was your favorite part?

Hiking on the trails.

Mine was the Senses of Boston Quest.

That was really fun.

Sense of Boston Quest.

That is a good one.

I like that one.

All right.

Very good.

I like what I see here.

Let’s check out this other book here.

Very nice.

Well, I’m loving what I see here in the book.

So, I am going to go ahead and sign your books.

And we will get you sworn in as official Cuyahoga Valley Junior Rangers.

There is that one.

And here we go.

Very good.

All right.

So I’m going to go and put my hat on, make it official.

And you’re going to stand up nice and tall.

Raise your right hand.

Repeat after me.

As a Junior Ranger.

As a Junior Ranger.

I will protect this park from danger.

I will protect this park from danger.

I’ll respect all the plants.

I’ll respect all the plants.

Even the teeny tiny ants.

And even the teeny tiny ants.

No raccoons will get my food.

No raccoons will get my food.

And I’ll pick up litter because I’m a cool dude.

And I will pick up litter because I’m a cool dude.

A Junior Ranger’s job is never done.

A Junior Ranger’s job is never done.

But it is the most fun.

But it is the most fun.

Congratulations.

We did it!

Can I get a high-five?

Very good.

All right.

Here are your official Junior Ranger badges.

Very good.

And here are your books back as well.

Thank you.

Great job.

Thank you!

Yeah.

Have a great day.

You, too.

Here I am!

Boo!

Paxton, where are you?

Where is Paxton?

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

10.

Here I am.

That was fun.

And it’s something you can do at parks all across the country.

Ranger Lily, would you try this at other national parks?

Well, Ranger Rhys, I would.

This was lots of fun being outdoors.

The list of activities was a fun way to get outside and do things in nature.

Speaking of things to do in nature, have you ever camped before?

Yes, I have.

I used to be in the Scouts and so we would do a lot of camping.

Well, we’re going to see what one family thinks of it with their first camping experience.

This family agreed to record their first campout together.

So, we’ll see if they had fun and whether or not nature made it easy on them.

This is “Our First Campout.” Hi.

We’re the Wamplers!

We’re excited to go camping in our backyard.

It’s kind of spooky.

So we’re gonna have some fun.

OK, guys, come follow us.

Come on back with us in our backyard.

So Bob and the girls are on their way back from getting in the tent.

I can’t wait to see.

Quinn’s helping too.

It sounds like she has the stakes.

Childhood nature experiences, such as camping, may increase one’s tendency to spend time outdoors by fostering life skills, encouraging independence and building confidence.

Whoa.

Look at it!

So this is what the nails look like.

They look like this.

Aren’t they cool?

Good muscles.

Good job.

Now, is it gonna zip down?

Let’s go inside!

OK, what do you guys think?

It feels like home sweet home.

This is really cool in here, guys.

I love it.

I could just roll around.

Watch me.

Nice.

What else do we need to sleep in here comfortably?

Pillows.

OK, pillows.

What else?

Sleeping bags!

Sleeping bags!

Sleeping bags!

Oh, it’s two colors!

It’s so pretty.

OK. Is that so comfy?

It feels like a thousand blankets are on me.

Nice.

I love it.

Me too!

Alright, we have a lot more fun to do.

Put it in, put it in.

Yay.

Yeah, girl.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Yeah.

Ahh.

Yes, girl!

Four.

Five.

Six.

We’re gonna decorate our sleeping bags with our favorite stuffed animals.

Blakely, do you think you’re gonna last the entire night?

I think I am.

What animal sounds do you think we’re gonna hear?

I think we’re gonna hear some, “Whoo, whoo.” Oh, owls!

What if we hear the bats’ flippers?

Oh, we might.

We do have bats back here.

And bananas.

Oh, that’s our dog, Bella.

Yeah, we might hear some Bella barks.

Are you guys hungry?

Oh, yeah.

Oh that, that cheese, it looks so ooey gooey.

All right.

Oh, you got to sit down, babe.

I think the sun is setting.

So it’s about to get dark soon.

It is, the sun sets tonight at 9.

What if we wish on a star tonight?

Ooh, that’s a good idea.

Bob is going to be doing the, bonfire.

Mama, come here.

I’m here, baby girl.

Look!

Oh, wow.

Look how awesome that looks.

Good job, Daddy.

