DRUGS
DRUGS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. >>> NOW HERE'S BELINDA WITH
TONIGHT'S EXTRA.
TONIGHT'S EXTRA. >>> REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A
KID, AND REMEMBER HOW MUCH TIME
YOU SPENT OUTSIDE PLAYING?
NOW, ARE YOUR KIDS OUTSIDE THAT
MUCH?
MUCH?
MUCH? FOR
MUCH? FOR MOST FAMILIES, IT'S JUST NOT
THE CASE, INCLUDING MINE.
I WAS REALLY WELL AWARE OF THAT
WHEN I STARTED READING THESE
BOOKS BY RICHARD LOUVRE.
IT TURNS OUT WE ARE RAISING
INDOOR KIDS, AND UNLIKE PAST
GENERATIONS THIS LACK OF NATURE
COULD ACTUALLY BE AFFECTING THE
BIOLOGICAL MAKEUP OF OUR
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. >> HUMANS, AS KIDS WENT OUTSIDE,
AND THAT'S WHERE THEY SPENT
THEIR FIRST DEVELOPING YEARS,
HAD AN ENORMOUS IMPACT ON BRAIN
ARCHITECTURE, DEVELOPMENT,
ARCHITECTURE, DEVELOPMENT, EVERYTHING ELSE.
EVERYTHING ELSE. AND WITHIN A MATTER OF A FEW
DECADES, THAT'S DISAPPEARING.
>> Reporter: WE CAUGHT UP WITH
THE NEW YORK TIME'S BEST SELLING
AUTHOR RICHARD AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF WISCONSIN RIVER FALLS.
HE'S THE MAN WHO INTRODUCED THE
WORLD TO THE THIS.
FROM JUST A FEW TO 700 BACKING
HIS IDEA.
HIS IDEA.
HIS IDEA. >> FIRST TIME WE'RE SEEING
ACTUAL PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT
BEING IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
MAKES US MORE CREATIVE, MORE
PRODUCTIVE, THINK MORE CLEARLY.
>> Reporter: TO BREAK IT DOWN,
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THINGS LIKE
BUILDING FORTS, CLIMBING TREES,
AND SKIPPING ROCKS ARE ACTUALLY
ESSENTIAL.
ESSENTIAL. THIS UNSTRUCTURED PLAY DEVELOPS
SPECIFIC SKILLS LIKE
PROBLEM-SOLVING, CREATIVE
PROBLEM-SOLVING, CREATIVE THINKING, AND CONFLICT
RESOLUTION.
RESOLUTION. LISTEN AS RICHARD COMPARES KIDS
ON A CONCRETE PLAYSET TO THOSE
ON A NATURAL PLAYGROUND.
>> THE KIDS ON THE NATURAL PLAY
SPACE ARE FAR MORE LIKELY TO
INVENT THEIR OWN GAMES.
IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THAT IN YOUNG
KIDS, BEING YOUR OWN BOSS.
IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH
COOPERATIVE PLAY.
COOPERATIVE PLAY. IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH
CREATIVITY.
CREATIVITY. >> Reporter: WELL, AND IF THAT'S
NOT ENOUGH, STUDIES SHOW THAT
GETTING MORE OF WHAT RICHARD
CALLS VITAMIN N HELPS KIDS GET
LESS STRESSED OUT AND HELPS WITH
ADHD.
ADHD.
ADHD. >>
ADHD. >> RESEARCH WAS DONE BY THE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ON
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER.
WHAT THEY FOUND IS THAT KIDS
THAT HAVE THE SYMPTOMS OF
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER,
THOSE SYMPTOMS BEGIN TO LESSEN
JUST WITH A WALK THROUGH TREES
IN AN URBAN PARK.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT TURNS OUT THAT
IF JOHNNY OR JEANNIE ARE
BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS IT MAY
NOT BE THEM, IT MAY BE THE
WALLS.
WALLS.
WALLS. >>
WALLS. >> CHILDHOOD HAS MOVED INDOORS
OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS.
>> Reporter: THE CHILDREN AND
NATURE NETWORK WAS FOUNDED TO
WORK ON TACKLING THE ISSUE AND
IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH 18
CITIES INCLUDING THE TWIN CITIES
TO CONNECT KIDS TO NATURE.
>> WORLDWIDE CHILDREN ARE
SPENDING 50 TO 60 HOURS A WEEK
INDOOR, MUCH OF THAT TIME IN
FRONT OF A SCREEN.
WHEN YOU'RE ON TECHNOLOGY, YOU
REALLY HAVE TO CLOSE OUT THE
REST OF THE WORLD IN ORDER TO
FOCUS ON THAT SCREEN.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE OUTSIDE YOU'RE
ENGAGING ALL OF YOUR SENSES,
WHICH IS JUST SO CRITICAL.
