The photographer's grandson decided to show his love for trees by wrapping one in a big hug while exploring the woods behind their North Carolina home. Photo by Em Sartor.

Happy Love A Tree Day!

There are a bunch of reasons to love trees: they produce oxygen, give us shade, prevent soil erosion, provide food and shelter for animals… the list goes on! If you certify your garden as a wildlife habitat in the month of May, we’ll plant a tree in your honor!

Or if you prefer to plant your own, here’s some tips on planting and caring for your tree.
 
 

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

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.

This post is by Mat Duerden, coordinator of Texas A&M University’s Sequor Youth Development Initiative (www.ydi.tamu.edu). Mat received a Ph.D. in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M and a M.S. in Youth and Family Recreation from Brigham Young University. His research focuses on youth development with specific interests in the program evaluations, outdoor recreation, and youth/adult relationships.

Most youth report having an interest in nature, but kids today spend far less time outside than previous generations (flickr | Jonf728)

My colleagues and I here at Texas A&M University, along with researchers at the University of Tennessee and the National Forest Service, have been collaborating over the last few years to develop and conduct studies to increase our understanding of that relationship.

Specifically, we are interested in more accurately assessing how much time children spend outside. This information will help guide policy and interventions to strengthen the connection between this generation of youth and nature.

In an effort to spread the word about our study efforts and the general topic of connecting youth to nature, I had a chance to sit on a panel with Brigitte Griswold from the Nature Conservancy and Richard Louv from the Children and Nature Network at the American Camp Association National Conference in Atlanta earlier this year. We talked with each other and the audience about research on the relationship between children and nature. I came away with some important insights that I wanted to share with you:

We know a lot about the benefits children experience when they spend time outside.

• There is a rich and growing body of research on children and nature. Connections have been made between children spending time outside and a variety of positive benefits, including increased physical activity, self-discipline, healthy psychological functioning, improved social skills, conservation attitudes and decreased ADHD-related symptoms .

We know enough to act.

• While we as researchers need to continue to strengthen the methodology of our research, as Rich put it during our panel, “we know enough to act.” We have enough evidence that time in nature benefits kids to support efforts to provide as many opportunities in nature as possible.

There is good news about current youth attitudes towards nature.

• A wonderful study recently completed by the Nature Conservancy (PDF) and presented by Brigitte provide some encouraging insights into the relationship between youth and nature. For example, most youth report having an interest in nature. Additionally, many youth feel optimistic about their generation’s ability to serve as positive stewards of the environment. The key appears to be providing youth with meaningful experiences in nature; those who felt they had already had them  were much more likely to identify themselves as environmentalists.

It is important that we work harder to understand what’s keeping kids from spending time in nature.

• In order to help youth spend more time outside, we need to understand the barriers keeping them inside. The Nature Conservancy’s study identified a number of such constraints. Top on the list of youth identified constraints were uncomfortable aspects of being outside (e.g., heat, bugs, etc.), lack of transportation to natural areas and lack of nearby natural areas. Additionally, kids who were overweight and obese reported spending less time outside. Across all groups, youth reported spending more time inside involved with media-related activities.

We have learned a lot over the last 20 years about why it is important for children and youth to spend time–not just outside, but in nature. We also know that today’s children and youth are spending less time outside than previous generations. While there are still many unanswered questions, we know enough to act in informed, evidenced-based ways. It is our hope that our NWF Research Consortium will assist in the answering of some these questions and help promote a renewed and strengthened connection between youth and nature.

For more information on Dr. Duerden’s research please visit ydi.tamu.edu.

Photo credit: Lester Spence_Flickr

Although I taught in a city where most kids walked from place to place, I found that many of my kids didn’t have quality time in the outdoors, let alone a place to explore and get their hands dirty.

Most of them came to school at 8am and were there until 6pm. By the time parents took them home it was time for dinner and then off to bed (in the best case scenarios).  For my students, school became the ultimate outlet for exploration in the outdoors. 

Unfortunately, our first adventure into the outdoors ended abruptly.  Instead of a grass, trees, and open space for play we found wood chips, outdated play ground equipment and drugs.

What’s worse is that this very scenario plays out across cities, small towns, and suburbs all across America.

