When Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, testified before the United States House of Representatives Interior and Environmental Subcommittee, he described what is being called an emerging child and nature movement that has taken shape since his book brought attention to what Louv dubbed ”nature deficit disorder.”
Louv urged federal and state parks systems to replicate Connecticut’s No Child Left Inside program which has successfully repopulated that state’s parks with families, and there similar programs that are taking place in 24 urban areas across the country. He advocated for collaborations between the Departments of Interior, Education, Agriculture and Health and Human Services to help “plant the seeds of nature and rural cultures in the next generation" and to address the nation's childhood obesity epidemic. Studies show that the increase in childhood obesity and related illnesses may make this generation the first since WWII to die at an earlier age than their parents did.
Studies by the National Sporting Goods Association show a dramatic decline in outdoor activities such as fishing, swimming, and even bike riding is down 31% since 1995. In a typical week, only six percent of children ages 9-12 played outside. Visits by Americans to U.S. National parks have dropped by 25% since 1987. Camping is on the decline, and visitors by automobile don’t stray far from their vehicles.
Parents cite a number of reasons why children today are outdoors less then they were as children, including disappearing easy access to natural areas, competition with TVs, computers, video games, and other electronic devices, more homework, among other pressures. Parents most often cite the fear of abduction, even though roughly only 100 stranger abductions take place a year, which has remained a fairly constant number for the last two decades.
While there are dangers outside, there are physical, emotional, and mental heath risks of staying inside all the time as well. The rate of childhood obesity has a direct correlation to children being indoors more and less active. Studies across the country show that schools that utilize outdoor classrooms produce significant student gains in science, social studies, language arts, and math. Studies also show a direct increase in the student’s self-esteem, problem solving abilities, and motivation to learn. Studies show that an increase in natural settings significantly reduced symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children as young as five. In addition, children recovering from stressful events enjoyed a noticeable reduction in stress when spending at least one hour per day in nature.
What can parents do to get their children outside more? Here is a list of ways to change your family’s connection to nature. The goal should be to spend at least one hour outdoors a day. Then, as your family slowly converts to being more active outdoors, the time spent will increase naturally. Yes, the kids may even ask you for more!
Get Outside. Plan outings at a park with friends, or playmate families of your children. Go to a park for a picnic and play catch, Frisbee, flag football, soccer, volleyball, etc. Set ground rules up front – everyone plays the selected game (children may select the game) as long as no electronics are involved. Use the ones from your childhood – remember flashlight tag, hide and go seek, etc? They need to leave the ipod, hand-held video games, etc. in the car or house, but they are allowed to play on the way to and home from the event.
Plant a family garden. The kids will learn how to plant, care for a garden, and harvest the fruits of their labors. Plant something that the kids can watch grow and take an interest in – like pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. You don’t need a lot of room or expensive equipment for a small garden.
Enroll your children in a community activity or sports program. Many city parks or communities have great activity and sport programs. Community soccer or other sport programs teach the game skills, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and the kids have fun while minimizing the competition factor.
Take a hike or take a bike ride. There is no need to be a mountain climber. You can however, take a hike, bike, or roller blade on any of the Rails-To-Trails paths constructed in your area. Don’t forget the helmets, knee and elbow pads, and water bottles!
Visit a County, State, National Park, or campground at least once a year! If there is a park nearby that has educational programs, take your child and attend! Many have events like maple syrup collection and boiling, apple cider making, guided hikes, etc. There are things to experience, and learn! Who says learning can’t be fun?
Plan a weekend outing or outdoor vacation. Instead of spending the weekend or your vacation at an amusement park, why not spend it at a local, county, state, national park, or camp-ground? Explore whatever parks are close to where you live for the weekend! Or plan a longer vacation at a Park within a day’s drive or so. You don’t have to rough it. You can still stay at a local campground, cabin, cottage, hotel or motel and visit the park by day. Take some hikes, bike, teach your kids to fish, swim, or tube down a creek. That way the kids can still enjoy the TV, video games, and ipods during the drive and in the evening hours, but enjoy the outdoors during the day.
Go camping. Again, you don’t have to rough it unless you’re into tent camping. Take your RV, if you don’t own one, many public campgrounds offer cabins that range from primitive to full-service facilities. You can attend their outdoor events and activities, and then cook s’mores on a campfire in the evening, at very family affordable prices.
Many regular campers and RVers, cite getting their kids away from video games and spending family time together as principle reasons why they camp. We’d like you to tell us about how camping affects your family. How do you believe camping enables children and their families to get involved in nature and the out of doors? Do you believe that our children suffer from electronics overload, and that playing outdoors improves their behavior? If you have had a particular experience in any of these areas, and you are using camping as a means to get your kids outside, we’d love to hear from you! Please share your story with us! We may even feature your family in a story!
