Here's an article from a local newspaper an aquaintance of mine writes for. I thought it was decent so I decided to regurgitate it here. I hope the author doesn't mind.
Where have all the tree houses gone?
Think back to your childhood and recall how much time you spent outside. Recall those times fishing with Grandpa or exploring trails with a sibling. Or maybe it was building forts and tree houses in the wooded area down the street. Whatever it was, most folks would agree that unscheduled, unstructured time outdoors was an important part of their childhood.
Now consider how many kids today have built a tree house, or have even seen one? In today’s tech-happy, plugged-in world, kids aren’t getting outside and into nature nearly as much as their parents did. They’re not playing in the woods or exploring the nearby creek. They darn sure aren’t building tree houses. They don’t have the opportunity to explore at will and learn from experience or see the natural world as it exists without lawnmowers, chemicals and weed trimmers. When they are outside, it’s increasingly for an organized sport which research has shown not to have the same restorative effect on kids as does play in natural areas such as weedy fields and woodlots. It’s a disturbing trend for sure, especially considering the future of our natural resources hang on the efforts, passions, and votes of today’s youth.
But the implications of reduced outdoor play go far beyond the future of conservation efforts. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report the total number of obese children quadrupled since the 1960s. Considering that about 60 percent of obese children have at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, pediatricians now warn that today’s children may be the first generation since World War II to die at an earlier age than their parents.
A growing field of research is increasingly turning up the same results: children have less free time and what little they have is not being spent playing outdoors. In 2003 only half as many kids spent time in outdoor activities such as hiking or even gardening as they did in 1997. Additionally, in a matter of 25 years, children’s free play and discretionary time in a typical week declined by nine hours. Yet, the average American kid still manages to spend thirty hours a week in front of the TV.
So what has changed? Technology, for one. Home computers didn’t exist a couple decades ago; nor did any of today’s gaming consoles, smartphones, or compact music players. But technology didn’t force our kids indoors. We did.
A 2002 survey revealed that 56 percent of parents in this country reported being allowed to walk or bike to school by the age of ten, yet only 36 percent of those same parents said they would allow their own kids to do the same. We’ve all but criminalized tree house building due to litigation and safety concerns and the days of turning the kids loose to roam the woodlot at will until dinner are all but gone.
Though such restrictions may increase safety to a degree, many of the restrictions we place on our kids are unfounded. Case in point: A Children’s Defense Fund report in the 1990’s stated that every year since 1950, the number of children gunned down had doubled. If that were true, and only one shooting happened in 1950, there would have been 8.6 billion kids gunned down in 1983 - more than twice the entire earth’s population at the time. In fact, the rate of violent crimes against young people is lower than it was thirty years ago. Today’s children are more at risk of having a heart attack than being abducted by a stranger - even if they lived in New York City.
So maybe the time has come to get today’s kids unplugged and outside. Studies have proven that time in nature is beneficial for mental, physical, and emotional health in both children and adults. Not to mention that nature contact is known to make children more attentive, enthusiastic, and willing to learn.
So what do we do? My first suggestion is to read Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. It has helped jumpstart a national movement to address the nature-detachment issue our youth are facing. It’s a fun book to read and it’s loaded with compelling information (including the statistics mentioned here) and useful tips on what we can all do.
Second, and more importantly, take a kid outside. Even if you know nothing of the natural world, get outside and see what it has to offer. Leave the trail and get dirty. My guess you’ll both enjoy the thrill of discovery. Encourage your kids to put down the game controller and go outside.
Third, speak up. Get more outdoor study in the schools. Teachers all over the country have incorporated outdoor education into nearly every subject under the sun. It can be done and the results are fantastic.
And if you need help building that fort, look me up. I’ll be in my treehouse.