Whoooo.

Whoooo.

Whoo.

I hear something, is that an owl?

I hear animals.

We have special sticks, you can tell.

You want to to eat it?

Bon appétit!

Is it really good?

Yeah, the caramel.

Is it melting?

Is the caramel melting on there?

Uh huh.

Yeah.

Look at my mouth, it’s so sticky.

Oh, it is so sticky.

We need some baby wipes.

Is that a star up there?

Yeah.

Let’s make a wish!

That’s moving.

You have to make a wish.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

How I wonder what you are.

Yay!

All the girls are taking turns making shadow puppets.

What is it?

What is this?

It looks like clapping.

Oh, there’s a bunny on our – There’s a bunny.

Oh.

Oh, no.

There’s an alligator eating something, whatever that is.

Ahh OK. Let’s do some scary stories.

Let’s do – Daddy, you have a really scary story.

Yeah, and just to let everybody know, we already brushed our teeth.

The girls already got into their pj’s.

So we’re going to tell some not-so-scary stories and then we’re probably going to go to sleep.

But Daddy, you have to tell yours.

OK, Daddy has a good one.

Do a funny one, too.

I love funny.

Did you guys hear that?

In the woods.

Shhh.

I heard branches break.

Turn your lights off, guys.

We don’t want to attract an animal if there is an animal.

Gaaaarrr!

Ahhh!

OK, love you guys.

We’ll see you in the morning.

Hi, everybody.

It’s next morning.

Blakey here got scared and couldn’t make it through the night.

So we’re going to go check on everybody to see if everyone’s awake and how the night was for everybody.

What do you think?

Do you think they’re awake or asleep?

Asleep.

Asleep.

Daddy’s still awake, or Daddy’s awake.

It looks like the girls are still sleeping.

Girls, girls.

Welcome back.

We just watched a family on their first campout.

No matter where you camp, you’re guaranteed to get a little dirty.

And speaking of dirt, we’re going to check in on our “Mud Cam.” Let’s see how muddy kids are getting this time.

Oh, wow.

The clogs again.

Oh, that's like – oh.

That's like – Oh, that's pretty – 0.5.

Really?

Point – it's like – Oh, look at It's like, oh!

Like look, it’s like all up his, the back.

Oh it’s on his butt.

Look it’s all up his back.

2.5, at least.

Yeah I think 2.5.

It’s not that bad.

Let’s see what we got going on.

Oh, wow.

Oh.

Does she fall?

Oh wow.

She doesn’t fall.

I think, oh my gosh.

Slow motion is, ooh, that was – I think.

Oh, oh, it hit her face!

Are the pants white?

Yes, they are.

Those are white pants!

OK, I’d say like a seven.

Exactly, 7.5 at the minimum.

Since we’re already talking about slimy stuff, I think it’s a good time for our next segment.

Rhys, do you get grossed out by bugs?

Yeah, definitely.

So, you’ll get grossed out by something like this one?

Mhmm, yeah.

Well, to any of you who are grossed out by bugs, be warned.

We’re going to see a bunch of them.

We challenged kids to go out and find as many slimy, creeping bugs as they could, and they had to film what they found.

This is the “Creepy Crawly Challenge.” Hi, my name is Calvin.

I’m 13 years old, and I’m on a walk looking for creepy crawlies.

Look at the spider with egg sacs.

It has four of them.

Oh, look at this snail.

Oh wow, look at that big, huge spider up there.

Participating in the tracking or discovery of insects could make kids more likely to protect nature and encourage others to do the same.

Come here!

What is that?

It’s a bug.

Pretty little flower.

A lubber grasshopper.

Hello, my name is Lara.

I’m 10 years old and I live in Lakewood, Ohio.

Living in Lakewood is fun.

But, there’s midges.

Midges are fly-like creatures that are like a dark brown.

They swarm, as I can see.

And especially when you live by the lake, there’s a ton of them.

Sometimes they even get in your mouth and they do not taste good.

Trust me.

I was digging in a garden and I found a leopard slug.

It’s right here.

It’s about the size of my thumb.

It’s brown with black prints all over it.

And when it moves, it leaves like a sticky slime wherever it goes.

I started to dig and I found a worm.

I’m kind of scared to pick it up because it’s, I don’t know, worms are sometimes slimy, but, here it goes.