Every child deserves a free, green space to play and discover the natural world around them.

Check out the full story below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

TAKE ACTION

Help get kids reconnected to wildlife! Urge Congress to help get America’s kids back outdoors, and on a path to a stronger appreciation for wildlife and the natural world.

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of 10 NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in California, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

The new Healthy Living pathway is designed to provide schools with tools to promote physical activity, regular time outdoors and creative play.

• Childhood obesity has tripled over the past three decades, with one in three children now considered overweight or obese.
• Children play outside less today than in any other generation in human history.
• Meanwhile, the average child spends more than seven hours in front of electronic screens daily.
• The use of antidepressant drugs for children has risen sharply, and the U.S. is the largest consumer of ADHD medications in the world.

But here’s the good news. Time spent outdoors, physically active, and engaged in unstructured play is perhaps the best possible prescription for what ails our kids. It helps children grow lean and fit, enhances imaginations and attention spans, decreases aggression and stress, improves vision, and decreases symptoms of ADHD. It also boosts classroom performance; just this week, a new study connected cardiovascular fitness with higher standardized test scores. In addition, children who spend regular time in nature become better stewards of the environment.

Schools have a critical responsibility—and opportunity—to set students on course for a lifetime of healthy lifestyle choices. Today, the Eco-Schools USA program officially launched a new Healthy Living pathway designed to provide schools with tools to promote physical activity,  regular time outdoors, and creative play.

The Healthy Living pathway is designed to empower schools to:

• Enable more students to walk or bike to school
• Use the school grounds as an outdoor classroom for hands-on, active learning
• Restore recess as a vital part of every school day
• Strive for a better balance between “screen time” and “green time”
• Make physical fitness and outdoor time a priority for students and staff alike
• Extend these values home to families and out into the community

The Healthy Living pathway works in concert with Eco-Schools USA’s related Healthy Schools pathway (launched earlier this year), which focuses on the physical environment at schools—the building and grounds. Together, the two pathways also provide support for schools addressing the “Healthy School Environments” pillar of the new federal Green Ribbon Schools award program, which calls for “high standards of nutrition, fitness, and quantity of quality outdoor time for both students and staff.”

To find out how to become an Eco-School, visit the Eco-Schools USA website. To learn more about the current state of children’s health—and how a resurgence in outdoor play can reverse the downward trends—visit the Be Out There campaign.

How did your mom give you the gift of nature?

Put a comment on this blog post, or record your own video and add it as a response on Youtube.

And if you are looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift, give a gift membership for Mother’s Day >>

Or certify your mom’s backyard as wildlife friendly >>

Here are more details about the mother-child stories featured in this video:

Dan Siemann, Washington

Dan works in the Pacific Regional Office in Seattle for the National Wildlife Federation on global warming and water issues.

“I really wanted to experience being an explorer and not being on the trail, not being bound by the trail. We were driving along and I asked my mom to stop and explore the woods. So she indulged me. She stopped and we got out of the car and we probably didn’t go more than 30 or 40 feet. I’m not sure we even got past the point where we couldn’t see the car anymore, but I remember for me it was totally exciting to be walking on the logs, and in the grass, and just going where the animals went, maybe walking in places that nobody else had ever walked. I remember just feeling like I was in the woods and free, kind of exploring things that nobody else had explored. Maybe I was the first person walking there or something like that. I just remember thinking this is the coolest thing. It made me want to go back and see it over and over again.”

“I wonder with my own son if like he said, “Dad can we stop and go walk into the woods?” If I hadn’t done that myself with my mom, I wonder if I would be as indulging or not. But it was such a cool experience for me. The ability to just walk off and go wherever and not be bound by the trail and experience the freedom of the woods.”

“She was a cool mom. And she loved travelling and she loved seeing new places. That was something that she instilled in me, is this sense of exploration and wonderment of the world, and going and experiencing things.”

Deji Akinpelu, Michigan

Deji is a member of National Wildlife Federation’s Youth Advisory Council. He is a student at Wayne State University. He attended National Wildlife Federation’s Earth Tomorrow program as a young man.

