http://www.cnaturenet.org/news/ Movement News & Commentary en Children and Nature Network Copyright 2008 2008-08-25T19:01:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/north_carolina_zoo_to_build_outdoor_classroom/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/north_carolina_zoo_to_build_outdoor_classroom/ The North Carolina Zoo will soon begin raising $2.8 million to help create a four-acre classroom for kids, complete with caves, gardens, and a stream. And in another example of North Carolinian efforts to reconnect kids with nature, every family with a child attending Greensboro Montessori School is being given a copy of Last Child in the Woods. State, Built Environment, Education 2008-08-25T22:26:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/new_nwf_program_encourages_families_to_make_tracks/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/new_nwf_program_encourages_families_to_make_tracks/ The National Wildlife Federation has created a program that encourages families to discover and reconnect with nature with the first annual Make Tracks Family Trail Weekend. Scheduled for the three-day weekend that starts October 11, the program is part of the federation’s Green Hour campaign, which urges parents to give their kids a daily dose of nature. National, Campaign/Initiative 2008-08-25T22:22:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/governor_kicks_off_maryland_partnership_for_children_in_nature/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/governor_kicks_off_maryland_partnership_for_children_in_nature/ Stating that “our mission is to ensure that every child in every community experiences nature directly and develops a personal connection with our environment,” Governor Martin O’Malley launched the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature last week at a rally attended by more than 150 students, educators, and business leaders. The governor also named the 21 appointees who will make up the panel, which is tasked with creating an environmental literacy plan for the state’s students and enhancing natural areas to enable more play and learning outdoors. 2008-08-25T18:01:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/toyota_funds_yellowstone_programs_for_kids/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/toyota_funds_yellowstone_programs_for_kids/ Toyota has given more than $800,000 and five vehicles to the Yellowstone Park Foundation, which will use the gift to support its No Child Left Inside initiative. Programs funded by Toyota’s contribution will include ParKids, the Junior Ranger and Young Scientist programs, and the Yellowstone ESCAPE program that encompasses both an educational day-use program for school groups and teacher training workshops. 2008-08-19T16:42:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/maryland_no_child_left_inside_rally/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/maryland_no_child_left_inside_rally/ A rally to celebrate the first meeting of the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature is being planned for August 20. The partnership was created by the state’s governor on Earth Day and is tasked with creating new opportunities for children to connect with nature through outdoor play and learning. Governor O’Malley is expected to speak at the rally. 2008-08-18T16:40:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/boston_schoolyard_initiative_wins_acclaim/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/boston_schoolyard_initiative_wins_acclaim/ The Boston Schoolyard Initiative, a long-running partnership between the city of Boston, its public schools, and the Boston Schoolyard Funders Collaborative, is winning fresh acclaim from across the country. The initiative, which has refurbished 71 schoolyards to date, not only helps reconnect kids with the outdoors, it also helps fight obesity. “Active, outdoor living should be valued as much as indoor learning and nutrition,” says the initiative's program director. 2008-08-18T16:37:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/wsj_why_safe_kids_are_becoming_fat_kids/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/wsj_why_safe_kids_are_becoming_fat_kids/ The desire to insulate children from all forms of risk is having unintended consequences, writes attorney Philip Howard in the Wall Street Journal’s Commentary section. “The harmful effects of our national safety obsession ripple outward into society. One in six children in America is obese, and many of them will face a lifetime of chronic illness.” Commentary, Health, Legislation/Policy 2008-08-13T16:54:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/camp_encourages_kids_to_take_risks/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/camp_encourages_kids_to_take_risks/ A recent NPR report introduced listeners to the Tinkering School, a one-week camp for kids that encourages “grand schemes, wild ideas, crazy notions, and intuitive leaps of imagination.” An emphasis on unstructured play and risk-taking forms the core of the school’s curriculum. 