Childhood shift: Most kids have stopped playing outdoors

[Teegate]

All,

I honestly believe that this problem will effect the way the state buys and sells land in the pines one day. Eventually, the people of the state will wonder why we are buying and paying for the upkeep of land that people do not use.

Guy




In only a generation, kids have stopped spending most of their playtime outdoors. It’s one of the most profound changes in the history of childhood


http://www.courierpostonline.com/ar...utdoors?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

 

[Boyd]

I sure hope you are wrong about that, but agree it's a very real problem. My daughter and I have discussed this, and she's determined to visit often so that my granddaughter learns to appreciate nature. They live in the NY Metro area.

It's funny... maybe it's a cyclical thing? My mother was raised in a rural area of Illinois and couldn't wait to move to the city when she graduated from high school. Till the day she died, she looked down on her own mother and the "hicks" out in the country. But as a kid, I wanted to get out of town and visit my Grandmother as often as I could. So I ended up living out in the woods and raised my own daughter there. She was also anxious to move to the city, but at least she and her husband appreciate nature and will try to instill it in their own daughter.

 

[Teegate]

Thanks for sharing that Boyd!

Guy

 

[46er]

All,

I honestly believe that this problem will effect the way the state buys and sells land in the pines one day. Eventually, the people of the state will wonder why we are buying and paying for the upkeep of land that people do not use.

Guy

Unfortunately, it's not just here, it is nation wide and will certainly have an effect on the outdoors and everything associated with it. What happens when these children come of voting age and become leaders? A columnist from the north country did some articles on this over the years. I have posted, in no particular order, the ones I saved below. A book has also been written by Richard Louv, 'Last Child in the Woods', last link. The state does offer some programs such as the youth hunts, free hunting and fishing days and trout in the classroom and the programs at Pequest but there is nothing in the southern part of the state like Pequest and the kids need someone to show them the way. Unfortunately, most parents don't.

Articles by Joe Hackett;

http://news.nnyln.net/adirondack-enterprise/adirondack-enterprise-2006-march-april/adirondack-enterprise-2006-march-april%20-%201133.pdf#xml=http://news.nnyln.net/adirondack-enterprise/dtSearch/dtisapi6.dll?cmd=getpdfhits&u=fffffffff7300ce2&DocId=182772&Index=G%3a%5cdtSearch%20Developer%5cUserData%5cadirondack%2denterprise2&HitCount=14&hits=ba+151+173+1b5+228+2a9+2ff+354+3c9+3d0+3f5+434+4c3+4ce+&SearchForm=G%3a%5cadirondack%2denterprise%5cdtSearch%5fform%2ehtml&.pdf

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/514093/Time-outside-has-numerous-benefits-for-children.html?nav=5044

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/509755/Our-children--The-future-of-the-Adirondacks.html?nav=5044

http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/

 

[PINEY MIKE]

46er is on the money.. its all in the parenting. Some parents feel its easier to buy a new video game rather than go for a walk in the woods, on a fishing trip, camping etc. Bogles my mind.

 

[Bachman's Ivory]

I agree it's in the parenting. Since before I could walk I have been going out with my Father during his birding adventures allover NJ and the US. we also went for Sunday walks through the Shrewsbury Arboretum. I now have an irresistible urge to be in, and to protect the outdoors. Most of my friends never went out with their parents when they were kids, so now they just sit inside and play video games. I have only one friend my age who shows interest in the outdoors.

Get those kids outside! Go for family walks in the local park. Anything you can do!

 

[Teegate]

Some of the blame has to go on the press, lawyers, and the medical profession that constantly remind us that every single bug and plant can kill us. People for the most part are lemmings and believe everything they read, and so they keep their children in the house. And I believe this is not something that has started in one generation, it has been occurring for a few.

Guy

 

[46er]

People for the most part are lemmings and believe everything they read, and so they keep their children in the house. And I believe this is not something that has started in one generation, it has been occurring for a few.

Guy

You can add the radical groups like PETA and some enviroMENTAL groups to that list.

Yep, but in the house they'll just get bed bugs instead.

You could probably get a good idea how long ago it started by looking at the annual fish and hunting license sales. I enjoy birding and it is a rarity to see someone with a hair color other than gray or white, if there is any hair at all. 'cept for the females.

 

[dragoncjo]

My friends and I always talk about this. Everyday after school I couldn't wait to get outside and do something, whether it was sports, playing in the woods it was just the normal thing for boys to do. I drive by fields that I use to play football in after school and there is never kids there playing, in fact I can't remember the last time I saw kids playing pick up sports in a field. I honestly don't know when it changed because we played pick up football, basketball and hockey up until I was in high school and it was always difficult finding a field/court/rink that wasn't full. In terms of outdoor activities I agree it is parenting. My dad was an eagle scout so trips to catch frogs/turtles where always the norm. I think as we become more urbanized/suburbanized we lose touch with the outdoors. Nature is simply not present around us like it should be. You go to areas that are not as suburban and people seem to appreciate and spend more time outdoors though maybe not as much as before. More we destroy are land the more we lose touch with it. Bottom line is there is more distractions for kids and more things to do indoors. People having kids now grew up with video games so it seems healthy for kids to sit inside and play them, 'at least we know what they are doing and they are safe'......Let's face it the media has made everyone real soft and makes it seems like doing everything is dangerous......our media is slowly destroying this country.

 

[46er]

....our media is slowly destroying this country.

Only if the parents let it. Lots of folks don't. The last place I ever thought there would be interest in the outdoors is a small town on Long Island; but they put together a pretty impressive outdoor program for kids. Might not be exactly the approach others might take, but at least it's a start. To me, the perfect place for similar programs is in our schools, but nothing at all like it is offered anywhere I've checked in this state. The one exception is the Trout Unlimiteds 'Trout in the Classroom' program, which started with 1 teacher in 1 school and has grown to around 90 schools. One would think similar outdoor type programs could be integrated into the classroom. As has been shown, it only takes one teacher to get the ball rolling.

http://www.natureexplorium.org/index.html

http://www.njtroutintheclassroom.org/


I have to add a program I forgot and it is pretty local to me. Berkeley Township schools offers a program that sends kids to The School of Conservation in Stokes SF. It has been under fire as unnecessary and not academic. Not sure if it has been cancelled or will continue. Other schools systems in the state might also do this.

http://www.berkeleytwpschools.com/bts/BTES/Stokes%20Program/

 

[piker56]

I'm not sure where I stand on this as far as parenting goes. I grew up in an inner city setting where the only "woods" we had was in abandoned houses. This was well before there was such a thing as crack houses. When mom and dad took us out of the city to Brooklawn, I learned to love the outdoors on my own. My parents never took us camping or hiking. God bless my mom, she thought we would "get into trouble" out in the woods. I took my own kids camping, fishing, canoeing, hiking, you name it. Today they both enjoy the outdoors occasionally, but not with the same level as I do. I wore out baby packs hiking with both my kids, but the kids grew up and followed other interest's. We all have great memories the few times we do go out, as I do of my childhood. Not sure what I wanted to say here, must be the cold medicine (I'm stuck in the house sick and going stir crazy!).
Greg