Ethical Responsibilities For Children to “Get Outdoors.”
On a walk through a typical American neighborhood this summer, one might be hard pressed to find a bare-foot kid chasing down a toad, building a tree fort in the woods, or flying a kite in the park. Organized play at the local sports complex has replaced unstructured play in the backyard to time spent in the woods or on the beach. As American childhood has moved indoors, research shows that many of today’s children are actually gaining weight during the summer break. And as electronic entertainment replaces both structured and unstructured outdoor experiences, many children are being raised so cut off from their natural world that they are not developing a connection with nature. Not only is this connection an important quality-of-life issue by contributing to emotional and physical well being, it also forms the cornerstone to environmental stewardship ethics.
When watching animal shows on TV becomes the closest many of today’s kids get to the great outdoors, we risk the health of our children and endanger the prospect of developing future stewards of the natural environments. That is why The Island Anglers, the National Wildlife Foundation, Inshore Florida, Reel Addiction Sportfishing and Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours will use its resources to
“encourage parents and caregivers to get kids to go outside and play and to ask policy makers to take action.”
The average child today spends more than 6 hours a day watching TV, playing video games or on a computer. Conversely, the amount of time U.S. children now spend outdoors has declined by 50 percent in the past 20 years.
Author Richard Louv described this American trend in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods, and even gave it a name, “nature deficit”.
“The phrase ‘go outside and play’ sums up the summer experiences that I remember growing up as a youth, as do many an American fondly remembers. But today’s kids rarely hear these four little words. The sad reality is that American childhood has moved indoors and in front of a TV, x-box and all. Meanwhile, our kid’s face an epidemic of childhood obesity and a troubling disconnect with nature.”
Connecting our children to nature through outdoor experiences pays clear dividends: children who play outside are more active and more physically fit; time in nature improves children’s academic performance, concentration, balance, coordination, and self-esteem; and playing outside even reduces the severity of symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which affects millions of American children.
Environmental education increases student engagement in science, improves student achievement in core subject areas, and increases student awareness about individual actions they can take to restore the health of the natural environment; and
Children who spend time in nature are more likely to have pro-environmental attitudes as adults. Time spent in nature with an important adult often shapes a child’s long-term environmental ethic. If this nature deficit continues unabated, we may face a dearth of environmental leaders, professionals, and advocates as we try to conquer future environmental challenges like climate change. Mentoring is but our highest goal and must continue through volunteers and all who are of interest to our future and that of our children’s, children’s future!
Solutions for reversing nature deficit and connecting our children to nature, and ourselves at the same time are available through organizations like The Island Anglers, the National Wildlife Foundation, Inshore Florida, Reel Addiction Sportfishing and Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours. The National Wildlife Foundation has compiled a list of solutions that offer ways for parents to take action within our communities, at the state level, and at the national level. Some of these include connecting kids to nature through environmental education, promoting outdoor play through our public health systems, and encouraging parents to build in regular time for outdoor play through the National Wildlife Foundation online parent resource, Green Hour, to which Florida’s Mentoring Initiate and The Island Anglers, Inshore Florida, Reel Addiction Sportfishing and Eco-Green Florida Kayak to Backpack Tours support and encourage all to get involved.
For summer outdoor activity ideas and other online resources, please visit www.greenhour.org.
Or with those who also would support such an endeavor:
Support us in supporting your outdoor and our children’s future.
Thank You
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