By Robyn Chilson
Robyn & her husband Tim, Own and operate Brookdale Family Campground in Meadville, PA. She can be reached at robyn@brookdalecampground.com or at 814-789-3251
Louv urged federal and state parks systems to replicate Connecticut’s No Child Left Inside program which has successfully repopulated that state’s parks with families, and there similar programs that are taking place in 24 urban areas across the country. He advocated for collaborations between the Departments of Interior, Education, Agriculture and Health and Human Services to help “plant the seeds of nature and rural cultures in the next generation" and to address the nation's childhood obesity epidemic. Studies show that the increase in childhood obesity and related illnesses may make this generation the first since WWII to die at an earlier age than their parents did.
Studies by the National Sporting Goods Association show a dramatic decline in outdoor activities such as fishing, swimming, and even bike riding is down 31% since 1995. In a typical week, only six percent of children ages 9-12 played outside. Visits by Americans to U.S. National parks have dropped by 25% since 1987. Camping is on the decline, and visitors by automobile don’t stray far from their vehicles.
Parents cite a number of reasons why children today are outdoors less then they were as children, including disappearing easy access to natural areas, competition with TVs, computers, video games, and other electronic devices, more homework, among other pressures. Parents most often cite the fear of abduction, even though roughly only 100 stranger abductions take place a year, which has remained a fairly constant number for the last two decades.
While there are dangers outside, there are physical, emotional, and mental heath risks of staying inside all the time as well. The rate of childhood obesity has a direct correlation to children being indoors more and less active. Studies across the country show that schools that utilize outdoor classrooms produce significant student gains in science, social studies, language arts, and math. Studies also show a direct increase in the student’s self-esteem, problem solving abilities, and motivation to learn. Studies show that an increase in natural settings significantly reduced symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children as young as five. In addition, children recovering from stressful events enjoyed a noticeable reduction in stress when spending at least one hour per day in nature.
What can parents do to get their children outside more? Here is a list of ways to change your family’s connection to nature. The goal should be to spend at least one hour outdoors a day. Then, as your family slowly converts to being more active outdoors, the time spent will increase naturally. Yes, the kids may even ask you for more!
Get Outside. Plan outings at a park with friends, or playmate families of your children. Go to a park for a picnic and play catch, Frisbee, flag football, soccer, volleyball, etc. Set ground rules up front – everyone plays the selected game (children may select the game) as long as no electronics are involved. Use the ones from your childhood – remember flashlight tag, hide and go seek, etc? They need to leave the ipod, hand-held video games, etc. in the car or house, but they are allowed to play on the way to and home from the event.
Plant a family garden. The kids will learn how to plant, care for a garden, and harvest the fruits of their labors. Plant something that the kids can watch grow and take an interest in – like pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. You don’t need a lot of room or expensive equipment for a small garden.
Enroll your children in a community activity or sports program. Many city parks or communities have great activity and sport programs. Community soccer or other sport programs teach the game skills, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and the kids have fun while minimizing the competition factor.
Take a hike or take a bike ride. There is no need to be a mountain climber. You can however, take a hike, bike, or roller blade on any of the Rails-To-Trails paths constructed in your area. Don’t forget the helmets, knee and elbow pads, and water bottles!
Visit a County, State, National Park, or campground at least once a year! If there is a park nearby that has educational programs, take your child and attend! Many have events like maple syrup collection and boiling, apple cider making, guided hikes, etc. There are things to experience, and learn! Who says learning can’t be fun?
Plan a weekend outing or outdoor vacation. Instead of spending the weekend or your vacation at an amusement park, why not spend it at a local, county, state, national park, or camp-ground? Explore whatever parks are close to where you live for the weekend! Or plan a longer vacation at a Park within a day’s drive or so. You don’t have to rough it. You can still stay at a local campground, cabin, cottage, hotel or motel and visit the park by day. Take some hikes, bike, teach your kids to fish, swim, or tube down a creek. That way the kids can still enjoy the TV, video games, and ipods during the drive and in the evening hours, but enjoy the outdoors during the day.
Go camping. Again, you don’t have to rough it unless you’re into tent camping. Take your RV, if you don’t own one, many public campgrounds offer cabins that range from primitive to full-service facilities. You can attend their outdoor events and activities, and then cook s’mores on a campfire in the evening, at very family affordable prices.
Many regular campers and RVers, cite getting their kids away from video games and spending family time together as principle reasons why they camp. We’d like you to tell us about how camping affects your family. How do you believe camping enables children and their families to get involved in nature and the out of doors? Do you believe that our children suffer from electronics overload, and that playing outdoors improves their behavior? If you have had a particular experience in any of these areas, and you are using camping as a means to get your kids outside, we’d love to hear from you! Please share your story with us! We may even feature your family in a story!
By Robyn Chilson
Robyn & her husband Tim, Own and operate Brookdale Family Campground in Meadville, PA. She can be reached at robyn@brookdalecampground.com or at 814-789-3251
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