Geeking the Green: What Can We Do to Get Our Kids Plugged In Outside?
When I was young, kids ruled the woods. We were gone just after breakfast, home just before dark, our pocket’s brimming with the day’s bounty. My challenge was to hide from my mother a jar full of live grasshoppers and a newly scuffed knee. Yet according to a recent series by TIME Magazine, our kids are eating more of the bounty that we used to. A lot more. Some 1.2 million U.S. kids take medication for obesity-related diseases like diabetes and sleep apnea, health problems that are generally more common in adults. TIME reports that in the 1950’s kids had three cups of milk for every cup of soda. Today that ratio is reversed. Kids are increasingly sedentary, spending three hours a day in front of a computer or a television.
There is a growing body of evidence, according to best-selling author, Richard Louv, that these physical manifestations in our children-higher rates in childhood obesity, diabetes and more-are related to a disconnection from nature. In his book, Last Child in the Woods, Louv argues that allowing kids to play - really play - outside in nature can actual heal many of our children’s battle with the bulge.
On Father’s Day, I joined Louv, his wife Kathy, and his son Matthew for dinner to discuss his latest book, and he explained a visit with students at his hometown elementary school Raytown, Mo. When he asked the students about their experience with nature, many of them reported a now-typical response: They preferred playing video games; they favored indoor activities - and when they were outside, they were generally playing soccer or some other adult-organized sport.
“My own awareness that something was changing began in the late 1980’s when researching a book on the new realities of family life,” explained Louv. “For this book and a prior book, I interviewed nearly three thousand children and parents across the country, and I often think if a wonderfully honest comment made by Paul, a fourth grader in San Diego: ‘I like to play indoors better, ’cause-that’s where the outlets are’.”
According to The Conservation Fund’s president, the nature deficit phenomenon is a wake-up call of sorts for the environmental movement.
“Young people who grow up without spending time in nature are much less likely to be strong champions of the environment when they reach voting age,” said Larry Selzer. “Twenty years from now, we will have people determining the future, planning the fate of our wetlands, forests and streams, who have never been in a forest or waded a stream.”
Today, Louv and others, including The Conservation Fund, are leaning heavily on a budding network of individuals and corporations aiming to get kids back outside. Dubbed the “National Forum on Children and Nature,” this motley crew of governors, CEOs, real estate and technology developers have rallied to reposition the issue of children’s health as front and center in the environmental movement.
To do so requires a different, more strategic environmental approach than we are used to; one that cuts across sector, status and geography. An approach that embraces new technology as part of the solution to getting kids outside.
And that’s where you come in. It’s time for the ReGeneration to share its ideas and make a difference. How can we better use technology to get kids outdoors? What does nature mean to you? We’re listening.
Jena Thompson oversees The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program, an innovative climate change initiative that has generated significant support from individuals, organizations and Fortune 500 businesses. Prior her role as director of Go Zero, Jena led the marketing and communications division of The Conservation Fund - building overall brand and messaging strategies that positioned the organization as the nation’s top-rated environmental charity.
Kindergarden should provide a piece of land for kids to grow their own vegetables. They will learn which are in season, and how long it takes for them to grow. Cities should have more “city gardens” in which it would be possible for people to rent/own a small place to grow vegetables. Also boys/girls scouts should be encouraged more, especially have the opportunity for inner city kids to get out on weekends and camp in the wilderness. Farms could have summer programs in which kids could ‘work’ and learn about farming.
by Elli / June 30, 2008
How about making solar power mandatory for kids? A small backpack with solar panels that interfaces with gaming consoles and only stores sufficient power for an hour, but that takes three hours to re-charge? Sure, one kid in ten will find a way to hack it, but the other nine might spend enough time outdoors to actually start enjoying it and the fact that it requires no power!
by Alan Munro / June 30, 2008
Children of today are deprived of the elements because of the social changes and life style changes and the fears that have been casted upon us by the media. Thinking about your child getting too much sunlight stops many children a day of fun for the afternoon sun with friends. Taking a simple walk through a wooded area is a one up for lyme disease. Education is the key, be a part of your childs education, support your schools, know your teachers and your principles and PROMOTE earth Science projects. Attend school functions and speak out. They want your imput.
by Mr. Go Green Inc. / July 1, 2008
Thanks for the great topic. I am thinking the same question recently. Kids need fresh air.
by Cana / July 10, 2008