“I remember my mom used to always let me go outside and let me play in the backyard. And I think she even started, or attempted to grow a couple of crops. She grew some okra, spinach, tomatoes, also bell peppers. I just remember going outside and always having a great time, seeing so much greenery, and just exploring the outdoors, and just being at one with nature, even at a young age of seven or nine, I really had a great time doing that.”

“We had a playground. We always had time to play with the sand and look at the different invertebrates or vertebrates that were in the ground. We also made dirt pies. We saw cool creatures, what we call the roly poly. You touch it and it rolls up into a ball. Other than that, just looking at the different plants and seeing the vibrant colors. Just kind of like having that sense of security and tranquility when you are outdoors in nature.”

Beth Pratt, California

Beth is the Director of National Wildlife Federation’s California program.

“What I remember most about my mother – we lived near the woods. We were at the end of this road. I grew up in the woods. And she would just walk as much as we wanted and take us through the woods and down to the Concord River. So I think my early memories of my mother were always outdoors. I don’t remember being indoors with her as much.”

“She would go to the library and get those wildlife books for me. She would buy the wildlife encyclopedias at the supermarkets when you could still do that so I could look at them.”

“For me, mom is the encourager. She still is. My mother, on Saturday accompanied me to National Junior Ranger Day in Yosemite, where Ranger Rick was making a appearance. She stickered Ranger Rick books. She was handing them out to kids. You could tell she was just as encouraged as I was of all the little kids getting sworn in by park rangers and Ranger Rick – the new Junior Rangers. She was the one who took me to state parks and all the great wildlife areas in New England so she’s just been forever associated with being outdoors and not only being outdoors but encouraging me to be someone who works for the environment.”

Ivy Simmons, Georgia

Ivy participated in the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout in Atlanta last summer.

“I’m one of those moms who makes sure my kids get outside every day, just to get their energy out. Even before the whole nature deficit phenomenon research had been done and really been proven, I was very much aware of the benefits of being outside just to activate their mind and creativity because my mother grew up on a farm and always sent us outside. No matter rain, shine, snow – she grew up in Michigan – no matter how cold it is, you are going outside. I really think it helps them, just like I said, activate their creativity.”

“As my mother is from the country in North Carolina, you know we made everything from scratch. We were always out in the yard taking care of things. We didn’t waste things. If we cooked it, we ate it, even if we didn’t like it that much that time. And then we let go of it and we didn’t get excess. It was about not having excess and too much. Like even when the superstore started being popular, my mother is like, “But do you need all of that, and how much space does it take, and all this packaging.” As soon as recycling was available we did that.”

“It was naturally embedded in who she was because how she was raised, that really informed who we were. It’s the little things that you teach children. We don’t litter when we go out for walks. We’re going to clean up after ourselves. We’re going to make sure the fire is damped out. If you want to leave something for the birds, leave this type of thing, that’s not healthy for them. So that was really given to me young.”

Like Ivy, you can register to attend the Great American Backyard Campout on June 23, 2012!

Tim Brady, Pennsylvania

Tim is a philanthropy officer for National Wildlife Federation in Pennsylvania.

“When I was four years old, my mom got me a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. We had no money at the time. We were poor. But she got me this subscription, or at that time it was a membership in the Ranger Rick Club. I can remember every month that mail would come to my house, and it was for me, it had my name on it. I was so excited. Because we didn’t have much. The main thing I remember is the tin badge that I got from the Ranger Rick Club, and then looking at the pictures. I’m not sure if I could read yet, but just looking at these great pictures of animals.”

“So that was my first contact with National Wildlife Federation. So fast forward to about five years ago, I was working in development for a college, and the VP of development at NWF recruited me to come and work for NWF. Well, it wasn’t until I was sitting in the lobby of the headquarters here that I saw Ranger Rick magazine and connected the dots that NWF was Ranger Rick. So while I had gotten away from it for so many years, I had never forgotten Ranger Rick magazine. It had been burned into my memory as a wonderful experience as a kid to get Ranger Rick magazine.”

