Let the children come out to play, group says
Thursday September 24th, 2009
Group helps families and kids reconnect and learn from outdoor activities
By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer
First published in print: Thursday, September 24, 2009
SARATOGA SPRINGS—Ardie Pierce wants no child to be left inside.
The 39-year-old mother of two has founded “Children and Nature Saratoga: Come Out and Play,“ the first local chapter of a national movement seeking to “reconnect” children and their families to the outdoors.
Starting today, the organization is sponsoring “Take A Child Outside Week,“ a series of outdoor activities around and near the city for parents and their kids. The new program partners with the city, Saratoga Hospital, Skidmore College, Saratoga Spa State Park and others to encourage more interaction with nature.
The week of awareness and activities comes in response to video games, parental fears and other “obstacles” that are keeping many children from discovering nature, Pierce said.
“It’s a wake up call, actually,“ said Pierce, a Saratoga Springs resident. “It is in reaction to unhealthy lifestyles.“
Kids growing up now do not have the same freedom to play outside as prior generations of Americans, in part because parents don’t feel safe in allowing them, Pierce said. Many parents are scared that their kids will be stolen or victimized. “I absolutely understand, and I deal with those pressures personally myself,“ said Pierce, who has a 13-year-old daughter, Porter, and 11-year-old son, Max. “Our organization is trying to break down those barriers of fear by featuring safe outdoor activities.“
Pierce cited other challenges: Some children don’t get as much physical education and recess time at school, or don’t know where their food comes from. Research studies show that exercise and fresh air benefit young minds.
“It takes courage to allow your kids the freedoms we had when we were younger, allow them to walk to school on their own, play freely in their neighborhood,“ Pierce said.
Some of the outdoor activities scheduled for the week in and around the city can be found at http://childrenandnaturesaratoga.org/.
Dennis Yusko can be reached at 454-5353 or by e-mail at .
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=845427&category=SARATOGA#ixzz0S3YrugSo