2008-08-11T18:11:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/canada_launches_get_out_tv_campaign/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/canada_launches_get_out_tv_campaign/ In an effort to combat nature-deficit disorder in children, Canada’s popular Hinterland Who’s Who television spots will soon feature a new message for kids and their parents. “The message is just to get out and see wildlife. It’s all around us,” says the Hinterland Who’s Who program manager. “We’re trying to get people to understand that it’s not that complicated.” International, Media & Culture, Campaign/Initiative 2008-08-11T18:07:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/bbc_wildlife_study_children_losing_touch_with_nature/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/bbc_wildlife_study_children_losing_touch_with_nature/ A new study by BBC Wildlife Magazine of 700 nine- to eleven-year-olds is focusing attention on the growing disconnect between children and nature. Even Sir David Attenborough has expressed concern: “The wild world is becoming so remote to children that they miss out—and an interest in the natural world doesn’t grow as it should.” 2008-08-04T17:25:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/playday_returns_to_uk/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/playday_returns_to_uk/ August 6 is Playday in the UK. Now in its 21st year, Playday is a national campaign to allow “challenging and adventurous play opportunities” for kids. The campaign is part of the National Children’s Bureau and supported in part by the national lottery fund. 2008-08-04T17:23:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/new_york_times_more_kids_now_taking_adult_meds/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/new_york_times_more_kids_now_taking_adult_meds/ The New York Times reports that hundreds of thousands of children are taking adult medication to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and acid reflux—all problems linked to obesity that were practically unheard of in children two decades ago. And while the drugs do help treat these conditions, some doctors fear they are simply a shortcut fix for a problem better addressed through lifestyle changes. 2008-07-28T23:31:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/pennsylvanias_outdoor_task_force_submits_report/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/pennsylvanias_outdoor_task_force_submits_report/ The Pennsylvania task force created last year to find ways for reconnecting people with nature has submitted to the governor a report outlining its recommendations. The report proposes more than 40 action items, the most notable of which is the establishment of a Governor’s Commission on People and Outdoor Connections. State, Campaign/Initiative 2008-07-28T23:28:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/persil_promotes_free_play_in_uk_campaign/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/persil_promotes_free_play_in_uk_campaign/ Persil, a well-known maker of laundry detergents in the UK, is touting the benefits of unstructured outdoor play in a new national campaign aimed at parents. The company surveyed mothers, a majority of whom agreed that society had lost sight of the importance of play in a child’s learning process. The “every child has the right” campaign includes a television commercial in which a robot becomes a boy when it ventures outdoors and a website with tips to help families make free play a priority once again. International, Media & Culture, Campaign/Initiative 2008-07-28T16:59:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/nebraska_hosts_children_and_nature_conference/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/nebraska_hosts_children_and_nature_conference/ In response to the widening disconnect between children and nature, some 300 educators, environmentalists, and landscape design architects gathered recently in Nebraska City to discuss topics relating to children and nature. The conference was hosted by the Arbor Day Foundation, and presenters included experts from 27 nations on subjects such as community planning, urban green space, and landscape design. 2008-07-28T16:56:01-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/pbs_reports_on_camps_for_military_kids/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/pbs_reports_on_camps_for_military_kids/ The Newshour with Jim Lehrer recently featured a report on Operation Purple, the free one-week summer camps for children of military personnel deployed overseas. This summer 10,000 military children are expected to take part in Operation Purple, which aims to help children cope with the stress associated with having a parent in harm’s way and promote healing through nature. 2008-07-22T18:02:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/no_child_left_inside_coalition_reaches_milestone/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/no_child_left_inside_coalition_reaches_milestone/ The No Child Left Inside Coalition announced on July 21 that its membership has now reached 500. These 500 member organizations, which represent all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, range from high-profile national organizations like the Sierra Club to local groups like the McCall Outdoor Science School in Idaho. Together the groups are working to insure passage of the federal No Child Left Inside Act. 2008-07-21T21:22:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/park_supporters_celebrate_success_in_los_angeles/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/park_supporters_celebrate_success_in_los_angeles/ For the first time in more than a century, Los Angeles residents are able to celebrate the opening of a new public park in the downtown area. Vista Hermosa Park, which features 10.5 acres of trails, meadows, streams, and playgrounds, represents a triumph for the low-income, largely immigrant community that surrounds it. As a local politician said during the opening ceremony for the park, “When a child can’t run freely and play safely in a park, it speaks to our fundamental values.” 