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

by Ginny Yurich

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 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.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Education, Nature, Family, Health

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Ginny Yurich is a Michigan-based, homeschooling mama of five kids, and she is the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, a global movement to help families match the average amount of time kids spend on screens each year with time spent outdoors. Ginny is a thought-leader in the world of nature-based play and its benefits. Ginny has a BS in Mathematics and a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Michigan. Find her online at 1000HoursOutside.com and join the movement on Instagram: @1000hoursoutside, Facebook: 1000 Hours Outside, and Twitter: @1000HoursOutsid

Reviews

[Liz Breen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have found tremendous value in Ginny's podcast and her 1000 Hours Outside Movement, but found this book disappointing. The writing quality itself was good, but seemed like a book report of other books vs an original, standalone manuscript.

[Savannah Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book, but it really did not meet my expectations. First, I whole heartedly agree with the bottom line of Ginny's message. Kids need to be outside more. Kids learn through play. Kids have way too much screen time.

But this book. After about chapter 2 or 3 I just felt like everything was so repetitive. It felt like reading a book report with a billion quotes from other authors and then the author rambling to meet a word count. Honestly I skimmed the last two chapters because I was so ready to be done. I don't know if it was an editing problem or what, but I felt like everything in this book could've been said in a blog post.

Again, the message is great. Maybe I would appreciate it more if it was a new concept for me, but overall didn't love the book.

[Elizabeth Santelmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one I text to my friends and said “you need to read this book.” This book is one part memoir of a homeschool mom but then also part collection of childhood science data. It was inspiring all the way through to hold to analog childhood. Our family spends so much of our time offline but it was also a kick in the pants to do more. For a mom with tiny children I could see this being revolutionary to life. I loved how she ended the book with a call to build and hold on to community. Since 2020 that’s been falling drastically and to turn the tide is going to take group effort.

[Justus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it about 30-35% of the way through this before abandoning ship. I kept waiting for the book to say something interesting...and it never did.

As for that subtitle: if you think the author is actually going to any strong arguments or evidence in favor of the claim that it prepares kids for an uncertain future....don't hold your breath.

I'm actually hugely in favor of the author's position. I think play is extremely important. I wish there were some kind of forest preschool (aka an outdoor preschool) I had available for my kids. But I just found this book dull without a lot to say. I'm not sure it will convince skeptics and it doesn't give much actionable or concrete for those who already believe.

It also has a writing style that I find outputting. It is littered with references and quotes from other books. That sounds like a good thing, right? You would think so! But here it undermines the book in two ways. One, it makes the whole effort feel like a pastiche of other people's thinking rather than something novel from the author. If you've read some (or many) of the books that are quoted, it makes this one far less useful. But it uses way too many of them. In the first chapter she references iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us, Disconnected: How to Protect Your Kids from the Harmful Effects of Device Dependency, and Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children in three successive paragraphs. By my count, the author references 15 different books in the first chapter alone.

It doesn't help that the quotes pulled are often lame, making you wonder why she bothered.

Dr. Jean Twenge, an American psychologist who specializes in generational differences, notes in her book iGen that certain changes carry positive consequences while others carry negative consequences, and still others are neutral in their impact.

Or

In his book The Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch writes, “The pace of technological change has surpassed anyone’s capacity to develop enough wisdom to handle it.”

Did we really need an appeal to authority that some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neutral?

[Allie McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of this book! I first found Ginny through her 1000 Hours Outdoors instagram and have been following her podcast as well for a year or two. This book discusses the drastic change in how children are currently being raised from the generations before technology became rampant and having a constantly filled schedule was viewed as the road to success. (Myself) being born on the border of millennial and Gen Z, I feel as if I grew up when this shift was occurring and thank my parents for keeping me outdoors! Ginny talks about how to slow down, the positives of boredom and being outside and so much more, all backed by research. Through it all Ginny was transparent about her own struggles as a parent, getting the kids outside, and fighting the culture we live in today that is fast-paced, constant busy-ness, and technology driven. I am so excited to implement what I have learned in the this book for my children and will be recommending to all my friends.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to recommend this book to every parent I know. Most of the content was not new information for me. Yet it served as a great reminder to put into practice many of the things I value as a parent and for my own life/health. Just one example of many- it reminded me how important broad spectrum outdoor light is. Thanks to this book, even if I’m spending a day at home indoors I step outside at regular intervals to get unfiltered light into my body. I’ve read a lot of health and parenting books over the years and while some of the negative reviews criticized Ginny’s quoting of other authors, I actually really appreciated it. Some of those books are so scientific and weighty that let’s just be honest- many of us moms living in survival mode at times can’t or don’t want to sit down with a book like that. Ginny writes in an easily digestible format while still getting across valuable information.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll start by saying I love and respect the 1000 hours outside movement so much! It has changed our family rhythms and my parenting for the better in so many ways . I applaud Ginny’s work in bringing awareness to the multitude of benefits to outdoor time and free play.
I was so excited for this book but have mixed feelings on it.
First the great pieces
- lots of great information in regards to the benefits of play, outdoor time, etc. if you’re someone who is just discovering this movement you’ll love the plethora of information available here.
- I was personally challenged by the idea proposed about how we as a society are so hyper focused on physical safety of children but essentially ignore the social/emotional dangers of isolation, lack of socialization and play, and lots of screen and digital time. I had never thought about this in this context before .

