South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks - No Child Left Inside Program

South Dakota is getting it right, providing some small seed grants to schools and organizations. Here's the full article:

ARGUS LEADER

January 12, 2009

Grants available for outdoor kids programs

“Get out!” That's the message coming from the state Game, Fish & Parks’ education program, “No Child Left Inside.”

As a response to the growing trend of children spending less and less time exploring their natural surroundings, the GF&P is implementing efforts to encourage parents and teachers to get kids outdoors, learning.The GF&P is calling for people to apply for small grants to propel the program forward. Applications are due March 27.“So many kids are spending hours each day in front of the TV or computer,” says Chad Tussing, education services coordinator for GF&P. Recent surveys are showing that Americans watch, on average, four hours of TV per day. For children, that number climbs to an average of 6.5 hours per day.The small grant program is designed to extend the impact of the No Child Left Inside effort to others who work with children. Groups, schools, and others can apply for one of these grants, ranging from $500 to $1,000 per grant. The projects must include a strong educational value and should have the potential for wide-reaching impact. Potential projects include educational curricula, outdoor classrooms, or other educational activities. Projects are strongly encouraged to have greater reach and impact than the actual grant period.For information or an application, visit www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/NoChild.htm or call Tussing at 773-2541.

National Wildlife Federation Seeks Policy Solutions to Nature Deficit

There has been a lot of talk about the issue of nature deficit, that kids simply aren't spending time outdoors any more. The research is certainly telling us that this is the trend.

The National Wildlife Federation's report, "Connecting Today's Kids with Nature: A Policy Action Plan," is an exciting resource for those that want to take action and find policy solutions in their community, state or even at the federal level.

There are tons of great ideas in this report for taking action close to home, in your community, in your state and at the national level. The policy solutions raised in the report range from teaming up with local law enforcement to working with public health and social service agencies on the state level to supporting action on the federal level by passing legislation to support hands-on environmental educaiton. Click here to read and download the full report.

Playing outside can prevent children becoming short-sighted

The body of research supporting the health benefits of outdoor play for children continues to grow! Fascinating article from a British Newspaper, Mail Online:

Playing outdoors dramatically cuts a child's risk of becoming short-sighted, research shows.

Just two or three hours of fun in the fresh air each day halves the odds of the common condition, studies have found.

The finding challenges the widespread belief that short-sightedness, in
which distant objects appear blurred, is caused by an excess of close work such
as computer use and TV watching.

Instead, it appears that the condition, which usually develops during childhood, is warded off by a daily dose of natural light.

Children and Nature Network Research Summary

For those looking for a comprehensive review of research and studies about connecting kids to nature, the Children and Nature Network has an excellent collection of summaries and links available online in three volumes.

Here are just a handful of the summary headlines:

- School Achievement Is Enhanced When Curricula Are Environment Based
- Green School Grounds Foster Achievement and Responsibility
- There Are More Benefits from Naturalized Playgrounds and School Grounds
- Not all children have recess and those that do have shorter recess periods
- Children know more about Pokémon than common wildlife
- Schools are too far away for children to walk or bike to
- Contact with nature provides a variety of health benefits
- Children with ADHD concentrate better after walking in a park