Help get America’s kids off the couch and into our country’s national parks! Open OutDoors for Kids puts nature at the fingertips of today’s youth through in-person and in-classroom experiences. Just $10 opens 1 door of opportunity for a kid. When you open up OutDoors for kids, you help them find a career path, discover their heritage, or experience the joy of movement and exploration.
Open OutDoors for Kids is an initiative from the National Park Foundation to connect more kids to their national parks through fun and engaging activities. Children today are more disconnected from their natural and cultural heritage than ever before. Open OutDoors for Kids is changing that—building on a child’s innate wonder and curiosity about the natural world.
(National Park Foundation photo)
National parks are gateways to self-discovery and learning and Open OutDoors for Kids is making sure all kids from across the country get the chance to experience them.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Research demonstrates that kids who spend time outdoors are healthier and do better in school. Kids who have opportunities for hands-on learning outdoors also demonstrate more interest in and are more proficient in science. Similarly, a young person’s understanding of history improves after visiting sites of cultural significance.
Yet with cutbacks in school funding for field trips and other barriers to access, kids today have fewer opportunities for experiential learning. At the same time, we are witnessing an epidemic of inactivity among children as they spend more time engaged in “screen time” as opposed to “green time,” resulting in rising rates of obesity and other issues. Most at risk are children from underserved, urban communities.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
