Childhood is finite at just shy of 9.5 million minutes. We only get one shot at it. One of the biggest decisions we make is how we will use that time. Research has confirmed time and time again that what children are naturally and unabashedly drawn to, unrestricted outside play, contributes extensively to every area of childhood development. The importance here cannot be understated. Every year we aim to match nature time with the average amount of American kid screen time (which is currently 1200 hours per year). Have a goal. Track your time outside. Take back childhood. Inspire others.
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Childhood is finite at just shy of 9.5 million minutes. We only get one shot at it. One of the biggest decisions we make is how we will use that time. Research has confirmed time and time again that what children are naturally and unabashedly drawn to, unrestricted outside play, contributes extensively to every area of childhood development. The importance here cannot be understated. Every year we aim to match nature time with the average amount of American kid screen time (which is currently 1200 hours per year). Have a goal. Track your time outside. Take back childhood. Inspire others.
1KHO 640: Children Improve Their Attention Spans Outside | Angela Hanscom, TimberNook
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
55 minutes
1 week ago
1KHO 640: Children Improve Their Attention Spans Outside | Angela Hanscom, TimberNook
When pediatric occupational therapist and TimberNook founder Angela Hanscom steps into the woods, she sees what most of us miss: children rebuilding the very systems in their brains that make attention possible. In this deeply hopeful conversation, Angela explains why daily outdoor play isn’t just “good for kids”—it’s biologically essential. From spinning and hanging upside down to tumbling down hills, nature gives children the movement their vestibular system craves, activating the brain’s built-in attention network and counteracting the effects of our screen-heavy world. Schools partnering with TimberNook are reporting calmer classrooms, fewer behavior challenges, and even more academic risk-taking as children spend long, unstructured stretches in nature.
But this episode goes beyond brain science. Angela and Ginny explore the social, emotional, and leadership skills that develop when adults step back and let the woods take the lead. You’ll hear powerful stories of children negotiating conflicts, comforting friends, forming “clans,” navigating risk, and discovering capability without adults micromanaging every move. It’s a reminder that the richness of what happens in the woods grows more than attention spans; it grows confidence, resilience, empathy, creativity, and identity. If you need encouragement, inspiration, or simply permission to let go a little, this conversation will shift how you see childhood and how you support it.
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The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
Childhood is finite at just shy of 9.5 million minutes. We only get one shot at it. One of the biggest decisions we make is how we will use that time. Research has confirmed time and time again that what children are naturally and unabashedly drawn to, unrestricted outside play, contributes extensively to every area of childhood development. The importance here cannot be understated. Every year we aim to match nature time with the average amount of American kid screen time (which is currently 1200 hours per year). Have a goal. Track your time outside. Take back childhood. Inspire others.
