Gifford Photographic Collection (Courtesy of Oregon State University Archives)

Recess is Time to Decompress

I have distinct memories of two recess activities in particular, tether ball and playing/trading marbles. I was the tallest girl in my class, taller even than most of the boys, so I had a distinct advantage at tether ball and was proclaimed class champ. While marbles was traditionally a “boy thing” I collected with gusto, and could hardly wait to win more cat’s eyes in our raucous recess matches. My lucky steely shooter was a force to be reckoned with.

During those times on the playground, my mind was cleared of all academic thoughts and focused solely on the escape of free play. This meant when I returned to the classroom, hopefully with some new aggies in my pocket, I was ready to jump back into my lessons. I was mentally refreshed with a renewed perspective on the subject at hand. I was also physically rejuvenated, my body exercised and ready to sit quietly to learn.

Pediatricians Know Best

The AAP statement concluded that “recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development.” This is consistent with research by neuroscientists who recommend “brain breaks” every 90 minutes in order to increase productivity. And yet almost 30 percent of elementary age children across the county are denied recess and forced to endure long stretches of academic drills without much-needed breaks.

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, more focus has been placed on test results and less on the well-being of students. Schools have adopted the concept of ‘drill and repeat” instead of recognizing that free time and recharging can enhance cognition and memory.

The assumption is that more time focused on test prep will help performance, but in fact, the opposite may be true. Today’s children are less physically fit, less able to concentrate, and less able to relate to others than previous generations. The effects are seen in the rise of childhood obesity, poor test scores, and negative classroom behavior.

Recess More Than Just Play

Recess provides children with free unstructured time to engage in physical activity that helps them develop healthy bodies and the enjoyment of movement. It also provides children the opportunity to practice life skills such as cooperation, taking turns, being a good sport, following rules, sharing, communications, negotiation, problem solving and conflict resolution. And along the way, they might win a few marbles.

Parents Can Help Bring Back Recess

Parents can play a particularly important role in helping their children to have more productive school time by allocating home time for outdoor activities in natural settings and by being strong advocates for schools to offer more safe outdoor time and experiences for their children, including recess time.

How You Can Help

• Do the Homework. Join NWF’s Eco-Schools USA program and use our recess policy audit tool to evaluate your school’s current policy.
• Talk in School. Bring together parents, teachers, and administrators to restore recess at your school and school district.
• Build on Models. Work with the school, district or state to adopt a model recess policy.
• Share with Others. Connect with other campaign leaders to exchange learning and tips.

A spittlebug can jump 115 times higher than its own body length. (Photo by USDA Cooperative Extension)

High-Jump Stars

The champion of the animal world may be the spittle bug. This insect is only as long as a pencil eraser but it can jump 115 times higher than its body length. That would be like a person leaping over a 70-story skyscraper.

Going the Distance

Chinook salmon may travel more than 2,000 miles as they swim inland from the sea and head up the rivers and streams where they hatched. That’s about the distance between Detroit, Michigan and Los Angeles, California. Then there is the Arctic tern, a bird with the longest migration, traveling from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic, and back again, each year. They literally migrate from one end of the planet to the other, 50,000 miles in total!

From Petit Manan Island, Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Kirk Rogers, U.S. FWS.

Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus), from Avila, Port San Luis, California. Photo by Mike Baird.

Broad-Jump Winners

What animal takes the prize among the best leapers? Most scientists agree: it’s the tiny southern cricket frog, a tree frog living on the ground in many southeastern states. It’s only about an inch long but can jump 62 times its body length.

Most agree the inch-long sputhern cricket frog is the best leaper. It can jump 62 times its body length. Photo by Greg Schecter.

Diving Specialists

The beaked whale, actually more closely related to dolphins than whales, can dive deeper in the ocean than any other animal. Heading down to depths of 6,230 feet—that’s over a mile deep—it can then hold its breath for 85 minutes before resurfacing for air.

