Who Julianne Nienberg, founder of My Outdoorsy Mom; @myoutdoorsymom
Where Bloomfield Hills, with her husband, Alex, and their three children, ages 7, 5 and 4
Backstory I graduated from Michigan State University in 2009, where I studied kinesiology and went on to have an 11-year career in medical sales in Chicago, then here in Michigan. I left my job in 2021 to stay home with my kids.
How it started I launched My Outdoorsy Mom in November 2023 as a way to share tips on how to get kids outside, engaged in unstructured, child-led play. According to current research, children spend on average only seven minutes outside, but spend six-to-seven hours on screens daily. After having my third child in November 2020, I read the book There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk and was inspired by how the Scandinavians approached parenting and the outdoors. At the time, I was still working, so I made it my mission to reduce my kids’ TV time by getting them outside in the winter after daycare for 15 minutes each work day. Fifteen minutes a day grew to 30 minutes, 30 minutes to an hour. By the spring, my two oldest kids (ages three and a half and two at the time) could spend up to one-to-two hours playing independently outside while I kept watch close by. Allowing kids to engage in unstructured and child-led outdoor play allows them to unwind and engage their senses in a way that cannot be replicated in indoor environments. It also has significant benefits to their physical, mental and emotional health.
The philosophy Get your kids outside whenever you can. If swapping screen time for outdoor time is a challenge for you and your kids, start in small doses each day and continue to build on that.
My platform is unique from other blogs and social media in that I’m not your traditional “outdoorsy” account you’d find on social media. I’m not out hiking every weekend with my kids. I’m a suburban mom whose kids spend most of their time outside in our backyard or exploring local parks during most of the year. In the summertime, you can find us at the lake. We love visiting the Great Lakes and spending time in the U.P. as well.
What she loves about her platform I love connecting with moms who are starting their "outdoorsy" journeys with their kids. The messages I get from followers and friends who tell me about how their kids spent two hours stomping in mud brings me such joy. Or the parents who DM me and tell me how their kiddo started playing independently outside instead of watching TV shows or spending time on their iPad. The benefits of getting our kids outside and experiencing nature are worth the effort.
Top 10 Favorite Activities (To Get Kids Away From Their Screens)
1 Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve (cityofsouthfield.com) in Southfield is our favorite place to go in the spring and summer. My kids love to climb their Rock Garden and walk the mile-loop trail to Carpenter Lake. The fall colors are stunning to view along the lake’s reflection.
2 Johnson Nature Center (johnsonnaturecenter.org) has special wildlife enclosures where they provide a home to orphaned deer, injured falcons and owls. We also love their summer camp programs — my kids come home dirty and with big smiles on their faces from spending their entire day in nature.
3 We love to visit our local libraries whenever we need an indoor break from the weather (hot or cold). We’re so fortunate to have wonderful libraries nearby with great programming for kids. The Bloomfield Township Public Library (btpl.org) often offers craft kits for families to take home.
4 We love Dyno Detroit (dynodetroit.com) in Eastern Market for indoor rock climbing!
5 Beverly Park (villagebeverlyhills.com) is always in our playground rotation and my kids especially love biking their nature trail. Their sledding hill is a must in the winter.
6 Orchard Lake Nature Sanctuary (cityoforchardlake.com) has scenic trails that offer quiet, serene views of Orchard Lake. It’s a great spot for fall-color viewing.
7 We love hopping over to Booth Park (bhamgov.org) in Birmingham after the farmers’ market in the summer.
8 Troy Gym (troygym.com) is one of my kids’ favorite places to go whenever they have a day off from school. It’s a great spot to go in the winter to help kids direct their energy in a physical way.
9 Yoto Players (us.yotoplay.com) screen-free audio players are in our top-three screen-free alternatives. My kids love listening to books and podcasts, and they are a great way to foster curiosity for nature.
10 Stage Nature Center (troynaturesociety.org) in Troy is also a new favorite spot for my kids. There’s a loop trail that I enjoy, but my kids really love climbing the two big rocks at the trailhead.