It’s ironic that time outside during the school day has been reduced to allow more time for standardized test preparation when it’s that very time outdoors that could create higher test scores. Back to School: Back Outside! Kevin Coyle, National Wildlife Federation Vice President for Education and Training. There are SO MANY reasons that we need parks. But the health and future wellbeing of children is chief among them. Lately there has been a small flood of articles and stud

As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature. Last Child In the Woods Richard Louv Science is increasingly demonstrating that by not getting outdoors, kids are missing out on a key component in their development of creativity and in their emotional health. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that children as young as five experience signific

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 17% of children in the United States are obese. From 1980 to 2008 the obesity rate TRIPLED for children.[i] In Washington 26% of people are obese or overweight. In Spokane County, 27% of our friends and neighbors are obese.[ii] The Washington State Department of Health tells us that the risk of being obese increase with every single step down the economic ladder – meaning that those with the least access to preventative medical c