JOLIET — One Joliet occupational therapist is using her expertise to offer Carbon County families an opportunity for outdoor enrichment.
Amy Decker started Backyard Kids as a way for families to find a balance between technology and the great outdoors.
"Kids are really smart. They know what to do. They know how to play. They know how to learn," said Decker at her home in Joliet Wednesday.
As a mother of three, Decker saw a need for Backyard Kids when she moved to Joliet three years ago.
"In the clinic and the school base, you hear more behavioral challenges and ADHD diagnoses so it kind of sent me down a rabbit hole of, "Why is this?" And technology, of course, comes up. But also, with that, it's just the lack of some free play," Decker said.
She incorporates child-led play and the outdoors with Backyard Kids, hoping to find a balance for children when it comes to screen time and being outside.
"It's more about just facilitating play through the environment setup," said Decker.
Right now, the program is for kids and their parents to do together, using activities like the game "Red Light Green Light" or catching minnows in the creek by Decker's property.
"Playing with different textures and using your hands and your touch and just allowing your whole body to be immersed in nature," Decker added.
"They have fun and they're tired afterwards. And that's the best thing about it," joked Red Lodge mom Charlee Bettise-Copher.
It's a lifesaver for Bettise-Copher, who brought her two boys to the session.
"We're constantly trying to find, you know, groups of moms that just want to get their kids outside and playing and out of the house and off of screens and everything," Bettise-Copher said. "Amy does a great job just coming up with super fun things for kids to do that's not expensive. You can do it at home. It gives moms really good ideas for early development and beyond that."
It gives Carbon County families a reason to go outside and play.
"It's an opportunity to get messy, and that's the goal here, so kind of gives them a free pass to let it go," said Decker.