Beaked whales can dive more than a mile-deep, and stay submerged for more than an hour. Photo by NOAA.

Jungle Gymnasts

The African Bush Baby is a tiny primate and lives in the treetops. It has incredible leaping abilities. As it prowls the tropical forests at night looking for fruits and insects to devour, bush babies can make leaps of 20 feet or more, which is many times their own body length. They are great jumpers and acrobats too as they move in complete silence and can see in almost absolute darkness with the help of their huge eyes.

Run, Run, Fast as You Can

The fastest animal on earth is the cheetah, which can run at speeds over 60 miles per hour. (Photo by Jan Steiner)

Pronghorn antelope on the move along the migration route. Photo by Mark Gocke, USDA.

Fast Swimmers

The killer whale or orca is a speedy swimmer–it can swim up to 30 or 40 miles an hour. (Photo by Kat Kellner)

Kids can be Olympians right in their own backyards. Check out some fun Olympic-themed games designed to get kids outside and connecting with nature.

The author, on the trail at five. Taking kids camping is a great way to encourage them to explore the outdoors and connect with nature. (Photo: Mary Burnette)

When I was young, my parents took me and my two older sisters for three weeks of backpacking in the high country of Yosemite every summer. Yosemite was my Dad’s Mecca. My father rented two burros from the stables in Yosemite Valley to carry our gear and off we went.

I think I was about 4 when I joined this family tradition and was allowed to let the burro carry me when my legs got tired of hiking (my sisters were always jealous).

When my own children were young, every Columbus Day weekend we would head off  to Assateague Island National Seashore to join the wild ponies at a great campout on the beach. Assateague is an island on the coast of Virginia. My kids still remember the year we woke up early one morning to the sound of ponies munching away on a bag of apples I had put in the screened section of our tent. The ponies used their hooves to tear the screen so they could gain access to a tasty breakfast.

Then there is my husband’s family camping tradition, affectionately called “Mud, Blood and Beer.” I’ve now been part of this tradition for 27 years. My husband grew up on a cattle farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  There is a river that runs through the bottom land of the farm.

Every summer the family gathers for a long-weekend camping adventure on the banks of the river.  It started with my husband and his siblings over 50 years ago. Over the years wives, children and a bunch of friends and their families have joined the festivities. I think last year we counted 40 people and about 15 tents in all. Grandkids can’t be far behind. The favorite activity is riding the rapids down the river on a float when the dam up river from the campsite lets out water about every 2 hours.

Singing Around the Campfire

As I think about these camping traditions, I’m reminded that music was always an important part of the experience. My father played the harmonica and I can still hear its jaunty sound when Dad would play as we gathered to watch the sun set over the majestic Sierra Mountains. At Assateague, there always seemed to be a neighboring campfire where someone played the guitar and all were welcome to join in to sing the old children’s classic campfire songs like “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain,” “Do Your Ears Hang Low,” “Down by the Bay” and “Frogie Went A Court’n.”

Music at Mud, Blood and Beer is always a treat. My brother-in-law is a talented musician and some of the friends he brings camping are equally musically inclined. There are always several guitars, a banjo, a mandolin and a fiddle. One year Henry even brought his giant base along. The music plays on through the night, depending on how much “libation” we have all enjoyed. Sometimes I conk out earlier than the others and there is nothing better than snuggling down in a sleeping bag and dozing off to the sounds of great campfire music being played in the background.

Another group of talented musicians and story tellers was recently brought to my attention. “The Okeedokee Brothers” and their CD “Can You Canoe” would make the perfect accompaniment to any camping trip when live music isn’t an option. Songs like “Campin Tent” and “Thousand Star Hotel” capture the magic that sleeping under the stars is all about.

Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing spent summers at their neighborhood creek, building makeshift rafts, fishing for crawdads, and dreaming of great river adventures. In 2011 those dreams came true when they spent 30 days canoeing down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Louis. During their journey they camped, canoed, filmed and most importantly, composed the songs that make up their album for kids and families. They hope their project and songs will inspire kids to take an active role in their lives, get outside and make their dreams realities.