The critique-
-Lots and lots of quoting of other books and authors. There’s a lot of great information but many of the things shared seemed unoriginal and just quoting of other books.
-There were pieces of the writing that I felt pushed the idea of homeschooling as the superior option for education. It felt misplaced and unnecessary to include . If the aim is to bring awareness to the great benefits of outdoor time on child development it seems like aspects should be included of how to make this inclusive and integrate into all types of education models and settings.

Overall this book fell flat for me but will always be a huge fan & cheerleader of this movement and Ginny bringing awareness to it.

[Shelbie Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

"On average, kids play outside four to seven minutes a day but use screened devices for four to seven hours each day."

This quote was enough to make me want to read this book. Prior to reading, I was somewhat familiar with Ginny Yurich via her 1000 Hours Outside movement. I have printed her trackers multiple years and fizzled out by mid-spring each time. I have an art print in my home that says "I'm what you call indoorsy" complete with a coffee mug, blanket, and houseplant doodles. I may not be the target audience for this book.

But then again, maybe I am. She crafted a strong argument about the importance of play in the life of our children. I especially enjoyed the chapters on "Light as a Guide for Our Bodies" and "The Art of Building a Family: Defining What You Want for Your Days." I finished the book inspired to try to be intentional with time outdoors (maybe 2024 will be our year!) and content with our decision to wait a while before jumping into extracurriculars for our girls.

Thank you NetGalley and Baker Books for the ARC.

[Rebekah Barkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know a book is impactful when you can’t stop thinking about it for days afterwards, and this is one of those books. I told my husband he has to read it too. 🙃 Anyone that has children or interacts with them should read this book!
I love the way Ginny doesn’t just base her book on anecdotal evidence (although that is convincing in of itself) but how she includes so many studies and research to support her case. Who knew five year olds have the creative genius equal to the best of the best NASA engineers?

This only solidified for me the need to severely limit screen time (for me too!). It gave me much more confidence to let my children simply be children and let them play instead of pushing them to meet all the “milestones” that our culture has increasingly expected of younger kids, with some alarming results. Such a good book.

[Joy Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a relevant read for all parents (or really everyone) on a topic that we all need to consider. I learned so much about the importance of play, childhood, slower paces, less tech, time outdoors, and so much more. Ginny has done her research and this book is full of it. I was forced to consider the impact my habits have on myself and my children, and I have been inspired to implement much of what she encourages.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Ginny’s podcast, have done the 1000 hours outside challenge with my own kids for three years now, and I am 1000% supportive of the overall movement. Maybe I had really high expectations for this book that left me unsatisfied? I felt like the majority of it was repeating what other authors and researchers had shared previously on the podcast from their own books — and not a ton of synthesis on Ginny’s part. And while I think it’s great that Ginny has the opportunity and means to homeschool, I didn’t love the undertones of how public schools are ruining our kids. Do they get enough recess and movement time? No. Is there a heavy emphasis on academics for our little learners brains earlier than developmentally appropriate? Maybe. But public schools (or any organized schooling for that matter) are the backbone of our communities and offer wonderful opportunities for learning, socializing, developing problem-solving skills, and experience with materials, topics, and people that is so valuable. I wish her focus was more on how to approach our educators and legislators to consider and incorporate the research that supports her mission — and less on saying how bad public schools are and homeschool is the best way. I still love ya, 1000 hours, but this one missed the mark for me a bit.

[Clarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book was not a lot of new information for me, it definitely helped support what I’ve often called my “old fashioned view” of many aspects of parenting. I’ve always valued limited electronics and encouraged much outdoor time with kiddos; this book reiterated those values and went deeper into the benefits of not only the outdoors and play and being in nature, but the value of being a hands-off parent in the aspect of letting your kids explore and learn what they are capable of. I was encouraged to continue the old fashioned path in an emergent world of technology.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A call to slow down, let your kids enjoy God’s amazing creations and don’t busy your kids childhood away! Let them have unstructured time outdoors and bring on the mess! I wishes I had embraced earlier and more often the ideas she promoted in her book. Packed full of research and other book recs as well. This needs to be a baby shower gift!

[Katy Bosch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where did play go? How has childhood changed so rapidly? How did it transform into an unrecognizable entity?

As a mom, an educator and someone who is passionate about innovation and the many benefits of getting kids outside, this was such an inspiring and thought-provoking book. It truly reminded me of my childhood days when we would play outside until my Dad rang his dinner bell (rather than when the streetlights came on). This book checked all of the boxes for me. It is filled with research and data while at the same time made me feel that I was engaging in a full-on dialogue conversation with Ginny. I appreciated the discussion questions and action/adventure prompts at the end of each chapter. 5⭐️!

“Childhood isn’t solely about preparation for the future. It’s about the present.”

“Children are energetic, playful, boisterous, passionate, intense, hopeful, vivacious, spontaneous, enthusiastic, curious, intelligent, expressive, generous and forgiving. In many ways, we should strive for what they have and fiercely resist the slow drain of those qualities that often happens throughout the childhood years.”

“The time has come to have convictions about how we are going to build our families and how we are going to raise our children, considering the technologies that are exploding around us.”

What works for your family? Do it. Be the odd one. Choose to go first with the message of “it’s OK.” It’s okay to do less. It’s okay to slow down.

“When we follow the path of curiosity, it leads to discovery and even accidental learning.”

[Maggie Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

I echo so many other reviews here - this book is very repetitive, and Yurich spends most of her time referencing other authors/research that is more significant than her own. Her general premise is good - kids need to play, they need time outside, it’s good for everyone involved. But Johann Hari basically says the same thing about kids having empty space and time to be creative in his book ‘Stolen Focus’ (which Yurich references a few times).

This book would be so much more substantial if some research went into looking at kids who play more than others and how they step into the future more confidently (if they do), since that’s the whole premise of her book. I’d also love to see some more equitable examples/stories. It’s easy to incorporate more play into your kid’s lives if you have a bunch of land and homeschool. Not everyone is able to do/have those things (nor does everyone want to). Give me a chapter on how to incorporate play when you live in a small apartment or as an immigrant family who doesn’t know anyone yet or if you’re part of a multigenerational home where the adults work multiple jobs and aren’t able to be around a lot.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of everything this book encourages— I love the 1000 hours outside movement, I love the return to play, I love rethinking childhood. HOWEVER, the movement is also deeply inequitable. Ginny lives on a farm. She apparently has no time constraints. She has seemingly no end of accessible hikes and nature walks. She has a second income and the ability to homeschool all 5 of her kids. Most people don’t fit this mold. I’d like to see a more equitable approach. I’d also like to see significant edits to this book, because although I found all topics covered to be interesting, quite a bit could (should) have been cut. But by the end of the book I felt inspired and motivated and grateful, so I’d still definitely recommend reading. I plan to keep doing 1000 hours with my kids every year!

[Katie Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read on how important play, the outdoors, screen-free time, etc. is for kids and adults!

[Allison Gerrish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It has a lot of great information and statistics on outdoor play, but read almost like a book report. I didn’t love how the book implicated what seems like the downfall of public education…it made me feel guilty at times that my kids are in public school. However, the scientific facts of outdoor play and its benefits were enjoyable to read. And of course I agree with the author’s main point to have kiddos play outside more. 🌲🌾🍄🌷🍁

[Kayla Wright]

A book I could recommend to all parents. I resonated with everything in this book. If I had to pinpoint one singular thing that I think I am doing well as a mom, it is letting my kids just PLAY. They are so creative and playful and play all day long. And Ginny tells us why that is important in this book. Here’s to less screens, less organized sports and activities and MORE outside play!

[Suman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!

[Yvonne Reynders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, yes, YES! I loved everything about this book! Let us have less screen time and technological distractions, and more outside time! 1,000 hours outside? I'm all about it! If only we could make systemic changes to allow for more outside time for kids. Schools systematically need to change to help foster healthier children. I'm grateful for the flexibility homeschooling has given me to allow more outside time for my family. GET OUTSIDE! ✨️

[Carissa-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is more based on writing than the concept. I'm still glad to read and inspired to spend more time playing & outside with my kids & students.

