“Take a Child Outside” Takes Hold

First posted on 09-15-2008

With more children spending less time on physical activities, childhood obesity on the rise, and video games and surfing the Internet replacing outdoor recreation, Missouri and other states have decided to take action.

“Take a Child Outside” week, a nationwide effort, is being promoted for the week of September 24 - 30. During that time, parents are urged to take children to a nearby state or national park and allow them to explore nature, get away from the electronics and just ... take a breath of fresh air.

Concerned that interest in the outdoors is dropping steadily, proponents of a week themed specifically to encourage children to get out of the house say it will draw attention to the issue. In a study released earlier this year, The Nature Conservancy said that participation in nature based recreational activities has dropped 18 to 25 percent since 1991, and continues to decline at a rate between 1 and 1.3 percent annually.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources says attendance at parks in the state is down by 2 million people, or 11 percent, from 2004 through last year. The agency said that parents should celebrate Take a Child Outside week by going fishing, camping or hiking with their children.

The concept of Take a Child Outside began in North Carolina last year. This year, about 250 organizations and Canada are embracing the idea and participating.

The brainchild of Liz Baird, director of school programs with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, Take a Child Outside is taking hold and being promoted as way to re-introduce children to the health and mental benefits of being outdoors.

Photo courtesy of North Carolina Office of Environmental Education