The Gift of Camping

The OkeeDokee Brothers exemplify what NWF’s Be Out There campaign is telling parents: give kids time to explore the outdoors and connect with nature to encourage creativity, and let kids play with their own imaginations and gain a respect for the natural world, all while having fun and engaging in activities that benefit their health.

Giving kids a tradition of camping is one of the best things parents can do for their children. A perfect place to start is by participating in National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout on June 23. The Campout web site is loaded with ideas and tips to make your camping experience one that your family will want to repeat year after year.

Children's books have been moving away from the outdoors for decades, but one summer reading list includes a number of books about nature (flickr | Librarian In Black)

According to a study published in the Journal of Sociological Inquiry, since 1960 the emphasis in children’s books has moved away from the natural world surrounding us, and is becoming a much smaller part of a child’s perspective.  You can read NWF’s original blog post about that finding here.

Mainstream illustrations of the natural world are less and less available to our kids. From 1938 to 2008, depictions of nature show up half as much as depictions of the manmade environment. The study concludes that “today’s generation of children are not being socialized toward an understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the place of humans within it.”

This is why I was pleased to see that the Horn Book’s 2012 Summer Reading List for Children includes a number of books that foster a connection with nature. The Horn Book which has been around since 1924 publishes a magazine that reviews “the best of the best” in children’s books. Here are some of their recommendations for summer that are sure to inspire kids to spend time outdoors.

• Coral Reefs by Jason Chin – imaginative blend of fiction and nonfiction
• The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock – Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and our National Park System  – engaging, accessible picture book version of the story
• Secrets of the Garden by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld – the food chains and food webs in our backyard
• Stars by Mary Lyn Ray – beautiful and evocative
• A Stick Is An Excellent Thing by Marilyn Singer - Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play
• Friends: Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley – for younger readers, introduces desert setting and animals
• Cork & Fuzz: The Swimming Lesson by Dori Chaconas – outdoor play with a muskrat and opossum
• Citizen Scientists: Be Part of the Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns
• Far from Shore: Chronicles of an Open Ocean Voyage by Sophie Webb
• The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall – celebration of sisters at play by the sea

All of these books are available on Amazon.com, and if you use the links above a portion of the purchase will be given to National Wildlife Federation.

After reading about the wonders of nature, kids will be inspired to check out the nature around them, in their backyard, at a park down the street, or on a family camping trip. NWF’s Be Out There program has lot of ideas for fun outdoor play. Of course reading NWF’s Ranger Rick magazine is one of the best ways to turn kids on to the wonders of nature.

Dirt can be beneficial for kids; it actually benefits the heart, skin, and immune system, and may even increase happiness (flickr | Mandajuice)

When my oldest son was 9 or 10 he went to his first sleep-away camp with the Boy Scouts. He spent weeks beforehand combing through the camp guide highlighting all the outdoor badges he wanted to earn at camp.

Being a diligent first-time mom I made sure he packed all the requisite items included on the “What to Bring” list including sleeping bag, bug spray, flash light, three or four pair of shorts, two pair of long pants, six to eight t-shirts, and of course underwear and socks for every day.

I had the normal trepidation about sending my child to camp for the first time, but I knew when he stepped off the bus a week later that I had no reason to worry. He looked filthy but was beaming from ear to ear and couldn’t wait to regale us with stories about his outdoor adventures.

A Surprise for Mom

Upon bringing our ragamuffin home, I decided I better tackle his laundry so began to unpack his duffle bag.  First item on top was a wet swimsuit, no surprise there. But under the swimsuit I discovered ALL the clothes I had so neatly packed for him, nicely folded as I had left them, clearly never having been removed from the duffle bag. It became evident to me that my son had lived all week in one pair of shorts and the one camp-provided t-shirt he still had on for the bus ride home, switching into his swimsuit for water sports. My guess is he even abandoned underwear altogether half way through the week. When I suggested a shower might be in order I got this “Mom, do I have to?” whine because somehow that week of accumulated dirt represented a world he wasn’t ready to let go of.

