Page 6 - Outdoor Living October 2025
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LIFESTYLE
BACKYARD BONDS:
Designing outdoor spaces
families actually use
The best backyard isn’t the one with the sleekest furniture or most elaborate pool. It’s the
one that draws a family outside together — day after day, season after season.
hink back: your strongest Why Outdoor Time Matters
childhood memories aren’t of Psychologists call it green time — time spent outdoors that restores balance
Twallpaper or décor. They’re after hours of blue light. Studies confirm what parents feel instinctively: children
of climbing trees until your hands who spend more time outside are calmer, healthier, and more confident.
blistered, chasing fireflies on warm Families who eat outdoors, play outdoors, or even just take a walk together
nights, cannonballs into the deep report stronger bonds.
end, or roasting marshmallows
under winter stars. These are the The sensory richness of a backyard is part of the magic. Grass under bare
moments that etch themselves feet regulates mood. Sunlight triggers vitamin D, lifting energy and supporting
into us. A backyard is more than immunity. Shared laughter around a braai fire releases oxytocin, the “bonding
landscaping — it’s a stage for hormone,” knitting relationships together. These aren’t design add-ons. They’re
memory. In a world crowded biological and emotional realities.
with screens and deadlines, our
outdoor spaces may be the last For adults, too, the benefits are profound. A hammock nap can lower heart rate.
place left where families can slow Evening conversations under lantern light improve sleep and ease anxiety. When
down enough to truly see each estates add trails, benches, or play lawns, they’re not just offering amenities —
other. they’re giving families the tools to reconnect.
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