Reconnect with Nature....

There is a great campaign going on now that tries to help families reconnect with nature and to experience it first-hand.  In our busy worlds this is not always an easy thing to do.

Here’s an interesting statistic from the Ad Council… In the last 20 years the time children spend outside has declined by 50%.  Personally I believe a large portion of this decline can be attributed to things like computers, television, video game consoles, etc… Kids are more engaged in indoor activities which obviously leaves them less time for doing things in nature.

Quoting from Discover the Forest, “The campaign brings to life the joy and excitement kids have when they discover the wonders of nature, helping create interest in their environment and a lifelong relationship with it.

Nature gives tweens the ability to explore, use their imagination, discover new animals and plants, and engage in adventurous play. Being in nature frees them from their crazy, scheduled days and offers the ability to get lost in something totally unmanaged, unexpected and utterly surprising. Nature instills a peace and calmness that they can’t experience in their daily lives, and the more they discover the natural world around them, the more they will feel connected to the world and better understand their relationship to it.” 

So I’m sure you have already started thinking about how you can fit geocaching into the middle of this campaign.  Not only does geocaching provide an opportunity to get out into nature but it also give parents a motivator to combine technology with the adventure.  Give the kids the small hand held computer that is showing them maps, calculating distances and movement, etc… Combine the technology they love with the outdoors and perhaps create a new “love”.   For geocaches in your area you can go to geocaching.com and enter your zip code.   You may be surprised… there could be a geocache just down the block.

Websites for information:  Discover the Forest – www.discovertheforest.org,  Geocaching – www.geocaching.com,  Ad Council – www.adcouncil.org