I was looking on a tree for a ladybug, but instead, I found this little guy.

His head and his bottom are pretty brightly colored, and that’s what drew my attention.

They’re like an iridescent blue.

Oh, it’s moving.

Hi!

I was digging in a garden and I found a centipede.

It’s brown, and it looks like it kind of fades.

The little legs of it are yellow.

I’m not gonna pick up a centipede.

They seem kind of gross, especially with all those legs crawling on you.

It’s crawling over top of a bug.

I would hate to be that white bug.

Hi, I am Lena and I am 6 years old, and I’m going to be doing the “Creepy Crawler Challenge.” Look what I just found, guys!

A roly poly.

So, what is it?

A roly poly.

Oh, my gosh.

Is it crawling on you?

Yes.

How does it feel?

Not really ticklish as the ant.

Now it’s tickling.

It’s really a little bit big.

Let me get a close-up on it.

I found a worm!

Oh, no it’s not!

It’s not a baby worm, it’s scaring me.

A centipede.

It’s a centipede.

Where is it?

I can’t see it.

Oh, it fell down.

I hate centipedes.

Why?

Eee!

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

What is it?

It’s a whole group of ants.

Oh, yeah.

Don’t pick up the ants, OK?

They’re just picking up this white stuff.

And the ants are going fast so they can feed their family.

And a centipede, a centipede, centipede!

Now this looks like a scary movie.

Hello?

Anybody in there?

It’s a bug!

Ahh.

Get it off my shoe.

Get it off my shoe.

What was crawling on your shoe?

A ant.

A big one.

OK, you guys, that was my time of fun.

Something crawled in my shoe and it was a big one.

But, I’m OK. That was so fun.

Hi, my name is Jasmine, and I’m 9 years old.

And we’re gonna see what creepy crawlies I can find.

Look, there’s a whole bunch of worker ants.

They’re probably sent to look for some food.

Look, there are some bees pollinating the flowers.

Let’s look under this wood.

Whoa!

There’s a whole bunch of ants.

There’s even ant eggs.

That is a lot of ants.

They’re even carrying eggs.

I wonder where they’re carrying them to.

Playing with bugs can teach your child how to research a topic.

When kids have a question about a creepy crawly, ask them how they can find out the answer.

Like finding a book at the library or researching it on the internet.

And encourage your kids to learn more about their new friend.

A little one.

Oh.

He’s gorgeous.

Good job!

I don’t want to touch any of those bugs, but I do know they do all kinds of important things in nature.

I love bugs.

Rhys, did you know that dragonflies eat mosquitoes and ants aerate the soil?

I did not.

Did you know that some dung beetles can move over 1,000 times their own body weight?

That’s a lot.

We’re gonna learn about one of the most important insects.

Bees.

Bees pollinate plants, but a lot of kids are scared of them, too.

In our next segment, we’re going to hear from a family that raises bees and sells honey.

They’ll tell us the benefits of bees and whether or not we should be afraid of them.

This is “The Amazzzing World of Bees.” Hey, I’m Wesley the Keeper.

I’m Rebecca.

I’m Bella.

I’m Caedance.

I’m Samuel.

I’m Kassian.

I’m Loukah.

And we’re the Akron Honey family.

Today we’re going to talk all about honey bees.

That was great, guys.

Y’all are made for this.

Did you know honey is sweeter than sugar?

What?

Yeah, it is 25% sweeter than sugar.

How do honey bees taste?

Oh my gosh, with their feet!

What?!

How do honey bees talk to each other?

With a dance!

Can you see these hives behind me?

Each hive has workers, drones and one queen.

These bees are busy all day long.

So let’s take it step by step to show you what they do.

Hi.

I’m a worker bee.

I spend all day collecting pollen and nectar to feed my hive.

Follow me as I get ready for my day.

Here in the hive, you can see all the honeycomb.

Here we take pollen and nectar and bring it into our house to become food for the other bees.

There are a lot of jobs for bees here, but I forage, meaning I collect the pollen and nectar to make food.

I’m ready to go find pollen.

Let’s go!

I spend my entire day looking for pollen and nectar.

I find that on flowers and plants.

I can fly up to 5 miles away from the hive to find food.

Flowers often have pollen, which is like a dust.

I collect it with the fine hairs all over my body, which makes me look fuzzy.

