News item: To kids, outdoors aren't so great

-------------------- To kids, outdoors aren't so great -------------------- $20 million campaign aims to encourage youngsters to turn off the gadgets, go outside By Donna St. George The Washington Post June 20, 2007 WASHINGTON -- Linda Pelzman appreciates the beauty of the outdoor world, sometimes pulling her children into the yard to gaze at a full moon or peer into a dense fog. A founder of a summer camp, she only wishes her enthusiasm was fully shared. On a recent nature walk near her Gaithersburg, Md., home, her younger son, 6, was unimpressed: "I just want to go back to civilization." Her older son, 13, has made it clear he prefers PlayStation. "Kids don't think about going outside like they used to, and unless there is some scheduled activity, I don't think they know what to do outdoors anymore," Pelzman said. Her view is shared by a growing number of children's advocates, environmentalists, business executives and political leaders who fear that this might be the first generation of "indoor children," largely disconnected from nature. Concerns about long-term consequences -- to emotional well-being, physical health, learning abilities, environmental consciousness -- have spawned a national movement to "leave no child inside." On Wednesday, 40 civic leaders -- representing several governors, three big-city mayors, Walt Disney Co., Sesame Workshop, DuPont, the gaming industry and others -- will launch a campaign to raise $20 million to fund 20 initiatives across the country to encourage children to do what once seemed second nature: go outdoors. The decline in outdoor activity has been documented by experts such as Sandra Hofferth, a family studies professor at the University of Maryland. From 1997 to 2003, she found, there was a decline from 16 percent to 8 percent in the proportion of children 9 to 12 who spent time in outside activities. Organized sports were not included as an outdoor activity in the study. The increased activism has been partly inspired by a book, "Last Child in the Woods," and its author, Richard Louv. Coining the term "nature deficit disorder," Louv has argued that indoor kids are more prone to childhood problems including obesity, depression and attention disorders. "I'm not saying that a child who grows up without nature is going to have terrible problems," Louv said, "but if you look at the studies that show what nature does give kids, it's unfortunate that so many children are missing out on that." Experts suggest a major factor in the decline of outdoor time is parental fears about leaving children unattended, aggravated by excessive media coverage of horrific crimes. Changes in family life also have had an influence: more mothers in the workforce, more structured playtime, more organized sports. In Great Falls, Va., the Hefner family has a back yard of more than an acre, a green swath of kid heaven. Three years ago, George Hefner built a two-story "treehouse" that stands on the ground between two maples. He imagined his children fixing it up, sleeping there. But 10-year-old Paul cannot remember the last time he played in the little house. "Animals live out there, you know," he told his mother one day. His older sister Sarah, 16, acknowledges she has never set foot in it. "What would I do in a treehouse?" she asked. "The kids are all physically active in sports, but when they come home, it's inside time," said Paula Hefner, Paul's mom. That changed recently, when Paul went hiking with his Boy Scout troop. Mom and son now hike regularly in nearby Great Falls National Park. "I like seeing the falls and stuff," Paul said. Copyright (c) 2007, Chicago Tribune