2008-07-21T17:10:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/a_uk_perspective_on_computers_and_outdoor_play/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/a_uk_perspective_on_computers_and_outdoor_play/ Concerns that children today lack sufficient opportunities to play freely outdoors are not limited to the United States. In the UK, more than half of parents surveyed believe that children now are being deprived of childhood. And as Scottish journalist Ron Ferguson argues, thinking that these children are safer indoors on the their computers than outdoors playing amongst themselves may be a mistake. 2008-07-21T17:08:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/study_as_children_grow_activity_slows/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/study_as_children_grow_activity_slows/ As reported in the New York Times, a new study captures in detail the dramatic declines in physical activity that occur as children get older. Whereas a nine-year-old spends an average of three hours a day walking, running, climbing, or otherwise in motion, a fifteen-year-old spends as little as 30 minutes a day engaged in any kind of physical activity. One possible reason for the decline: schools often curtail physical activity as children age. 2008-07-21T17:06:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/richard_louv_nature_clubs_on_today_show/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/richard_louv_nature_clubs_on_today_show/ NBC’s top-rated Today Show featured a report July 16 on nature-deficit disorder and one Virginia parent’s efforts to help other families connect with nature. Host Ann Curry then conducted an in-studio interview with Richard Louv, who summarized the benefits that nature can have on children and the Children & Nature Network’s ongoing work to help people form local nature clubs. National, Media & Culture 2008-07-16T19:11:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/texas_parks_host_seminars_for_parents/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/texas_parks_host_seminars_for_parents/ The Texas Forest Service is launching a seminar series for parents that explores the importance of nature in children’s lives. The three-part Nature Realized: Connecting Your Children to the Land will cover topics such as the physical and emotional benefits of nature for children, the differences between free and structured play, and the dangers, real and perceived, of letting children roam outdoors. “If we can reach the influential adults in a child’s life, we can build a conservation ethic in today’s children and sustain their excitement for the outdoors,” says one organizer. 2008-07-14T16:54:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/kids_should_be_free_to_play_author_says/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/kids_should_be_free_to_play_author_says/ The Toronto Sun talks with early-childhood expert Rae Pica about the importance of unstructured play in children’s lives. The author of A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity and Free Time Create a Successful Child, Pica urges adults to let children find their own unique ways to entertain themselves, even if that means occasionally being bored. “Heaven forbid they get to adulthood,” she says, “and not know how to be alone with themselves and their thoughts.” 2008-07-14T16:52:00-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/miami_herald_the_changing_nature_of_play/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/miami_herald_the_changing_nature_of_play/ A sobering article in the Miami Herald looks at the reasons why fewer children today enjoy the kind of free play that was common even a generation ago. As a single mother who fears letting her daughters play outdoors unsupervised remarks in the article, “I think they’re missing out on the freedom to be a child, to do just what they want.” Commentary, Health 2008-07-07T16:56:01-08:00 http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/ohio_arboretum_offers_wild_child_wonders/ http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/ohio_arboretum_offers_wild_child_wonders/ Holden Arboretum near Cleveland has created a special Wild Child Wonders program to inspire children to play in nature. The summer program, which traces its roots to Last Child in the Woods, features a series of Wonder Stations, including Forest Wonders, where kids can navigate a tree obstacle course and build a shelter with sticks, and Meadow Wonders, adventures that kids can transfer to their own backyards. Local, Built Environment 2008-07-07T16:53:00-08:00