Until the Streetlights Come On

How a Return to Play Brightens Our Present and Prepares Kids for an Uncertain Future

by Ginny Yurich MEd

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Pub Date Nov 14 2023 | Archive Date Dec 19 2023

Parenting & Families

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Description

It may shock you to learn that we spend an average of 4-7 minutes outside each day--while we spend 4-7 hours using devices with screens. Needless to say, our physical, mental, emotional, and relational health has suffered. But there is a ready solution: get outside!

A homeschooling mother of five and founder of the global 1000 Hours Outside movement, Ginny Yurich explains how we got to this point--and how to get back to a healthier, more engaging relationship with the world outside. With a mom's heart and an educator's eye, Ginny shows you

· the importance of unstructured play for children
· what boredom actually contributes to our brains
· the value of sunlight and social play
· the role of play in lifelong learning
· how to make time outside more attractive to your child than screentime
· and much more

If you want your kids to grow up curious, resilient, and with a sense of adventure and community, it's essential to make outside play a priority. This book shows you why and how.

***

"Ginny didn't ask me to endorse this book. I asked her if I could because I'm such a big fan of her work. This is an important book today, but I believe it will be even more important tomorrow and next year. Why? Because it's going to get easier and easier to isolate inside as technology continues to give us avenues to hide from the great outdoors. What will you find in this book? An invitation to explore. An invitation to be brave. An invitation to be different. An invitation to answer that quiet voice in your heart that says, 'Could we go back outside?' You can. You should. You must! At least until the streetlights come on."--Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Soundtracks

It may shock you to learn that we spend an average of 4-7 minutes outside each day--while we spend 4-7 hours using devices with screens. Needless to say, our physical, mental, emotional, and...

Advance Praise

"Until the Streetlights Come On takes us back to the cul-de-sacs and customs of our youth when play was more than just a pastime, it was a rite of passage. Rousing and replete with research, this book is a primer for preserving play and giving childhood back to its rightful owners—our kids."

—Ainsley Arment, founder of Wild + Free

"Call it what you like: play, adventure, or preparing kids to save the world. Connecting with nature is fun, healthy, and vitally important."

—Alastair Humphreys, author of Microadventures and a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year

"For every swirling emotion you and your kids are navigating right now—Underwhelmed! Overwhelmed! Everything in between!—play promises hope and connection on the other side. And in her brilliantly illuminating book, Ginny Yurich is the guide who leads you straight there and beyond. Overflowing with reflective prompts and practical ideas for deeper play, Until the Streetlights Come On is the definitive guide to play for those of us who can't remember what it means to play—and for those of us who can't afford to forget."

—Erin Loechner, author and founder of Other Goose

"I had planned to read one chapter of Until the Streetlights Come On daily until I completed it, but once I opened it, I finished the entire book because I couldn't stop reading. In each chapter, I felt seen, challenged, and inspired to fiercely protect my family's slow margin. Ginny offers a special balance of science, heart, and soul as she presents a MasterClass for prioritizing play, honoring childhood, and building relationships in the great outdoors. I've never felt more motivated to be present, free, and unabashedly me."

—Amber O'Neal Johnston, author of A Place to Belong

"A timely book! Ginny expertly captures the attention of her audience with humor and candid stories, taking us all deeper into the importance of play and authentic connection with others. There is much truth in Until the Streetlights Come On."

—Angela Hanscom, author of Balanced and Barefoot

"Ginny is a special person who has written a very special book. Until the Streetlights Come On does not hanker for the past but instead looks ahead to the time where increasingly children will need to be self-motivated, adaptable, creative problem solvers and team builders. She skillfully lays out a way that will feel in flow with everyday life, giving space for children to have a childhood and deeply play. In simple and joyful terms, Ginny has described a pathway to giving our children a childhood so that they can grow into successful, competent, and confident adults. She has done it with a warmth that leaves us with the feeling 'I can do this.'"

—Kim John Payne, MEd, author of Emotionally Resilient Tweens and Teens, Simplicity Parenting, The Soul of Discipline, and Beyond Winning

"Until the Streetlights Come On takes us back to the cul-de-sacs and customs of our youth when play was more than just a pastime, it was a rite of passage. Rousing and replete with research, this...