Kids suffer "nature-deficit disorder"

He finds that government and planned communities are complicit in this unhealthy trend. "Most housing tracts constructed in the past two to three decades are controlled by strict covenants that discourage or ban the kind of outdoor play many of us enjoyed as children." Some parents are sued when their children build tree houses, forts or playhouses without permits and some code restrictions require parents to tear down their kids creations altogether. At Oceano Dunes, Louv writes, kite flying is banned because it scares of a protected species of shorebird.

"Authoritative adults," he wrote, "from the Scripps Ranch Community Association chased kids away from a little pond near the public library, where children had fished for bluegills since Scripps Ranch had been a working cattle spread many decades earlier. In response to the tightened regulations, families erected basketball hoops. Young people moved their skateboard ramps to the foot of their driveways. But the community association reminded the residents that such activities violated the covenants they had signed when they bought their houses. Down came the ramps and poles; and indoors went the kids."

That's sad. You can e-mail him at rlouv@cts.com and his Web site is www.thefuturesedge.com.

I heard on the news this morning a family that was the scourge of the neighborhood because their children were squealing while playing in the family's swimming pool. One neighbor actually tried to take them to court but the (very wise) judge dropped the charges. Clearly, these neighbors need to be more respectful of each other all around, but gosh, this was not wild and wacky teenage boys like I've got at home most of the time, but just two little girls. Personally, I love hearing kids at play outside. We've got little children living on both sides of us and we love hearing their voices. Our friends are building their new home at Harlan Ranch right across the street from the playground, just so they have a view and an earful of all those kids playing outside. (And a very easy commute when their little granddaughter comes over to play!)

Once again, this research hands the Valley in an ideal opportunity for commerce -- we are home to some of the most exhilarating and exciting outdoor experiences in the world. Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite national parks just for starters. Not to mention the River Parkway, Millerton, Lost, Pine Flat and Bass Lakes.

First, we need to make sure we don't take it all for granted by taking our own kids to see the sights, and then we need to teach others by becoming the nation's leading authority on "green time" outdoor experiences with children. (Now, can we figure out how to set up a shuttle bus from Fresno to Yosemite, please?)

Here is a summary of the Post article by Renee Davidson of the Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families:

Concerns about long-term consequences -- affecting emotional well-being, physical health, learning abilities and environmental consciousness -- have spawned a national movement to "leave no child inside." It has been the focus of hearings, state legislation, grass-roots projects and a U.S. Forest Service initiative to get more children into the woods and a national effort to promote a daily "green hour." Today, 40 civic leaders are launching a campaign to raise $20 million to fund 20 initiatives across the country encouraging children to do what once seemed second nature: go outdoors. Advocates and researchers have documented the downturn in outdoor activity: One study found a 50% decline from 1997 to 2003 in the proportion of children 9 to 12 who spent time in outside activities. These concerns have touched a nerve -- in an era when people tell stories of backyard play sets that are barely used and children who are so accustomed to playing video games that they use their thumbs to ring doorbells or dial phones. Experts suggest a major factor in the decline of outdoor time is parental fears about leaving children unattended -- aggravated by excessive media coverage of horrific crimes.