Kids are spending more time indoors than ever before. A 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study found that youth ages 8 to 18 devote an average of seven hours a day to using electronic media.
Experts warn that all that time indoors can take a heavy toll on children’s health, including possibly contributing to attention difficulties, hyperactivity, obesity, a diminished use of senses and even a disconnect from the real world.
“American children are losing a vital aspect of healthy development as they spend less time riding bikes, climbing trees or doing much of anything outdoors,” says Kathy McGlauflin, director of Project Learning Tree, a nonprofit organization that trains teachers to incorporate environmental education into school curricula. “Today, children spend most of their time indoors — largely because that’s where all the electrical sockets are.”
Teaching children to understand and value nature is vital to raising the next generation of environmental stewards and even to improve children’s performance at school, McGlauflin says.
She offers some suggestions:
Take a walk through a local wooded area, park or even your own backyard. Observe wildlife and plant life, paying special attention to fallen logs to learn how decomposition works and get a better understanding of microhabitats. Look for signs of animals including insects and plants in, on or around the log.
Go for a bike ride around the neighborhood.
Plant a garden together to improve your family’s nutrition and create something meaningful: You’ll diversify your meals with fresh local produce and teach your child about the life cycle of plants.
More tips can be found at www.plt.org. — statepoint media