Washington – Linda Pelzman wishes her kids shared her enthusiasm for the outdoors.
On a recent nature walk near her Gaithersburg, Md., home, her younger son, 6, was unimpressed, pleading, “I just want to go back to civilization.” Her older son, at 13, has made it clear he prefers PlayStation.
“Kids don’t think about going outside like they used to, and unless there is some scheduled activity, I don’t think they know what to do outdoors anymore,” Pelzman said.
Pelzman’s view is shared by a growing number of children’s advocates, environmentalists, business executives and political leaders who fear that this might be the first generation of “indoor children,” largely disconnected from nature.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, children ages 8 to 18 now spend 6.5 hours a day on television, electronic games, computers, music and other media, with many multitasking electronically. For many, the virtual world has become a more familiar setting than the natural one.
Concerns about long-term consequences – affecting emotional well-being, physical health, learning abilities, environmental consciousness – have spawned a national movement to “leave no child inside.” It has been the focus of Capitol Hill hearings, state legislative action, grassroots projects, a U.S. Forest Service initiative to get more kids into the woods and a national effort to promote a “green hour” in each day.
Today, 40 civic leaders – representing several governors, three big-city mayors, Walt Disney Co., Sesame Workshop, DuPont, the gaming industry and others – will launch a campaign to raise $20 million that will ultimately fund 20 initiatives across the country to encourage children to do what once seemed second nature: Go outdoors.
The National Wildlife Federation, which publishes Ranger Rick magazine, started promoting the “green hour” – the idea that kids need a casual hour outdoors each day in the same way they need a good night’s sleep.
Experts suggest a major factor in the decline of outdoor time is parental fears about leaving children unattended – aggravated by excessive media coverage of horrific crimes.
Changes in family life also are at play: Fewer hours are left for kids to slip out the backdoor and play hide-and-seek, catch fireflies, create imaginary worlds and makeshift forts.
