Get Back to Nature With a 'Green Hour'

It’s time to kick your kids out of the house. Just for an hour or so a day, take the whole family outside and get back to nature, explore your back yard and beyond, and just have fun rediscovering the great outdoors.

The National Wildlife Federation’s campaign “The Green Hour” wants to see this generation of children climb more trees, collect more rocks, hike more trails, and swing on more monkey bars. It’s a campaign to get parents to give their children an hour daily of outdoor, unstructured play and interaction with the natural world.

As adults, many of us have fond memories of entire days spent outdoors, playing with friends without any toys, props or gadgets.

My friends and I would play house under a tree, using grass, dandelions, and buckeyes as pretend food for our dinner table. We memorized every tree, bush, and plant in every yard in our neighborhood.

We had far fewer scheduled activities than kids have today. We put together our own kickball and volleyball games, agreed on teams and rules, and had fun doing it. Much to our parents’ delight, we even took indoor games outside. I have memories of playing Monopoly on the grass and Barbie dolls on my front porch with three or four girlfriends. We took turns reading aloud while sitting on the playground pebbles.

We didn’t have the lure of video games, computer chat rooms, and the Cartoon Network.

The Green Hour’s goal is to get kids to walk away from whatever electronic devices they’re plugged into and rediscover their sense of wonder at nature.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, says many children now suffer from “nature deficit disorder." Studies show a link between the 44 hours per week the average child spends in front of some type of electronic screen, and a tendency toward obesity, violence, and lower intelligence.

According to The Green Hour’s Web page, children who regularly spend unstructured time outside:

• Play more creatively
• Have lower stress levels
• Have more active imaginations
• Become fitter and leaner
• Develop stronger immune systems
• Experience fewer symptoms of ADD and ADHD
• Have greater respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment

The Green Hour Web site has everything parents need to help them along.

• For families who can’t manage a full hour every day - with work, school, and extracurricular activities – The Green Hour says 15 minutes is a good start. “Don't approach it as a chore, but rather as a break from chores -- a time to be free of cares, where you can catch your breath, recharge your batteries, and enjoy being together,” the site says.
   
• The Green Hour gives tips on keeping your children safe from ticks, insects and other dangers while outdoors.
   
• If you live in an urban area, your idea of nature may be different, but it’s nature all the same. Green Hour writers suggest trips to a public park, community garden, and nature center.
   
• The site’s Parents' Guide suggests activities and ways to approach nature with children of different learning styles. A verbal “word smart” child may want to keep a journal of the wildlife he encounters on a nature walk. A mathematical learner may want to classify and categorize rocks, leaves, and flowers he finds outdoors.

Nature Find includes an online form where you can plug in your Zip code or city and find outdoor places to take your kids.
 

~Diane Laney Fitzpatrick

Diane Laney Fitzpatrick is a former newspaper reporter and editor who writes about children, parents and families. She enjoys the simple life in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, two sons and a daughter.