Would a visit to a national park get your kids fired up?
An article this week in USA Today says public land managers are trying to figure out ways to make parks and wilderness areas more attractive to younger visitors. But is the appeal of digital media continuing to cause young people to tune out of outdoor-based adventures?
It's a long-running discussion, one popularized by author Richard Louv and his best-seller Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. One recent study pointed out that the generation known as Millennials has a low interest in environmental issues. But then you hear stories such as a high-school senior in Richmond, Va., has created her own nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting outdoor recreation for youth.
If you have kids, what do you perceive as their attitude about the outdoors? Is it easy for you to coax them into taking part in outdoor activities? The REI Expert Advice article Kids and Hiking offers some parent-tested ideas for making the outdoors more appealing to youth. What are some techniques you've found that raise their enthusiasm for time spent outdoors?
Ratings and Comments
As a bike travel blogger, I don't think nature and digital media have to be an either/or proposition. Kids and young people are more media savvy, why not COMBINE it with the outdoors. Encourage kids to film, photograph,write and blog about their adventure - a sort of WhatIDidOnMySummerVacation 2.0. Why don't the parks have Flickr or Vimeo groups that host contests and encourage interactivity those sites are free. How about some videos put on by park rangers about tying knots, starting a campfire, etc.,?
Russ
www.pathlesspedaled.com
I agree wholeheartedly with pathlesspedaled. Electronic gadgets can be a great tool in recording a trip or an outdoor adventure. Especially with shows like Man vs Wild going outdoors has become very appealing especially to teenager boys and YouTube where they can now share their adventure. There was a YouTube video I saw where a young African American girl did a solo hike in the Grand Canyon. I'm so glad she did this because that restores some hope in this generation
I agree wholeheartedly with pathlesspedaled. Electronic gadgets can be a great tool in recording a trip or an outdoor adventure. Especially with shows like Man vs Wild going outdoors has become very appealing especially to teenager boys and YouTube where they can now share their adventure. There was a YouTube video I saw where a young African American girl did a solo hike in the Grand Canyon. I'm so glad she did this because that restores some hope in this generation
As a bike travel blogger, I don't think nature and digital media have to be an either/or proposition. Kids and young people are more media savvy, why not COMBINE it with the outdoors. Encourage kids to film, photograph,write and blog about their adventure - a sort of WhatIDidOnMySummerVacation 2.0. Why don't the parks have Flickr or Vimeo groups that host contests and encourage interactivity those sites are free. How about some videos put on by park rangers about tying knots, starting a campfire, etc.,?
Russ
www.pathlesspedaled.com
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