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Kids need kids to get outside.

It's 8am and my kids are out sledding with the neighborhood kids. They scurried out of their pajamas when a neighboring 8-year-old knocked on the door, sled in hand.

There's lots of talk about getting children outside to play. I've seen books lately that give parents tips for how to play outdoors with their kids. Anything that gets kids outside is good, but nothing beats another child.

Sometimes it seems like the 1950s on our block. Children 5 and up ride scooters and bikes up and down the sidewalk. This is a neighborhood where kids congregate in neighbors' yards and knock on each other's doors to go outside to play. The young ones (5-6) seek each other out, but often the play becomes a mix of ages, 5-12, whether it's a game of mud and sticks, baseball or leaf piles.

What does it take to get kids outside? Indoor screens can be so enticing. It's hard to compete. Swings and play structures are fine, but that's not what really draws kids out. All it takes is a child outside. Children are magnets for other children. All it takes in our neighborhood is three families who are comfortable with outdoor community play.

It starts with us. We need to loosen our reins and schedules and let kids outside. Start by finding a few allies, a neighborhood family who shares your goals of outdoor play. Maybe your neighborhood doesn't have this mindset yet. You can be the leader. Send your magnets into the world and draw other children outside.

Do you have allies in your neighborhood? What is your neighborhood mindset? Do you have a place where the children congregate?

Taking kids outside at night builds wonder and joy.

Last weekend we hosted a party to celebrate the dark. It was ostensibly a Halloween party, with costumes and bobbing for apples, but the main ingredients were simply nine kids running around in the dark.

Kids love to be outside at night. Whether it's the glow of street lamps in the neighborhood, or spotting the moon, darkness gives children a thrill.

Besides standing at early morning bus stops, however, kids rarely get to experience the dark night. We stay inside with lights on. Darkness is linked to fear. But darkness is a wonderful way to explore the world and feel connected to nature.

As a camp counselor, I used to take night hikes with groups of 12-year-olds. Most had never taken a walk at night. At first they clung close together in fear. As we played games in the dark and gazed at the stars together the fear wore off and was replaced with wonder.

Darkness connects us to our deepest roots. Darkness gives us a sense of infinity. Darkness sparks questions and awe. Darkness makes us come together for friendship and companionship. Darkness in nature reminds us we are not the only ones living here. Darkness, combined with a pack of excited children, leads to chase games and delighted squeals of fun.

If you haven't taken your kids for a nighttime walk, try it. Many kids are scared of the dark when it comes to dark rooms and spooky closets, but holding your hand in the dark is a companionable adventure. Darkness isn't just for Halloween. Share fun in the dark year-round.

What are your favorite memories of the dark? Have you taken kids outside at night?

Share wonder and good news with kids. Too many problems can be paralyzing.

I stumbled on a bit of environmental good news this month. Amid tales of climate problems, declining honeybee populations and invasive carp it's rare to hear good news stories about the environment. Since 2004, Americans are driving less. Much less. In the last ten years, every measure of driving distance has significantly dropped: per person, per vehicle, per household and per licensed driver.

What good news.

Whenever we share big topics with kids - taking care of our planet, caring for people, stopping injustice - we need to be sure to share buckets of good news. Children need a chance to approach their world with a sense of optimism and change.

It's easy to impart the bad news. But too much bad news can be paralyzing. As a child growing up in the 1970s, my schoolmates and I were bombarded with messages of destruction: environmental destruction and cold war nuclear destruction. I grew up convinced the planet I lived on was doomed and there was nothing I could do about it.

All the topics we care about - racial, environmental, inequality or other - are complex, on-going challenges. We can make progress in our lifetime, but we'll need the kids to make progress, too. Share the problem, but share the good news, too. We all need a dose of both to make things better.

Good news environmental stories make us all realize we can change our direction.

Curious about the study results? See pages 4-5 here.

Have you shared wonder and good news with your kids lately? How's your outlook? Have you been ingesting too much bad news media? There's both good and bad out there.