When I read Jane Brody’s article, Head Out for a Daily Dose of Green Space, (NYT, 11-30-10), it brought back a rush of memories of growing up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, NY in the 1950’s. Though we lived in an urban landscape and had little money, my parents connected me to the natural world by utilizing the free resources the city had to offer.

Summers we walked, hiked, had picnics, caught tadpoles, learned about insects etc at Betsy Head, Prospect & Central Parks. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden was a wonderland for a little girl with its vast gardens and brooks and Coney Island & Brighton Beach were favorite haunts, along with the Canarsie pier where my father taught me how to fish. From Brownsville to Canarsie was about a 3 mile distance and we rode our bikes there, holding our fishing rods.

With no car, trains/subways were our main mode of transportation, and I remember that those trips felt like a wild adventure. We would pack up food and other supplies depending on where we were going and schlep four blocks to catch the el and might travel an hour or more to our destination.  In winter we traveled to libraries & museums. The Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, in Manhattan were top picks.

Those memories are some of the fondest of my childhood and a photo taken by my mother when I was about five years old shows my father kneeling down pointing to a ladybug on his hand as my brother and I look on, is one of my favorites. Fast forward many decades and in today’s culture our techno savvy children are spending more and more time indoors often to their detriment.

Brody’s article cites recent research showing that children who spend most of their time indoors will lead to what Richard Louv, author of “The Last Child in the Woods”, calls “nature-deficit disorder” (I’ve read it and highly recommend it). Today’s children aged 8 to 18 spend an average of seven and a half hours a day using electronic devices and not only have they become dangerously sedentary, but have lost their connection to the natural world.

Studies in the article show that the result of this life style place children at risk for the following physical and mental conditions and disorders: obesity and diseases linked to obesity such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, vitamin D deficiency, stress disorders and anxiety, depression, and ADD/ADHD. "Dr. Daphane Miller, a family physician…with the University of California…calls them “diseases of indoor living."

The emotional benefits derived from heading outdoors is as important to your child as the physical ones, and just the act of slowing down to hangout with your child outdoors with no formal plan is a wonderful time for family members to  connect. The National Wildlife Federation cites scientific research showing that children who spend more time outdoors in unstructured play are fitter and have less of a risk for diseases such as bone loss and heart problems, may have a reduction in ADHD symptoms, perform better academically and socially and are less likely to develop anxiety or mood disorders.

Health Benefits - National Wildlife Federation
Remember playing outside until mom called you in for dinner? Today’s kids probably won’t.

In the last two decades, childhood has moved indoors. The average American boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day, and more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen. Read the full article.

So, what can you do if your child wants to stay home most of the time and cuddle up to electronic toys? Get your child into the great outdoors, into your backyard and local parks. Introduce your child to local farms and ranches, visit national parks, hike in forests and go camping. Teach your child to fish in brooks, streams and rivers, spend time at the beach. Besides the physical and mental benefits of going outdoors, it’s important to teach children about preserving our beautiful, natural world. Make your time outdoors with your child fun and adventurous and eventually leaving behind his or her computer, Xbox, and cell phone may not be painful at all.

Oh, mom and dad, you have to turn off your cell too.

Warm regards,

Diane