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Press Release June 1, 2010 Washington, DC—As First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the Let’s Move OUTSIDE initiative today in Las Vegas, expanding her campaign to solve childhood obesity, a broad coalition representing the business and non-profit communities announced a national strategic partnership called the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK). OAK brings together the YMCA of the USA, [...]

The Healthy Choices Act, a bipartisan effort to tackle the country's obesity crisis, was recently introduced in Congress. The proposal includes provisions for improving access to and opportunity for physical activity for adults and children, and providing more opportunities for them to participate in outdoor physical activities.

A report on the efforts of several Malaysian families to reconnect their children with nature has appeared in the Star, one of Malaysia's largest English-language newspapers. The article acknowledges the international impact of Last Child in the Woods, and cites a 2004 study that found that 19 percent of Malaysian teenagers were overweight.

A local initiative in Michigan to get children out in nature is going so well that it could be a model for communities across the country. That was the assessment of the Children & Nature Network's Cheryl Charles on a recent visit to Kalamazoo, where representatives of the Kalamazoo Nature Center are working closely with community leaders to develop a strategic action plan to improve the connections of people with nature and to positively affect the health of children.

Updated June 1: As First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the Let’s Move Outside initiative, expanding her campaign to solve childhood obesity, a broad coalition representing the business and non-profit communities announced a national strategic partnership called the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK). OAK brings together the YMCA of the USA, REI, Sierra Club, National Wildlife [...]

A new survey of young people from around the world has found that a much greater percentage of them would rather watch TV or play computer games than save the environment. On a positive note, the results also show that children still enjoy spending time outdoors, with almost a third saying it's their favorite pastime.

Even parents who appreciate the importance of outdoor time for their children find it difficult to prioritize such time. Reporter Melissa Rayworth of the Associated Press offers a number of solutions from overcoming the most common obstacles parents face in finding sufficient outdoor time for their kids.

Many people believe that technology is the antithesis of nature. Here’s an alternate view. A fishing rod is technology. So is that fancy backpack. Or a compass. Or a tent. When boomers my age ran through the woods with play guns (as distasteful as that might be to some people), they were using technology as [...]

An important new paper has just been released that further links children’s time in nature to their overall health. The paper, Using Nature and Outdoor Activity to Improve Children’s Health, was written by Leyla E. McCurdy, MPhil, Kate E. Winterbottom, MPH, Suril S. Mehta, MPH, and James R. Roberts, MD, MPH, and published in the [...]

A growing body of research is showing that Australian children, like their counterparts in the U.S., are suffering as a result of their disconnect from nature. One study of Melbourne children, for example, found that classroom attention scores improve as the amount of schoolyard vegetation increases.

There's a neighborhood in Berlin where children age six through sixteen build their own playground structures, including towers that rise three stories high. Even more impressive: parents technically aren’t allowed in the building area, and staff members only check on the kids intermittently.

Getting children outside ranks high on the list of green parenting tips put forth in a recent commentary by Brita Belli, the editor of E magazine. "Whether hiking and camping as a family, or simply running around the backyard, regular outdoor activity can have huge positive health benefits," writes Belli.

Australians relish their reputation as lovers of the great outdoors, but many of them now, particularly Australian children, are spending more and more time indoors. To remedy the situation, some schools are implementing outdoor education programs.

There is a wealth of research to bolster the need for children to spend time in nature. Now visitors to the C&NN web site can access a round-up of selected research and studies that focus on nature in education and educational settings. These studies, along with others, were originally published by C&NN in four volumes, [...]