Why We Need A JTREE Outdoor Education Campus

Kids Don’t Spend Enough Time Outdoors

So…why a JTREE Outdoor Education Campus?
In an earlier poll conducted by the Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org), only 10% of children polled said they spend time outdoors every day. Of the parents surveyed, 65% see this as a very serious problem. This increasingly common trend in social behavior has been identified as a factor contributing to the decreased fitness, health and well-being of youth throughout the United States. Why? Lack of access to natural areas and the perception of discomfort with the outdoors are the two primary factors identified. Outdoor activities are being replaced by more sedentary activities such as watching television or playing on a computer.

Fast forward to today, in Child Mind Institute, Danielle Cohen writes, “The national panic about kids spending too much time indoors has become so extreme that the crisis has a name: Nature deficit disorder. While calling it a disorder might be merely rhetorical, it’s clear kids spend significantly more time inside than outside. This shift is largely due to technology: The average American child is said to spend 4 to 7 minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.”

Let’s get kids outdoors where they can lead healthy, active lives.

She continues stating that being outdoors teaches them responsibility. If they realize what nature needs, such as watering a plant, they understand they must take care of things to keep them alive. Getting outdoors also keeps them more active helping them to feel more focused and less stressed. Being outdoors they can choose  how to interact with nature encouraging creativity and imagination, and in the process build their self-confidence.

Child advocacy expert and author of the book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv shares an interview with a child who told him he liked playing indoors “cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.”  In his book, Richard directly links lack of nature in today’s “wired generation” to rises in childhood depression, obesity, and attention disorders.

Another contemporary but separate challenge is motivating and exciting kids about studying science, math and related academic fields. There are many reasons for this but there is increasing evidence that by instilling a love of outdoor activities through immersive outdoor education, we can not only set a precedent for maintaining fitness and a healthy lifestyle, but we can also improve achievements in education and motivate youth to learn about their world. By focusing on these youth-oriented issues it is possible to influence the next generation toward a healthier lifestyle that supports a more sustainable future.