By Kakie Fitzsimmons

When I was a kid we we spent alot of time with other kids in the neighborhood outside playing tag, kick the can, having snowball fights, etc. I recall days of laying down on the fresh lawn looking at the clouds slowly roll by and identifying what the figures looked like. We would climb trees, pick clover flowers or dandelions. Sometimes after a rain we would scour the neighborhood to catch frogs or salamanders. Unstructured play is an essential element of childhood development yet it seems as though it is happening less and less. Kids are spending a majority of their time in front of television sets, the internet or text messaging.

Is the nature of play disappearing as we know it? There is a new term referred to as “nature deficit disorder” because it is the only way professionals can describe that kids aren’t getting outside like they used to. It is a movement by medical and mental health professionals to encourage kids and parents to explore nature. When kids have unstructured play outside there are learning experiences to discover new things, make mistakes, understand the cycle of life and its role in our world.

Our children's book series, Bur Bur and Friends was created to encourage kids and families to get active outdoors and learn about sports. This powerful video speaks to the absence of children playing outdoors. I promise it is worth watching

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So as we consider idea of nature deficit disorder we ought to ask the question "What is good parenting?" Is it adhereing to schedules, sending kids to soccer, baseball, getting scholarships? Is it allowing time for unstructured play outside? Is it possible to have balance? “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” -Albert Einstein

Please share your thoughts below. What has worked well for you?

Book Covers from the award winning Bur Bur and Friend's children's book series: Bur Bur and Friends is a cast of multicultural characters who educate kids about sports, outdoor exploration and active play though their experiences. Seed Newsvine

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Community Board. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.