With the long, warm, sunny days of summer ahead, tens of thousands of Americans nationwide will spend their days outside. However, with electronic media use at an all-time high, the 12,484 8-18 year-old kids in the Bothell and Kenmore area may be sitting on a couch with their attention on a screen. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey discovered that within this age group, children spend a daily average of seven hours and 38 minutes using electronic media; this calculates to 53 hours per week.
Should this concern us all? Absolutely. Studies have revealed that abundant media use by young adolescents contributes to obesity, underdevelopment of social skills, and unhealthy eating habits for all children. In particular, excessive screen time has also been linked to aggressive behavior, experiencing cyber-bullying, body image confusion in adolescents and to psychological difficulties like depression in younger children. Increased sedentary play has been linked to a myriad of serious health problems including a rise in ADHD, asthma, and vitamin D deficiency. In 2005, renowned author, Richard Louv, coined the term “nature deficit disorder.” His term was not meant as a medical diagnosis; rather, it is used to highlight the continued growing disconnection between children and nature. This is a strong term and one that should not be taken lightly.
What’s a solution? Get your family back outside connecting with nature. Research has proven that connecting our kids to nature provides them space to have experiences and adventures that help them build both their physical and emotional health. Outdoor activity has also shown aiding children in gaining longer attention spans, building their creative thought processes, helping them learn self-regulation, developing problem-solving strategies, and reducing stress.
There are many ways in which children can experience nature in the Northshore community. Attend the free family nature classes at Saint Edward’s Wild Wednesdays in the Park. Walk the North Creek Park Boardwalk and feed the ducks. Check out the blue heron nests behind the Kenmore Park and Ride or the arboretum next to Kenmore Elementary School. Swamp Creek Park in Kenmore offers great bridge walking and creek exploration sites; while Bothell’s Miner’s Corner Park is filled with nature trails, water exploration, and dinosaur fossil digging! Even if you can’t get out of the house, there is plenty to do at home. You could make play binoculars out of toilet paper rolls and spot different kinds of birds or count how many different shades of green you can see through the window.
Make it a point to connect yourself and your children to the plentiful sights and sounds of nature.
The behaviors of humans and how we live on our planet is directly connected to the numerous environmental problems we are facing today. If kids can begin to learn at an early age that the wonders of our natural resources and our natural environment should be cherished as well as enjoyed, we will promote physical and mental well-being in our youth and cultivate a population focused on protecting our planet.
The abundant and accessible outdoor green spaces in our area are calling. Be one of the happy and healthy families to answer.
Dana Plant is a teacher at Kenmore Elementary and an Advanced Inquiry Program Master’s Candidate at Miami University.