[Maggie Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down one of the best non-fiction reads of my year. We will start our third year of the 1,000 Hours Outside Movement next week and it has changed my family's outlook so much! Chapters are filled with research and context for getting back outside in a world where screens have replaced so much of our outdoor sensory and learning. This book is very, very marked up and will be read again because I'm sure to continue absorbing more each time.

[Patty Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Ginny Yurich! I gotta say, this book has transformed our days. Since I've been doing the 1000 days with my sons - I have seen a huge change in my oldest son who has started puberty! He loves to go outside now and play!! He has commented how much playing outside has helped his emotions, and mind set. Last night, he was the one who took us all outside after dinner on the longest nature walk ever... I am so grateful for the tracker and all the great info in this book. Ginny, you are such a beautiful soul. Can't wait to see you at the Wild + Free!! :)

[Jennie Dirks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great reminder of the benefits of being outside and outside/unstructured play for kids and adults. I loved hearing this audiobook read by the author herself.

[sincerely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. Not only does Ginny have on the most interesting guests to talk about diverse topics - she is a wonderful, humble engaging host. It really is a joy to listen to her show, and if you haven't yet I encourage you to do so! If you're not the podcast type though (or even if you are!), I definitely recommend picking up her new book, Until the Streetlights Come On.

Ginny's approach to life will really appeal to the non-fiction readers out there 🙋‍♀️ It's one of the things I admire most about her! She is a voracious consumer of knowledge. (Those are my favorite kinds of people.) And then she just sort of nerds out, and shares the most interesting facts! This book is like that. Ginny covers everything from really specific science like light and brain function, to broad philosophical ideas behind why we parent the way we do. I found myself blabbing so much of this to my husband 😂 it's sooo interesting!

One thing that stood out to me as I finished the book were Ginny's comments on safety and risk. It's absolutely something I've realized as I get older and our family makes more weird decisions that don't look like most people. I'm okay with risk. Risk is good. My dad tells me, the only thing you deserve is a fighting chance. You don't deserve safety. Risk is part of life, and coloring outside the lines with our children's lives is the way forward. I absolutely agree with Ginny on pretty much everything (haha), but her thoughts on risk really made me feel seen. I've realized the more autonomy we have, the more we take back from institutions of literally all kinds, the better our lives become. That involves risk! But wow has it been worth it.

Favorite quote (out of many!): "Allow children to emerge from their formative years with an immense knowledge base of themselves."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sara Robbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a parenting book technically but i’d recommend it to everyone. It is a rich guide to being human and bringing back the simplicity and time in the outdoors that we so often are missing in today’s internet culture. We are so smart and yet we are still constantly asking if it’s enough. Maybe the answer is far simpler than we think. GO TF OUTSIDE 😌

Thanks, Ginny. You’re so cool

[Sylvia Kinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. It was encouraging and really got me rethinking how we do our everyday and gave me a desire to be outside more. This book was great as a parent to read, but as a former teacher I would say it could be helpful for anyone who works with kids.

[Claudia Beiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in a day...stopped halfway through to bundle the kids up & head outside to finish the rest #convicted

[Renee Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I do think it left a lot of “how to” out (especially if you are just starting out) but so many great sources and evidences of positive impact of risky play and the negative impacts of indoor, screen time. This certainly isn’t a “hate technology” book but emphasizes more the benefits of nature. It’s fun to be a kid, and this book reminds you everything you loved about your childhood and encourages you to lay that foundation for your own children.

It’s not written primarily with a Christian worldview in mind (though the author references church 2 times) but as a Christ-following reader, I did feel this missed the dualistic nature of a human—body & soul. Absolutely take care of the physical (especially for children prone to mental illnesses, diagnosis, and emotional outbursts!) because it provides a landing point for spiritual conversations, but playing outside won’t fix everything. (Which the author does note—outside, risky play isn’t a cure all, but it certainly enhances life in ways our children are starving for emotionally, physically, developmentally). As a Christian I know that only Christ provides true rest for my weary soul, but I am drawn to worship the Lord all the more seeing how he intentionally designed creation for our good and his glory—literally creation for our good!!—and this author notes ample positive and lasting affects nature has on our physical, emotional,mental, and developmental well being. I’ll be chewing on this through a Christian lens for some time.

This is a must read for young parents—especially those whose children have trouble regulating, are exceptionally emotional, and attached to screens. Over the past year I have lived the positive affects of allowing my son to be free in nature (among other lifestyle changes) and I just wish every overwhelmed mother would take nature play to heart.

This will be our 4th official round of 1000 hours outside, I’m sure the most adventurous to be!