“My mom got divorced when I was about a year old and took me and my brother on this wild adventure across the country, kind of running from my dad. We would go to the Rocky Mountains, Utah, California, Washington, the state of Washington. Animals and wildlife were what she loved the most. She connected with animals better than she did people I feel, and sometimes I feel the same about myself. She was the one that really instilled in me the interest in animals and the love of animals. I can remember as a kid I would have fought to the death to protect an animal probably before a person because they were helpless and they needed us to help protect them. So it fits very well with Ranger Rick and with NWF, and I know if my mom were alive today, she would be so proud that I work for Ranger Rick.”

“It has been a life-changing experience to work for NWF because it got me re-introduced to the outdoors. I had gotten away from outdoor recreation in my twenties and thirties, with being busy and starting a family and everything else. Since coming to the NWF, I have picked up 10 or so new hobbies – kayaking, mountain biking, nature photography, gardening – the list goes on and on and it’s all because of the NWF that I do those things. And I just live for that these days. I’m introducing my son and my wife to them and they have become lovers of the outdoors as well because of that. And it’s all due to people that I work with here at NWF that I have been introduced to those hobbies.”

Like Tim’s mom, you can purchase a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine for your child!

Students construct a model solar-powered building (Creative Commons/NC Sun News).

On May 3, 2012, the National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) hosted the National Education Policy Institute’s event “Saving the Soul of Public Education,” which featured a session on STEM. Panelists included astronaut Leland Melvin, who is the Associate Administrator of education at NASA, Yohance Maquelba, the Executive Director of Howard University Middle School for Science and Math, Ted Brodheim, COO of ePals, and Horace Williams, Superintendent of Cedar Hill Independent School District.

From placing high-speed internet in the hands of every student to connecting classrooms with role models from NASA, Microsoft and other big names in STEM, each panelist gave specific, compelling examples of real-life efforts to get children of color from all over the country thinking about the possibilities STEM offers. Though the title of the session, “The New Three R’s,” was in reference to Science, Technology and Engineering, there was one big “R” that steered the conversation: relevancy.

Afterward, panelists took questions from the audience, and when I asked about the ability of environmental learning to demonstrate the relevancy of STEM, all agreed that it has an important role. Melvin described NASA’s initiative to connect employees to schools as STEM ambassadors, and that they are introducing classrooms to the new Earth Now  app, which monitors changing climate data via satellite. This fits well with NWF’s Eco-Schools USA NASA-funded high school curriculum on climate change as well as providing students with hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that helps connect them to both STEM disciplines and the environment.

Superintendent Williams described several green initiatives that are going on in his district that are engaging students and teachers and connecting them to the community. He stated that Cedar Hill students have community gardens on school grounds, where they are partnering with a local community college and a local 4-year university. A nutritionist from the First Lady’s Let’s Move Nutrition program is in the district teaching students the health benefits of eating from the gardens. Even a nearby tilapia farm contributes as a source of natural fertilizer for the gardens.

NABSE’s leadership is well aware of the benefits of environmental education. Before the session even got underway, I had the pleasure of speaking with NABSE’s President-elect Bernard Hamilton, who spoke enthusiastically about school environmental projects in his hometown of Louisville, KY. It’s clear that diversity in STEM is something we need now when it comes to education – for our kids, for our environment, and for our economy.

Want to learn more about bringing STEM and environmental learning into the classroom? Click here to read about Eco-Schools USA’s Climate Change Connections program and the educational resources provided by NASA.

Everyone enjoys a good book! Photo: Bryn Fluharty

Join in the Conversation

It is imperative that we combat this issue and get kids, families and individuals outside. We want to hear what you think! Join in the conversation by commenting below. The following are discussion points to help guide you through the conversation. Don’t feel held to these questions, however–share your thoughts and feelings about the book and this important issue.

• Louv talks about the dilemma of limited time that many children face today. One child talks about balancing piano lessons, homework and soccer practice which leaves them two to three hours in a weekend for free play (p118). Homework and other activities outside of school are important for children but so is unstructured play outside. Should parents reduce time on these other activities in favor of unstructured outdoor play? Organized sports get kids outside, do you think is this sufficient or do they need unstructured play as discussed by the author?
• Many environmentalists throughout history and today cite time out in nature as a major factor in leading them to be environmentalists. With today’s children spending less and less time outside many worry that the environmentalist is becoming ‘endangered’ (pp149-151). Louv argues that, ‘If children do not attach to the land, they will not reap the psychological and spiritual benefits they can glean from nature, nor will they feel a long term commitment to the environment, to the place’ (p157). Do you think that people will still fight for the environment and be stewards of the planet if they do not have the experiences of getting out into nature? How have your own experiences in nature impacted the way that you view the environment?
• Part V of the book discusses the importance of environmental education in the schools. Organizations like the National Wildlife Federation work to educate and inspire school children on environmental issues through programs such as EcoSchools USA. These programs fill gaps in established curriculum in schools where children can learn about environmental issues that face their community and the planet. Did you experience environmental education when you were young? If so how did this impact your connection to and understanding of nature?

