Diggin’ dirt’s good for grades, mucking in mud is marvelous for our minds

Thu. May. 10, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min Garden Bite radio show: Diggin dirt’s good for grades and mucking in the mud is marvelous for our minds

I know… a super long title but I couldn’t help myself, it’s how I roll.

Remember when you were a kid and mud seemed to call your name?  It still does for me!  But our kids and grandkids aren’t feeling it as much as those of us over the age of 40!

Turns out, that while we weren’t trying to be healthy, diggin’ in the dirt is good for grades and a whole lot more!

There have been multiple studies regarding the benefits of outdoor play for children for everything from behavior to health to grades.

There’s a natural bacteria in soil, as well as parasites and viruses that helps build their immune systems and can also boost our mental health.   How playing in dirt boosts your Health

Dirt is good – why kids need exposure to Germs

The Scientist – Let them eat Dirt

The Magic of Dirt – 10 benefits

Hmmm, I wonder if that’s how spas came up with mud baths, or maybe that’s just a more civilized way for adults to play in the mud.  I know, the parasite and virus thing sounds a little scary but it’s true that exposure to those things makes for a stronger immune system.  Many kids who live in an ultraclean environment have a greater chance of suffering from allergies, asthma, and other autoimmune diseases.

Mucking around in the mud provides kids with an opportunity to be creative and notice nature as well.   Some research suggests that there is something in dirt that actually triggers serotonin which makes kids (and adults) happy and more relaxed.

Dirt has a microbiome and it may double as an antidepressant

I have a saying that’s on my website, “the garden is no place to stress for success but to soak up some sun and renew your spirit”. 

The proof is piling up that your spirit and your body will be renewed by getting dirty too.

So, let your kids, and yourself, muck around in the mud, grab some sunshine and let the healing begin.