A recent article in the Washington Post lamented we may be raising the first generation of “indoor children”. A study by Sandra Hofferth at the University of Maryland found a 50% decline from 1997 to 2003 in the amount of time kids spent outdoors in unstructured play (team sports not included). A growing number of children’s advocates, environmentalists and others are concerned about long term consequences that may affect emotional well being, physical health, learninging abilities and environmental consciousness.

I had the good fortune to grow up on an 40 acre farm. I loved being outdoors and it was easy and safe for me. As a general rule this is not the case today for most kids. The younger children are, the more protective we become in even a suburban environment. That is why parents can make such a difference.

My current animation project is “Who Lives In My Yard?” I love the idea of connecting kids with the myriad of creatures who share our homes with us. Cats, dogs, ant, crickets and squirrels are usually easy to find. Some rather exotic critters can be seen as well. I still get excited when I see a praying mantis, a brilliant green and so regal. The last one I saw was in my garden this summer. I get a fleeting view of a skink now and again as it scurries off. Some kind of critter is usually easy to find in any yard, parking lot or the park. Taking a moment with your child to really observe and appreciate those creatures goes a long way to expanding their universe in a very personal way.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 27th, 2007 at 12:52 pm and is filed under Kids and Nature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.