In years past I have not been so good about allowing the kids to get outside and play in the dirt.  I didn’t put outdoor, unstructured playtime on the priority list because I didn’t like the getting dirty, immediate bathing, and instant laundry aspect that outdoor playtime usually resulted in.  My kids deserve to have memories of playing in the dirt! Until the last year or so I wasn’t too fond of the idea of the kids going outside to play in the dirt, sandbox, or mud because quite often the kids clothes would get dirty, even stained, and ultimately be thrown away because of the stains.  However, with the re-introduction of laundry stain remover, into my life, I am more relaxed about where, how, and with what the kids play.  I went years without buying laundry stain remover.  I just didn’t think about it.  What was I thinking?
Go ahead, get dirty kids.. just do your own laundry afterwards! Ok, so only my son can do his laundry.  I’ll get my daughter there soon.

Here are a few Fall activities we have planned this year:

• Go to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins
• Get out the Halloween decorations (no, we haven’t done that yet)
• Go to the kid’s Fall Festival – done
• Go to a corn maze.. so the kids can get lost and I’ll have some peace and quiet for a few minutes.  That was a joke.. like that would really happen. 🙂
• Go to Georgia mountains to see the changing leaves
• Raking the leaves in our yard
• Go to an apple orchard to pick apples – yum!

Look at the photographs below.. do you think any of the activities below resulted in clean clothes? I think not!  That’s where Shout! laundry stain remover comes in really handy.

My son is a Boy Scout, loves to hike, dig for ‘treasure’.. in the backyard, help my mom in her garden, skateboard, ride his bike, and jump on the trampoline when it’s raining.  My daughter loves to play in the sandbox, write letters in the dirt with her fingers, eat popsicles, and paint.  All resulting in dirty clothes.

Kids are naturally active, like to explore and with that comes getting dirty. My son is old enough to do his own laundry now and it’s a given that Shout! stain remover is to be used on 60% of his clothes every week.  He knows when and how to use Shout! stain remover and he also knows that because we use Shout! he doesn’t have to worry about getting dirty.. so much.  The holes in his clothes are another story.

Shout knows play is so much more than fun and games. Studies show that unstructured play helps kids build fundamental skills like problem solving, coping, and conflict resolution. In other words: play is how kids become happy, healthy adults. Fall has arrived with crisp, cool air and new reasons to go out and play. So, let your kids take that rewarding jump into a pile of leaves. Take at trip to the park and watch their imaginations run free. The one thing you won’t do is worry about their clothes; play should get messy and Shout can help.

I am a Shout Go Play Mom and wrote this post  to help spread the word about the benefits of unstructured play and letting loose and enjoying the outdoors.  To learn more about Shout and their Go Play initiative, check out Shout! on Facebook.

Go buy Shout! laundry stain remover and let the kids play outside and get all dirty.  The memories will be priceless.. and the photographs you take will be cherished (and used as entertainment when the kids are in their 20’s) forever!