No Child Left Inside by Francie Hill Bickelhaupt Arboretum Director "I had fun in Clinton finding deer tracks and seeing squirrels," my New Mexican grandson told his friends when he returned home. (Did you know that squirrels do not roam the southwest as they do the Midwest?) His friend proudly announced, "I did not have to go outside because I got a DVD on animals for Christmas!" This shocked me into action. As director of the Arboretum where we work with extraordinary resources - volunteers with years of experience as teachers and a fourteen-acre outdoor classroom -I decided I would work this year to try to bring more and more children outdoors. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, writes: "In 1900 approximately 40% of the population lived on a farm. By 1990, only 1.8 percent." Entertainment and recreation have shifted from the woods and the fields to television and electronic games. I was shocked to read that one child told Louv, "I like to play indoors better, 'cause that is where the electrical outlets are!" It was also a surprise to learn that Nature-Deficit Disorder (the human costs of alienation from nature) and Ecophobia (fear of the natural world) were the subjects of recent articles in Outdoor America, the magazine of Izaak Walton League of America and of talks among volunteers with connections to the Arboretum, Clinton Trees Forever, Clinton County Conservation and Clinton County Extension. Sedentary children and the increasing rate of childhood obesity have been news items recently. I polled several contacts of the Arboretum in our community and explained the No Child Left Inside idea to see if I was alone thinking there is a need to get the children outside! I learned that Clinton County Extension is a part of a Childhood Obesity Coalition. Becky Atherton, pre-school teacher, YWCA told me: "We have children in our program who rarely get the chance to experience the outdoors. Even something as simple as rolling down a hill would be good. Some children today sit in front of television and even eat meals in front of it. We welcome any help in changing this trend in children." Jeni and Tom VanBuer, who home school and dual-enroll their children, said, "NCLI sounds wonderful. Any time there is a reason for ANY child to go outside versus sitting glued to their electronics, it is a win-win situation!" We have contacted scout leaders like Don Johnson, a long-time scoutmaster, who gave me a list of the many ways that Boy Scouts may earn badges outside from Mammal Study to Plant Science. Mary Beth Kokjohn, leader of Girl Scout troop 3036, said: "We see the positive impact of learning in the out-of-doors from something as simple as planting a tree or helping younger children with nature crafts." Lynn Holland and Kristi Lueders, who seasonally walk their second grade classes from Whittier to the Arboretum agreed; "We, too, believe that most children are not getting outside enough and experiencing nature." Apryl Reeser, of Big Brother and Big Sister explained: "Our Big Brothers and Big Sisters are always asking for new and fun ways to help their Little get outside and use up some of their energy. It's definitely more challenging to accomplish this in the winter and cooler months but it is vital to a child's development. Outside play is a great way to teach an appreciation of our community and natural resources as well as help to prevent and decrease childhood obesity issues." With these thoughts in mind, six volunteers met this past week to discuss how to meet this challenge. Margo Hansen, Joyce Ollie Marion Johnson, Linda Cornelius and Susan Davis asked: "What can we do? What can we offer? What can we facilitate? How can we make a small dent in this big problem?" Now we need help from the public and community with specifics. TEACHERS: What part of your curriculum could be taught at the Arboretum using our resources of people and plants? (How about teaching measurements with answers to how deep is the mulch under that tree? How many square yards is the butterfly garden? Can we help you with the pacing calendar and outside experience?) YOUTH LEADERS: How can we help up to achieve your goals? (We have lots of open space for creative activities.) PARENTS: How may we assist you in raising children who are comfortable in and knowledgeable about nature? (While walking the grounds, one can experience the changing of the seasons, thousands of different plants and the activities of animals and birds.) Remember that the Arboretum is outside! We are open from dawn to dusk every day of the year, free of charge. The added benefit of making children aware of stewardship of this fragile earth cannot be underestimated. We, at the Arboretum, are idealistic about our goals, but we are being realistic that No Child Should be Left Inside! For more information on this project - to enroll or volunteer - call 242-4771 or visit our web site at www.bickarb.org.