This article appeared in the StarTribune last week about the decline in children and youth participating in outdoor recreation activities. The premise is that if fewer young people are taking part in outdoor activities, then their interest in nature conservancy may decline.
I am a true nature-lover. I grew up in Washington state where, like in Minnesota, there is a strong culture of outdoor recreation and activities. My brother and I played outside together often. I remember playing with stick "dolls" in the small copse of trees on the hill above our house. My imagination was wild with stories and fairy tales of traveling to exotic places and other worlds. It was like my own Terabithia. As I grew older I continued to participate, and still participate, in outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and kayaking. In college, I lead outdoor adventure education for elementary and middle-school aged kids from disadvantaged neighborhood in Tacoma, WA.
Looking back, it is clear to me that my love of the outdoors and my interest in conservation is linked to the hours spent making up games with my brother or sitting alone under the alder trees singing to my "dolls".
But, as the article points out, what will happen to the conservation movement if children are spending less time outside? How will they know to appreciate the natural world all around us?
Last summer, Vicki Thrasher Cronin, a parent educator for Duluth Public Schools, wrote an article for Ready 4 K asking Do too many kids of nature-deficit disorder? Vicki asks some of the same questions and the article is worth a second reading.
Technology is certainly intertwined with this "nature-deficit disorder". I certainly don't advocate taking away technology (I love my ipod as much as the next gal) but there has to be a balance. Parents can make a commitment to creating opportunities for their children to get outside. Vicki has some great suggestions in her article. Communities, too, can come together to make their communities "outdoor friendly."
What do you think? Are kids spending enough time outside? What do you do to encourage the children in your life to appreciate nature?
photo of Lake Maria State Park by jbenson2
2 comments:
There was a program on NPR awhile back that show that adult participation in outdoor activities like hiking, camping, etc. is declining as well. If parents aren't taking there kids into the outdoors, the kids are less likely to develop a passion for nature.
Excellent point! Parents are the most important teachers and role models for a child. It also makes me think how lack of participation in outdoor activities is related to our health epidemic in the US.
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