The separation of children and nature is one that the National Wildlife Federation takes seriously. We are working hard to get kids, families and individuals outside through programs such as the upcoming Great American Backyard Campout. Another program, EcoSchools USA helps get environmental education into schools throughout the US.

May’s Book

The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli

Food for Thought

• Do you hunt or fish? How have these experiences impacted how you connect with nature and wildlife?
• From backyard vegetable gardens to hunting and angling our food can offer unique and powerful experiences in nature. How does the food that you eat connect you to the planet?

Click here to view the embedded video.

They have experienced the work that goes into sustainability first-hand, and they’ve seen some of the results up close. That’s because earlier this spring, the Victorious! stars appeared at Thomas Starr King Middle School, an environmental studies magnet school in Los Angeles, for a unique service event that included a demonstration of practical environmental education by way of hands-on science, math and art lessons in the school’s garden. Eco-Schools USA and Nickelodeon’s The Big Help chose the school as a great example of conserving and teaching about the environment.

As part of the event, the cast helped sixth graders paint, plant, weed and mulch in the organic garden, transforming the urban school grounds into an outdoor classroom where students can hone their science know-how in a green ‘living laboratory.’ You can see photos of the stars helping out here.

Leon Thomas III:

“It was really fun helping out. I was impressed by all of the kids, their dedication and enthusiasm […] the best part of the day is knowing that the garden and the efforts to green the school are ongoing.”

Thomas Starr King has also been featured as an Eco-Schools USA case study. This spring, its students will be tackling three of the Eco-Schools pathways: School Grounds, Green Hour and Consumption and Waste. In the future the school will be expanding its garden thanks to a donation from NWF.

Kim Jones, a teacher at the school and leader of its Eco-Action Team:

“We want to guide our students to be environmental activists starting with our school site […] we want them to understand, and promote awareness, of how one person’s actions can make a difference in protecting the planet”.

If you’d like to learn more, you can check out the Thomas Starr King Middle School Eco-Schools USA case study and see all the registered Eco-Schools (including 81 in California alone).

Considering just how diverse the U.S. is – and is becoming – we are talking about a LOT of children who are missing out on the benefits of environmental education–and especially the abundant applications to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in environmental science and outdoor learning.

Latinos, the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S., are also among the most underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Meanwhile, Latino children, especially ones in urban and low-income neighborhoods, largely miss out on environmental education and  outdoor experiences. This was a topic of discussion at “Overcoming Environmental Injustice: Getting Latino Kids Outdoors,” a Graduate Summit hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) on April 16th. Melissa Ocana, a CHCI Graduate Fellow, discussed her research and moderated a four-person panel on STEM, Latinos and environmental justice. Panelists included NWF’s Laura Hickey, Senior Director of Eco-Schools USA, and Jackie Ostfeld of the Sierra Club, who chairs of the Outdoors Alliance for Kids(of which NWF is a founding member).

NWF's Laura Hickey speaks at the CHCI STEM Summit

I point out the economy because STEM is an increasingly important, yet decreasingly popular route of study for American students. In other words,  demand for careers in STEM is growing while we are failing to supply enough young STEM-trained individuals to fill these jobs. Engaging more students in environmental learning would increase their ability to make connections between STEM and real-world opportunities.

We may be able to debate the ideal amount of time kids ought to be spending outdoors (which is, in my opinion, a LOT more than is typical today), but we cannot turn our backs on the devastating results of the unhealthy, indoor childhood. Getting kids from all backgrounds outdoors, learning the science of the environment, is key to their health, career prospects, and much more.