Getting Today's Hi-Tech Kids Outside  
By Natalie Bartley    

Kids these days are captivated with their electronic toys.  They are busy text messaging on their cellphones, tuning into the headphones of their iPods, and sitting at their computers playing games or networking on YouTube.  It may be a relief to some parents, these electronic distractors.  Yet it is distancing our youth from the joys and lessons of the natural world. Plus the low level of physical activity that comes with using most of these modern toys is contributing to childhood obesity.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, describes the impact the lack of connection with the natural world has on the development of our youth and on society.  The book is recommended for parents, youth workers, nature lovers, and community leaders.

But all is not lost. Parents can help children absorb nature at its best through simple actions. A gentle nudge or an enthusiastic invitation from a parent can serve to get Idaho youth out and about in our state's intriguing natural environments.

Numerous informal opportunities, ongoing programs, and special events abound at every turn.  Plan to hook up with nature-based experiences this spring and summer.

Start by placing a bird feeder or bird bath in your backyard.  It is an easy way to engage children and adults in observing nature right in their own yard. Plus there are tie-ins with technology. 

You can find bird supplies at home improvement stores and pet shops.  Get the kids involved by identifying the various birds that visit during the four seasons. Children can research bird identification techniques and bird calls on the internet and report their sightings electronically to websites such as the eBirds online program, established in 2002 by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  About 50,000 checklists are posted each month by people reporting their sightings to eBird. Recording bird sightings contribute to scientists' knowledge of the birds' health and the environment.   

Or consider joining the free Feeder Watch project through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Have the family count the birds they see at the feeder each week and send the information to the Lab.  Contribute $15, and the Lab will send you supplemental materials including the Feeder Watcher's Handbook, an identification poster of feeder birds common to your area, instructions, and the annual Feeder Watch report. The 21st season of Project Feeder Watch runs from early November to early April. 

Nature-based service projects, such as the upcoming Snake River Cleanup on April 12, offer ways for families to give back to the natural world.  Volunteers and agency representatives meet near the Snake River in Nampa and pick up trash in public areas from Walters Ferry Bridge at Route 45 to the Marsing Bridge at Route 55.  Walking among plants, feeling the breeze by the river, catching glimpses of fish jumping, and hearing animals scurrying in the underbrush brings participants close to nature as they nurture the river banks by removing trash.

Additional service projects occur during the Annual Arbor Day events, coming up on April 25.  Celebrate the day with the family by planting a tree.  Pick up a free blue spruce seedling at any FedEx Kinkos in Idaho, compliments of the Idaho Forest Projects Commission.  Or join the City of Boise Community Forestry office for a tree planting workshop on Thursday, April 24 from 6pm to 7pm.  Follow up by helping at the annual Boise volunteer tree planting event, Releaf Boise, on Saturday morning, April 26.

Come summer, camp opportunities abound.  Kids typically enjoy spending time with other kids their age and skill level.  This year, instead of music camp, computer camp, or sports camp, send the children to a nature-based activity camp.  For example, the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council run three resident camps with one-week and two-week camp sessions that build positive experiences with nature and develop new friendships.  Girl Scout membership is not necessary.

Or how about an outdoor skill-focused camp such as the one sponsored by Boise State University and the Alzar School?  Called Whitewater Immersion and Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.), youth ages 14-18 will learn kayaking, rafting, and leadership skills on the Boise, Payette, and Salmon rivers, in addition to doing service projects. The program runs June 15-July 3.

See the Treasure Valley Family Magazine Annual Summer Camp & Activity Guide in this issue (page 27) for a comprehensive list of camps for all ages and interests.

Getting kids out in nature doesn't have to be elaborate, time-consuming, or expensive.  Sometimes the simple things in life are the most memorable.  Toss a ball in the park, gaze at the night sky, take a sunset hike, or eat lunch on a blanket in the backyard.

OUTDOOR FUN RESOURCES
Bird Sightings Projects
Free year-round online checklist program
eBird, ebird.org

Feeder Watchers
(800) 843-2473
birds.cornell.edu

The 2008 Snake River Cleanup on April 12
Idaho Department of Fish and Game 465-8465 (Dennis Hardy) or Canyon County Parks, Recreation,and Waterways 467-3989 (Joe Bell)

Annual Arbor Day Events
Free Blue Spruce Seedling
Idaho Forest Projects Commission
334-3292
idahoforests.org

Releaf Boise
City of Boise Community Forestry Office
384-4083
cityofboise.org

Whitewater Immersion and Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.)
Alzar School
(208) 860-4494
alzarschool.com  or

BSU Adventure Camps
426-5667
rec.boisestate.edu/camps/adventure

Natalie Bartley is a Boise-based writer and nature lover.