That’s how you can tell me apart from wasps, yellow jackets and other insects like carpenter bees.

They have smooth, shiny bodies.

They’re also more aggressive than I am.

All I care about is getting food for my family.

So unless you mess with my hive, I’ll leave you alone.

If I fly close to you, don’t worry.

I’m just looking around for food.

And you might be colorful like a flower, so I have to investigate.

When I carry pollen from one flower to the next, I also help plants reproduce and create food.

You see, many plants depend on me to make fruit, like bananas, blueberries, apples, melons, potatoes and more.

Coffee too!

Without me, your parents might be pretty grumpy in the mornings.

There are also other pollinators.

Butterflies, beetles, moths, hummingbirds and even bats pollinate plants.

Now, I’m heading back to the hive to store the pollen and help turn it into honey.

Thanks for flying along with me.

So how can we help save the bees by making sure they have everything they need to eat?

Two ways.

Number one, let’s just stop spraying everything.

When we spray the crops that they love, we’re contaminating their food source.

And that’s bad.

Number two, let everything grow.

When we let the plants grow that bees love, we don’t have to worry about proactively feeding them.

Mother Earth does that already.

Honey bees are our friends.

The best thing we can do is step back and let them be.

The best time to teach kids about the value of environmental protection is during the preschool and early school years, when they can be especially receptive.

And kids can even influence the environmental practices of their parents and grandparents.

What I wish I knew about honey bees, number one.

They have two stomachs instead of one.

That’s the first thing.

So they have a regular stomach that kind of works like ours.

But, then they have a honey gut that takes that nectar and starts processing it so that it can actually be turned into honey.

That’s, like, really weird, but it’s really amazing.

It’s magical.

What I wish I knew about honey bees, number two.

Before we had GPS, they’ve been using GPS.

And how do they do it?

They use the sun as, as, like, their primary function of GPS to, you know, know where they’re at, know how to get back home, know where their home’s at, know where the path to get back home, like their highway.

That’s really crazy.

What I wish I knew about honey bees, number three.

We speak with each other and communicate with each other by speaking to one another audibly.

We do a little bit of, like, some visual communication, but it’s mostly audible.

And with honey bees, they do something called a waggle dance.

And if you don’t know a waggle dance is, listen, turn the TV up right now.

Or the internet, whatever, whatever we’re on right now.

The waggle dance is a dance that they do, the honey bees do amongst their sisters to show everyone where the best flowers are at.

That’s one of the functions.

So if a honey bee goes out, find a really good buffet of flowers, they come back, and since they can’t speak like we do, they dance.

And that’s how they’re able to tell all the other, their other sisters where to go.

They, like, do this figure eight.

And within the figure eight, it’s kind of crazy, within the figure eight they’re just kind of going like this and just coming around and going like this.

These are coordinates.

This is crazy.

You’re giving coordinates based off of a dance.

It’s kind of like, I want to tell all my friends where the best pizza spot’s at, and I just send them directions, right.

They’re so programmed.

It’s like so magical.

And that’s “The Amazzzing World of Bees.” And hey, thank you so much for sharing your time with Akron Honey and Akron Children’s.

What’s happening, bud?

Oh, my.

Jump.

Jump.

Jump.

We’re back.

And we’ve seen a lot of fun activities to do outside.

But this next segment is all about enjoying one of nature’s simplest pleasures.

Puddles!

Let’s meet a kid who loves a good, rainy day.

This is “The Puddle Hunter.” Hi.

I’m Brooks, and I’m 6 years old.

And I’m a puddle hunter!

The best thing about being a puddle hunter is you get to splash in puddles and have really fun, and you get to talk about it.

Talk about your favorite parts.

Jump in a puddle.

Wetness is the key.

This is not a puddle at all.

Can I tell you why?

When I jump in it, myself doesn’t get wet.

What should I do?

Leave or stay?

I know.

Leave.

I liked that puddle because it was warm and and soft and smooth.

Can I do it again?

Sometimes there’s a rock in your shoe and you should take it out to make it less painful.

Those little puddles are from the rain and, and, and you can’t jump in them – only if you shrunk like this big you can jump in them.

I’m so excited to jump in the biggest puddle on our neighborhood.

Maybe it’s humongous.

I’m going to do a big splash in it.

