Doing what used to come naturally: Getting kids to play outside

Published: 2007-07-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- How many programs does it take to get kids to play outside? Time will tell as leaders from local and federal governments, businesses and nature advocacy groups bend over backward to come up with ways to get today's overstimulated, overscheduled and frequently plugged-in youths to rediscover the lost art of just being outside. The movement is not about promoting playground visits or organized sports, of which there is no apparent shortage. Instead, it's pushing the idea that time in nature -- even in an urban setting -- can provide crucial physical, psychological and, as religious leaders point out, spiritual benefits. Getting young people outside almost seems like an attempt to turn back the clock to a time before video games and instant messaging, when kids spent carefree hours exploring streams, navigating back roads on their bikes, building tree houses or catching fireflies. It was also, coincidently, a time when obesity and diabetes were not at epidemic proportions among young people.

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