Get the Kids Outside: Play With Fire and Knives

Yet more reasons to get the kids outside:

• A lack of time spent playing in the great outdoors can make kids literally shortsighted. That’s according to Australian researchers who found an association between high levels of outdoor activity and low rates of myopia (shortsightedness).  (Via Treehugger and Hindustan Times)
• Also, a new British study blames over-protective Mom and Dad for the decline in outdoor play. The study found that half of all children have been stopped from climbing trees and 17 percent have been told they cannot take part in games of tag or chase. (Via Treehugger and The Guardian)

Want to help counteract these alarming trends?

• Promise to take at least two kids outside as part of The Outdoor Foundation's "I Will" campaign. Not only will the kids benefit, but creating a new generation of backcountry enthusiasts is necessary for the future of outdoor recreation and the environment.
• Parents who want creative, confident, in-control kids, also should watch Gever Tulley's short TED talk, “5 dangerous things you should let your kids do.” Tulley, co-founder of the Tinkering School (where kids get to play with power tools!), explains why children should own a pocketknife and play with fire, among other "dangerous" activities. I'm eager to read his forthcoming 50 dangerous things book.