And and my mom will get soaking wet, too.

Should we do it?

Yeah!

OK, first we should look if there’s any cars.

It’s fine.

Got ya.

My pants are soaked.

Probably my biggest splash.

I love puddles, I love puddles, puddles are the best!

When is the best time to jump in puddles?

On a rainy day.

Guess what?

It was raining today.

We can, we can catch some puddles.

We don’t want to wait here all day long, because the sun will dry them out.

Come on.

You hear that?

That’s the sound of puddles disappearing.

We better hurry.

And the sun’s coming out.

Guys, look, it’s a mud puddle!

I’m so excited!

Three.

Two.

One.

This looks like chocolate milk, but it’s not.

It’s, it’s dirt.

Don’t drink dirt.

If you like drinking dirt you have to be an animal or something like that.

My feet are muddy, but it was really fun jumping into puddles.

Thanks for coming, everybody.

Bye.

A good puddle is hard to beat.

Getting wet is totally worth it.

And speaking of puddles, it’s time for our last check-in on the “Mud Cam.” Let’s roll that sloppy footage.

Oh gosh!

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

That’s deep.

That’s some deep.

Ohhh!

Whoa!

OK, I think that’s like an eight.

Do you see how his hand like, went – Oh!

Eight.

That’s an eight at least.

I think an 8.5.

Yes.

Oh, he went back in.

Oh my God, half of him is just covered in it.

It’s like, oh.

And it’s sticking to him.

I think that’s a nine.

That’s a nine, literally.

Wow.

And he keeps, oh, this is, oh, he’s falling in.

Oh, this girl, based off her appearance, this is like a 10.

Yeah, I’d say 10.

This is a 10.

Even 11.

That’s a, yeah.

Let’s, let’s go 11.

Oh!

Oh.

Ahh, it’s in her hair!

Oh my gosh.

11.

That’s an 11.

That’s an 11.

For sure.

Oh my goodness.

What was that?

Oh, oh, wait.

Wait, wait.

Oh!

Nice job.

You too.

OK. We’ve seen a lot of ideas of what to do outside.

But, what do we do when we don’t know what to do?

We challenged these kids to go out and create the next backyard game.

No prompt, no rules, just use your imagination.

Let’s see what they came up with.

This is “The Next Great Backyard Game.” Hello, my name is Audrey, I am 13 years old and my favorite outdoor game is four square.

Hi, my name is Aurora.

I’m 13 years old and my favorite outdoor activity is gaga ball.

Hi, my name is MaKenna.

I’m 12 years old and my favorite outdoor game is four square.

What if we did something kind of like with soccer, but, for like, if you don’t want to kick it.

Yeah.

What could we use to, like, move a ball?

We could use hula hoops.

Oh my gosh, yes!

You can like bat them.

Oh my gosh, yes, just like whack it across the ground.

Yeah.

There has to be some, like, way to win.

You can get it into a basket.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

We all brought our hula hoops from home.

And my mom brought crates from her school and got her principal to lend us a kickball from their gym.

OK.

So what are we going to name this?

I mean, it’s so weird.

Yeah, umm.

Well, we’re using hula hoops, so I could start with “hula.” I like that, like, ‘cause, like, “hula hoop,” “hula.” It makes a lot of sense.

We also use boxes to get scores.

So maybe we can use “boxes” somehow?

“Hula Boxes”?

“Hula Boxes.” It’s perfect!

Yes.

“Hula Box!” “Hula Box!” When setting up, you want to make sure each player has a crate or a box and each player has a hula hoop.

You want to make sure you set up your crate / boxes so that every one is equally spaced.

Then in the center, you’re going to place a ball, making sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to get it.

Then say, go, and at that point you are all going to walk toward or run, to get the ball.

You’re going to want to try and kick it to the opposing players’ crate or box and not yours.

In the event that you get the ball into the box or crate, you have won a point.

In that case, you get to walk over to your designated stick pile and you set it on your crate.

So then the first person to have the same amount of sticks on their crate as players has won the game.

Go.

Go.

Whee!

I got it.

Now I get a stick.

Was that you or me?

Both of us.

Yay!

Yay!

Yes.

You got a point.

I got a point!

There is evidence that engaging with nature may impact chidren’s language and communication skills, which support development, education and social relationships.

I won!

Here’s your stick.