My take away from this experience was that when kids are having fun exploring nature, getting dirty, and learning about the natural world around them, clean clothes become irrelevant.  They become so absorbed in their world of green that many of our mom-driven priorities, like staying clean, disappear. It’s part of what makes being a kid so great. And getting dirty is a liberty we as parents should allow our children without remand.

Mom Learned Her Lesson

Needless to say, the next year when my son went to camp, his duffle bag was far lighter, having learned my lesson about what’s important when boys venture off into the great outdoors. I’m happy to say, my son , now 26, still loves being outdoors, hiking, camping, and fishing.  Playing in the dirt still gives him joy, but at least now he also welcomes a hot shower when he returns home.

Get Dirty!

Get  The Dirt on Dirt in NWF’s new report and share with us stories and photos  of your dirty kids, the best ones will win some fun prizes. The report details how getting messy outside actually benefits the heart, skin, and immune system, and how playing outside in the dirt increases happiness, reduces anxiety and enhances learning.

You can also check out NWF’s Activity Finder to sort outdoor activity ideas by your child’s age, time available, cost, and other filters to find what will most interest you and your family; check out other benefits of getting kids back outdoors; or see our quick Parents’ Guide about how to get started on getting kids outside.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Later on the ducks’ path diverted to the White House where uniformed Secret Service agents scooped up the ducklings and helped them make their way through the fence. Presumably they are now meeting with President Obama on traffic safety laws and a “complete streets” plan.

Aside from the general absurdity of this scenario, I contend that the health of the two boys, and all their playmates who will visit them in the tree house, should trump some zoning law clearly not written to include a natural play scape where kids can escape into a world all their own.

Photo Credit: Steven Depolo

This treehouse will allow the boys to avoid the hazards of today’s indoor childhood, filled almost 24/7 with TV, video games, texting, electronic devices etc that are robbing them of their connection to the natural world. Simply put, kids are out of shape, tuned out and stressed out because they’re missing something essential to their childhood, outdoor playtime.

While previous generations spent their free time as kids exploring and playing in nature, their children devote only four to seven minutes a day to unstructured outdoor play like climbing trees, skipping rocks, building forts, or just hanging out in the backyard.

The Fairfax Zoning Board, who will review this issue again on November 30, need to consider the following before casting their final vote.

•  Overweight and obese children are at risk for shortening their lifespans. Running around outdoors, and maybe using their treehouse as a hide-out, can help them maintain a healthy weight.
•  Sunshine helps kid’s bodies create vitamin D, which is essential to building strong bones, enhances eyesight, and helps kids sleep better at night
•  Outdoor play protects kids’ emotional development, letting kids be kids. They can let off steam and forget any stresses that may be going on in their lives. Research shows their stress levels fall within minutes of being outside.
•  When kids play outside, they are more likely to improve their social skills with other kids.
•  Playing outside, and pretending their treehouse is a pirate ship or medieval castle, inspires creativity and requires kids to call on their imaginations.

When we as a society place more value on zoning ordinances than the health and wellbeing of our children, we’ve lost touch with reality. I hope the Zoning Board wakes up and gets the message.

Check out NWF’s Whole Child Report to learn more about the benefits of outdoor time for kids.

If parents can’t manage a treehouse for their kids, NWF’s Be Out There campaign is full of ideas on how else to get kids outside and benefiting from a connection to the natural world.

Sign Change.org’s online petition to the Fairfax County Zoning Board, asking them to allow Mr. Grapin and his two boys keep their tree house.

Patriot, an injured bald eagle in Bend, Oregon, was undergoing physical therapy when it stopped breathing while under anesthesia. Vetrenarian, Dr. Jeff Cooney, calmly came to the rescue by administering mouth-to-beak resuscitation to the bird which quickly responded. We tip our feather to Dr. Cooney for performing a truly patriotic act.