>> Reporter: WELL, SCREEN TIME
IS A HUGE HURDLE THAT WE ALL
FIGHT AGAINST, BUT THE OTHER TWO
REASONS, OUR KIDS ARE
OVERSCHEDULED, AND SAFETY
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS.
CONCERNS. >> I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO
GO BACK TO THE DAYS WHEN WE WERE
KIDS WHERE YOU JUST RAN OUTSIDE
AND PLAYED UNTIL THE STREET
LIGHTS CAME ON.
>> Reporter: JUST CONSIDER HOW
FAR KIDS USED TO WANDER AND PLAY
AWAY FROM HOME WHEN MANY OF
TODAY'S PARENTS WERE KIDS.
>> EACH GENERATION, THE
CIRCUMSTANCE THAT KIDS COULD GO
FROM THEIR HOUSE HAS DIMINISHED
NOW TO BASICALLY THE FRONT
PORCH.
PORCH.
PORCH. IT
PORCH. IT USED TO BE 2 MILES AWAY AND
NOW IT'S TO THE FRONT PORCH.
>> BUT THERE ARE SAFE WAYS,
GREENING SCHOOL GROUNDS IS ONE
GREAT EXAMPLE.
GREAT EXAMPLE. WE KNOW THAT LESS THAN 10% OF
SCHOOL GROUNDS IN AMERICA HAVE
AN OUTDOOR SPACE THAT'S LEARNING
FOR THE EDUCATION AND HEALTHY
DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN.
THAT'S A GREAT SPACE TO CREATE
SAFE ACCESS TO NATURE.
AND EVEN IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD,
YOU CAN PLANT POLLINATORS.
YOU CAN SORT OF LOOK OUTSIDE AND
GET TO KNOW THE TREES, THE
BIRDS, THE ANIMALS, THE CRITTERS
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.
>> Reporter: AND VITAMIN N, THE
ESSENTIAL VITAMIN TO A NATURE
RICH LIFE, RICHARD LAYS OUT 500
WAYS TO BRING NATURE INTO
CHILDREN'S LIVES.
CHILDREN'S LIVES. >> THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HARD,
THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PLANTING
A WEEK-LONG TRIP TO GLACIAL
NATIONAL PARK.
NATIONAL PARK. >> DECLARE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO
SPEND AN HOUR A WEEK AT LEAST
OUTDOORS WITH YOUR FAMILY IN
NATURE, GO ON A HIKE, PUT IT ON
THE CALENDAR.
THE CALENDAR. WE PUT ORGANIZE SPORTS ON THE
CALENDAR, WE PUT ALL KINDS OF
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. DO WE PUT NATURE ON THE
CALENDAR?
CALENDAR?
CALENDAR? THAT'S A PLACE TO START.
>> FASCINATING.
>> FASCINATING. >> YOU KNOW, I WANT TO THANK ALL
THOSE KIDS.
THOSE KIDS. THOSE ARE KINDERGARTNERS FROM
JEFFERS POND.
JEFFERS POND. THIS KINDERGARTEN TEACHER TOLD
ME THEY WERE OUTSIDE FROM
MORNING UNTIL NIGHT.
SHE SAID THAT WITH KIDS NOT
BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY THINK
OUTSIDE THE BOX, IT MIGHT BE
BECAUSE WE HAVE THEM IN A BOX.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> AND, SO I KNOW THERE'S A LOT
OF DIFFERENT FACTORS IS WHY WE
HAVE OUR KIDS INSIDE MORE, THE
SCREEN TIME, THE SAFETY.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE
IMPLICATIONS ARE HIGH, BUT THE
REMEDIES ARE PRETTY DARN EASY.
WE JUST HAVE TO GET THEM OUT.
>> IT'S EASY TO REVERSE THIS
TREND.
TREND.
TREND. IT
TREND. IT TAKES PARENTS TO WANT TO BE
ABLE TO HAVE THE TIME.
THAT'S AN ISSUE, TO BE ABLE TO
GO AND TAKE THEIR KIDS OUT AND
--
--
-- >>
-- >> OR
-- >> OR LET THEM GO.
THE CIRCUMSTANCE HAS GONE FROM
2 MILES DOWN TO THE FRONT PORCH.
>> HE TALKS ABOUT ALSO THE
HELICOPTER PARENTS AND HE SAYS
YOU SHOULD TRY TO BE HUMMING
BIRD PARENTS.
BIRD PARENTS. PARENTS LET THEM FALL, LET THEM
GET MUDDY BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT
REALLY LETS THEM LEARN, THAT
STRUCTURED PLAY.
STRUCTURED PLAY. WE JUST NICKED THE SURFACE ON
THIS, AND WE HAVE A LOT MORE ON
KARE 11.COM AND ALSO ACCESS TO
ALL