My stick!

Her winning stick.

She’s the winner.

Yay, yay!

Games are a great way to get outside.

You can make up your own, too.

If you do, send us a video of it on Facebook or Instagram.

Now, we’re going to talk with some experts from Akron Children’s about the importance of playing outside.

This is “Ask the Experts.” Hi, Rhys and Lily.

Hello again.

Good to see you.

Hello.

Hi.

We have Doctor Miksit and Doctor Korah with us today.

Thank you both for joining us.

Could you tell us about yourselves and what you do?

Absolutely.

My name is Doctor Miksit.

I’m a pediatrician at Akron Children’s in Warren.

And I’m Doctor Korah, and I’m a pediatrician in Mayfield Heights.

We have some questions for you about why kids should spend more time outdoors.

Our first question is, does spending time outside make us healthier and why?

I tell my patients that no summer is complete without scraping your knee or elbow.

Just make sure it doesn’t get infected.

But kids’ bodies are growing, and so getting outside helps them improve their motor development and build muscle.

And surprisingly, it also lessens the risk for nearsightedness.

And lastly, getting outside, getting sunlight helps build your vitamin D levels, which also helps make your bones strong.

It’s also great for your mind as well.

In the sun and fresh air, we feel better and when we use our imagination to explore nature, it makes our mind stronger as well and helps us learn about the world around us.

Is there a difference between spending time with friends online and spending time with them in person outside?

That’s a great question.

Now, playing online with friends, it can be fun, but sometimes it limits what we can do.

And it’s very task-based based on what the game does.

With outdoor play, though, the sky’s literally the limit and not only are you strengthening your body, but you’re learning new ways to play and things about your friends you wouldn’t get to see with online play.

Talking with friends online is a little different than talking to them face-to-face.

And one of the things you can’t do online is sometimes offer some physical support, like patting them on the back.

But being face-to-face also helps build your social skills, and being outside in general has shown to decrease anger, aggression, stress and depression.

Is spending time reading outside just as good as riding a bike or playing soccer?

Yeah, I mean, any outside time is great for you.

And even if we’re just sitting and reading a book, we’re still getting so many of the benefits of being outside with nature.

And reading to younger children outside can help them interact with the environment.

So getting fresh air is important, but getting exercise is an added benefit of being active.

How much time outside do you really need each day or week?

In general, experts recommend at least 30 minutes per day, but, as long as we’re staying hydrated drinking our water, and staying safe, the more time outside, the merrier.

Thirty minutes would be great, but it would be a big jump if you are currently not getting much time outside at all.

You can start by getting 20 minutes, three days a week, but I think it’s also important where we live that we spend so much of our time cooped up indoors because of the weather, that now in the spring and the summer that we take advantage and really make up for that time when we can’t get outside.

Now, our parents tell us to go outside, but they stay in.

Should they come outside with us?

So the same benefits kids get getting outside also applies to the parents, too.

So bonding, improving their mental health, relieving stress.

And parents are always their kids’ best example by just getting outside and starting activities, playing with neighbors, and even inventing new games, or remembering some of the games they used to play when they were children.

Yeah, sometimes parents are busy and they just can’t come outside.

They may have work, cleaning or other tasks to complete, but if we’re just sitting inside and relaxing, I suggest parents transition to the outdoor space because often we’ll find ourselves joining in on the fun that’s happening.

OK, now we have a fun question for you.

If you had to choose between two outdoor activities, would you choose running a 5-mile-long race or doing a 200-foot-long hopscotch?

Decisions.

Oh, just thinking about it makes my knees hurt.

But, I think I will go with the hopscotch.

I would go with the hopscotch as well.

I just, not sure I can run that far anymore.

I could still hopscotch pretty well.

Thank you doctors for joining us.

Now, we’re going to take a break for another moment of childhood.

Today we saw a lot of ideas on how to have fun outside and get some needed exercise.

And we heard some good reasons for why our parents tell us to go out there.

We saw that nature can be pretty fun and a little muddy.

We also learned that bugs can be cool and they do some helpful things.

We hope you enjoyed watching this episode of “More childhood, please™.” If you have any thoughts on a topic or challenges you’d like to see on another episode, message us on Facebook and Instagram.

We’ll see you on the next episode.

Bye.

Want to go find some mud?

Yeah.