Saturday, July 18, 2009

Why Children Need To Be Outside

Today's children are the first generation ever to grow up isolated from nature. Outdoor time for kids has decreased by more than 50%, while time spent inside, plugged into electronic media has stretched to more than six hours per day.

The consequences of an indoor childhood:

* Increased lack of creativity, concentration and a decline in social skills
* Increased aggression and inability to cope with stress
* Increased use of antidepressants to treat American children
* Doubling of the childhood obesity rate with an incremental $100 billion annual cost to our public health system

Outdoor play offers undeniable benefits:

* Daily unstructured free play improves children’s physical and mental health
* Outdoor experiences build a conservation ethic and concern for the natural world
* Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative, less aggressive and show better concentration
* Outdoor experiences and education enhances children’s ability to learn and retain knowledge

Be Out There encourages families to give children a daily Green Hour®, which helps set a path toward positive physical and emotional well-being. Check out the website for activities and event ideas.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Sorry to be late in commenting on your blog. Thanks so much for spreading the word about Be Out There and Green Hour. We really appreciate it!

Anne Keisman
GreenHour.org

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