A dad’s advice

Here are three ways to get your kids outdoors from Cincinnati’s father of two Jeff Alt, the author of the recently expanded book “A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160 mile expedition for charity on the Appalachian Trail.”

Start them off young

Alt said earlier exposure to the outdoors conditions children to outdoor activities.

“They know that they can have as much fun (outdoors),” he said.

Use technology

Alt pointed out that things like headlamp flashlights encourage night play in the back yard and GPS devices are a great way to get kids to explore the world.

Geocaching, an outdoor activity, uses GPS to hide and seek containers called “geocaches.”

“Now you’ve pulled that kid from Game Boy or whatever they are interested in. They realize this is real this is not a cartoon.” he said.

Let the kids lead

Alt encouraged parents to make there children active participants in the experience. Let them bring along their favorite food and even a friend, he said

“When you are walking, let the child lead the pace,” he said.

And Alt said parents should play at the kids level. No fast pitches to a 5-year-old for instance.

“You don’t want to leave them in the dust,” he said. “That’s not fun for the them.”

A physician’s advice

Here are a few ways to keep your kids fit during the summer from Dr. James Ebert, lead physician in Dayton Children’s Lipid Clinic.

Getting your kids out of the house

“If they hang around the house they are going to end up in the kitchen grazing,” he said. “(Outside of the house) they are going to find friends.”

Think of games for kids and give them tools

“If a kid doesn’t have a jump rope, get him one. If a kid doesn’t have a kite, show him how to fly one,” Ebert said.

Set a good example

“If mom and dad sit in an easy chair, the kids are going to mirror that activity,” he said.

Play with them while you can

“Enjoy your kids. Before you know it they are going to be grown up,” Ebert said. “At some age they are not going to want to go to that playground. Have fun with them and enjoy them and give them some great memories.”

Go to the playground

“The parents have to invest some of their time to walk them over and spend some time with them, and that’s not a bad thing for parents,” he said.

Set patterns

“A lot of families have chaotic sleep habits, where everyone is up until 3 a.m.,” he said. “A lot of households have given up on the idea of bedtime or curfew. Cable TV (commercials) tells you to go eat something and you go back and watch some more TV.”

Reconnect during a shared meal daily

“(Some) families don’t have kitchen tables. They have a wide-screen TV, but no kitchen table,” he said. “When the meal is over, the kitchen is closed.”

A dad’s advice

Here are three ways to get your kids outdoors from Cincinnati father of two, Jeff Alt, the author of the recently expanded book “A Walk for Sunshine: A 2,160- Mile Expedition for Charity on the Appalachian Trail.”

Start them off young

Alt said earlier exposure to the outdoors conditions children to outdoor activities.

“They know that they can have as much fun (outdoors),” he said.

Use technology

Alt pointed out that things such as headlamp flashlights encourage night play in the backyard, and GPS devices are a great way to get kids to explore the world.

Geocaching, an outdoor activity, uses a GPS to position containers called “geocaches,” which kids try to find.

“Now you’ve pulled that kid from Game Boy or whatever they are interested in. They realize this is real; this is not a cartoon,” he said.

Let the kids lead

Alt encourages parents to make children active participants in the experience. Let them bring along friends, he said.

“When you are walking, let the child lead the pace,” he said.

And Alt said parents should play at the kids level. No fast pitches to a 5 year old, for instance.

“You don’t want to leave them in the dust,” he said. “That’s not fun for the them.”