Kids in Nature
One of the key themes of this site is getting kids outside and reconnected with nature.
There are plenty of reasons why this is important. But in a nutshell, nature is simply good for kids. It’s good for their physical health. It’s good for their mental health.
Consider these alarming statistics, courtesy of the Nature Child Reunion project:
- As kids, most of us spent 70-80% of our free time playing outside – now it’s 5%. (That is NOT a misprint, and it’s awful!)
- Today’s kids spend 6-7 hours(!) a day in front of a screen.
- Less than 5% of children can name the common five birds or plants in their backyard.
- Nearly 20% of children are obese.
- Current research connects asthma, ADD/ADHD, the increasing use of drugs/medicines and bullying to the lack of unstructured play
So you see, getting kids back to nature benefits all of us, and not just for health reasons…because if kids lose their connection with nature, who’s left to watch over it?
Here are some related posts:
Of Bees, Blackberries and My Old Buddy Dave
Letting Kids be Kids on the Vedder River
Getting Kids Outside for Their Daily Mile
Rice Lake: An Urban Success Story for Fishing and Kids
Klein Lake: A Spot for Kids and Kids at Heart