news-record.com

BY KEVIN REDDING

North Carolina is about to complete a weeklong celebration few of us even know about. Sept. 24-30 is the second annual "Take a Child Outside Week" -- organized and sponsored by the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. It came and is about to end with little fanfare and, admittedly, has not yet established itself as a tradition.

Last year's kickoff brought North Carolina to the forefront as a leader in identifying the mental and physical importance of getting children outdoors. The week's message should resonate with parents, grandparents and anyone involved in the lives of children. As Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods," writes, "It's time to create nature and health where we and our families live, work and play."

Louv has written of "nature deficit disorder" -- his name for our society's increasing separation from the natural world. He emphasizes how this disconnect has affected children at a far greater rate than the adult population.

The results range from a decrease in cognitive development for our youth to greater incidence of childhood obesity.

In a 2008 interview in U.S. News & World Report, Louv said, "Kids who spend more time outdoors tend to do better on testing, they do better on science, they tend to play more cooperatively."

Cheryl Charles, a co-founder of the Children and Nature Network, writes, "Children's cognitive flexibility and creativity are enhanced if they learn to problem-solve in natural settings."

As for our children's health, the benefits should be obvious. Nationally, the obesity rate for U.S. children has doubled over the past 20 years, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In North Carolina, more than a third of children are overweight or obese.

In Guilford County, 44 percent of elementary students are overweight.

For many of us connected to our Piedmont outdoors, it's hard to imagine needing a nudge to take our children outside. I grew up in a rural community where sunlit hours were spent catching crawdads, building forts in the woods or playing (and occasionally helping) in my parents' garden.

Many of today's children never have the chances to enjoy this same experience. Our schedules are so packed that it's hard to find two hours to witness the joy of a child catching his or her first fish, marveling at a praying mantis or simply chasing a butterfly across an open field.

Some children are so insulated from the natural environment that fear overrides the opportunity of being outdoors where wild things live.

Though it may be tempting to try, the experience of nature cannot be replicated on a computer or television screen. Nor can the exercise of hiking a trail or climbing a tree be replaced from the couch.

Enjoying nature does not mean traveling long distances. Citizens of Guilford County are fortunate to have an abundance of outdoor opportunities for children. Pocket parks are common in our city and within walking distance for many of us.

New parks such as Ole Asheboro Park and the Piedmont Greenway will add to our supply of accessible outdoor recreational amenities. Greensboro's Price Park offers 90 acres of educational open space while county parks such as Hagan-Stone are easily accessible and provide programs to help children understand the natural world.

The Natural Science Center and the North Carolina Zoo bring exotic and local nature close to all of us. The newly created Haw River State Park offers outstanding programs only a short distance from our suburban and urban environment.

Large or small, all of these parks provide chances to escape from the daily hustle and find a quiet, natural setting -- a place where children and their imaginations can run wild.

Schools, civic leaders and the nonprofit community all play an important, low-cost role in introducing children to nature.

When Piedmont Land Conservancy recently conducted a controlled burn at Price Park, the most exciting part of the day was not the fire. The energy from Jefferson Elementary fourth- and fifth-graders easily outpaced the flames. The outdoor laboratory provided lessons in biology, chemistry, geography and history. These same students will now be able to track the development of a prairie throughout the school year.

Although all of these venues and groups can aid in explaining how nature works, the decision must ultimately be made at the family level. Parents of small children must find the time to take the kids outdoors. The outdoor experiences gained at a young age are important fuel for a lifetime of wonderment at nature's marvels.

Too often we think of investments in financial terms. Investing time with children outdoors costs almost nothing while the returns are immeasurable. Fall's arrival and the accompanying pleasant weather make a great time to take a child outdoors.

You may have missed the official week, but it's never too late to spend a few hours exploring nature feeding young minds that will treasure those experiences forever and healthy bodies to last a lifetime.

Kevin Redding is executive director of the Piedmont Land Conservancy.