The National Wildlife Federation has announced their Be Out There campaign, an initiative to get kids & families outside, and our family has pledged to spend at least 1 hour each day outdoors.
A huge problem is sweeping across today's generation of kids... the lack of time spent of outdoors. Author Richard Louv put a title to this problem a few years ago. He calls it Nature Deficit Disorder. I researched NDD a few years ago when I was working for the Girl Scouts while writing a grant for an outdoor education program. The effects of decreased time outdoors were alarming to me! Just read the statistics taken from NWF's website:
"American childhood has moved indoors during the last two decades, taking a mental and physical toll on today’s kids. The negative impact of decreased time outdoors includes a doubling of the childhood obesity rate, declining creativity, concentration, and social skills. Studies show outdoor time helps children grow lean and strong, enhances imaginations and attention spans, decreases aggression, and boosts classroom performance. The average American boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day, and more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen. The average American child spends 44 hours per week (more than 6 hours a day!) staring at some kind of electronic screen. In 2000, one out of every eight American children was taking Ritalin for treatment of behavioral disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Researchers hypothesized that an increase in television viewing, as well as greater academic pressure at an earlier age, was contributing to increased usage. The use of anti-depressants in children grew between 1998 and 2002 from 1.6% to 2.4%, an adjusted annual increase of 9.2%. The growth in antidepressant use was greater among girls (a 68% increase) than among boys (a 34% increase). In the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than tripled. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. Play protects children's emotional development; whereas a loss of free time in combination with a hurried lifestyle can be a source of stress, anxiety, and may even contribute to depression for many children."
And if those health problems weren't bad enough, many schools have responded to the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law by sacrificing subjects such as environmental education to spend more time on subjects that are found on high-stakes reading and math tests. A 2008 study by the Center on Education Policy documented the problem. It found that many school districts have significantly reduced the amount of class time spent on such subjects as social studies and science. Many teachers and parents also report that field trips and time devoted to outdoor learning activities have been cut to give more time to tested subjects. The No Child Left Inside Coalition was formed in 2007 to alert Congress and the public of the need for schools to devote more resources to environmental education.
So, what can be done about this crisis?
It's simple... get outside!! Make an effort to spend more time outdoors with your family: take a walk around the block, go to your nearby park for a picnic, visit the local playground, or take a trip to the Zoo. Simply put, just spend some time outdoors everyday. Let the kids play in the sandbox (slather on the sunscreen, lightweight clothing, and a baseball cap), plant a garden, catch fireflies at night, make a campfire and have S'mores! If you're a nature lover like I am, then not getting outdoors shouldn't be problem for you. Western New York has a variety of outdoor options for families. There are many hiking spots ranging from beginner to advanced trails. We just got a gently used backpack child carrier (Kelty brand) and cannot wait to use it! We're going to try it out this evening at Sinking Ponds Nature Preserve in East Aurora. There are also a variety of campgrounds in the area, both public & private. Take a relaxing paddle along Ellicott Creek - Paths, Peaks & Paddles offers canoe & kayak rentals. Rent a rowboat on Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park. Or, rent a paddle bike and "bicycle" on the Erie Canal in Tonawanda.
Will your family take the pledge to spend one hour outside each day? If so, click below:
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