Until the Streetlights Come on: How a Return to Play Brightens Our Present and Prepares Kids for an Uncertain Future - Hardcover

by Yurich Ginny Med (Author)

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.

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"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

Back Jacket

"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

***

The average American now spends just four to seven minutes outside each day, while we spend four to seven hours using devices with screens. Our physical, mental, emotional, and relational health has suffered--and so has that of our children.

But there is a solution: get outside!

A homeschooling mother of five and the 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 than screen time to your child
- 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.

Author Biography

Ginny Yurich is a homeschooling mother of five and founder of 1000 Hours Outside, a global movement designed to reclaim childhood. Along with her husband, Josh, Ginny is a full-time creator and curator of the 1000 Hours Outside lifestyle brand, which includes a robust online store, an app, and books. She also hosts the 1000 Hours Outside weekly podcast. A thought leader in the world of nature-based play and its benefits for children, Ginny lives with her family in the Ann Arbor area of Michigan.