Bald eagles are one of the most recognizable birds in the United States.  If you don’t remember what a bald eagles looks like, simply pull out a quarter or a dollar.  An eagle is shown on the back of the quarter and holding an olive branch and arrows on the one dollar bill.

Bald eagles are large, predatory raptors.  They are dark brown on the body and wings.  The head and tail are bright white. 

The feet and bill of bald eagles are yellow.  The bill is large and hooked at the tip.

Juvenile bald eagles look very different from the adults.  Young bald eagles are almost entirely brown with occasional white markings on the underside of the wings and chest.  As the juvenile gets older, the bill will turn from dark brownish-black to yellow and the head and tail turn white.

Hemp and peace silk wedding gown

OK, so I admit it. The romantic in me has unabashedly taken over and I’m caught up in the royal wedding frenzy. While it’s not known if bride-to-be Kate Middleton will be donning an eco-friendly wedding dress made of hemp, peace silk, bamboo, fair-trade cotton and natural dyes, I was glad to hear that the royal couple has adopted a number of environmentally-sound practices for their big day.  

While it’s hard to conceive of a “low-carbon” wedding for 1,500 people, they are at least making an attempt to keep things as green as possible with seasonal flowers like lilacs, tulips, bluebells,  and sweet peas, food from sustainable sources, and facilities powered in part by renewable energy. Too bad all their guests can’t travel to London in hybrid cars.

With only three days to go, a series of measures are being taken to reduce the wedding’s environmental impact at the service, lunchtime reception, and dinner at Buckingham Palace. This includes printing all documents on recycled paper and using FSC-certified wood for the media stands.

The carbon emissions from the wedding will also be offset as part of the royal household’s efforts to keep their carbon footprint down.  That’s going to be one giant offset! The guests will dine on sustainably sourced food and drink, and will be surrounded by seasonal flowers, locally grown I hope.  If salmon is served it will undoubtedly be Scottish and asparagus will come from the Vale of Evesham.

The post-ceremony ride from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham palace will be in a carbon-friendly carriage. At least the use of the Queen’s Rolls-Royce will only be used for a short distance to get the bride to the church on time.

Prince Charles has a long-time commitment to the environment, so it’s no surprise to see these measures being taken. The royals aim to minimize their carbon emissions and make any event they host as environmentally-friendly as possible. The household annually costs its emissions at market rate and contributes the money towards sustainable forestry projects in the U.K. and overseas.

No need for guests to worry about the proper gift for the happy couple, they have designated Earthwatch for charity donations in lieu of gifts. Earthwatch seeks to find social and scientific answers to environmental issues.

Sadly, the wedding guests will be breathing in polluted air as they enjoy the festivities. High levels of pollution are currently plaguing London and some say the Mayor should issue a royal wedding smog alert.

So congrats to Will and Kate for their efforts to keep the biggest wedding of the century green, even if it’s only a light shade. To be truly green they would run off to Africa and being married in a tent.

Learn how you can offset your own carbon footprint at http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/Personal-Solutions/Energy-Conservation/Renewable-Energy.aspx

My Dog Princess

Do you have a dog that sheds his winter coat leaving clumps of fur all over your house?  I have a Shepard/Akita that is shedding like crazy at this time of year. I gave her a good brushing in the yard a few days ago, and today I noticed that the piles of fur I got off her were disappearing from my yard. Wasn’t sure where they went since we haven’t had much wind lately.

I then noticed several birds scooping up the clumps fur and using it to line their spring nests in the trees in my yard.  Who knew??? What a great way to recycle dog fur.

Mystery solved!

So next time your dog needs a good brushing, do it in your backyard and help our feathered friends. Keep your house clean and bird’s nests cozy for eggs and newborn chicks, a win win for all!

Learn about other ways you can nurture the wildlife in your yard at www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife.