Greeting’s from the Nature Zone!

I remember a time… as a nine year old, spending countless hours playing outside. Nearby was a small creek full of frogs to catch, an open field in which to run and pay tag and a tree house built by neighborhood boys where my brother and I and all our friends slept out on summer nights. We often played baseball the entire day long! Sometimes it took the familiar call of a parent (or our own growling stomachs) to summon us home for dinner. We were told to head for home when the street lights came on. And there was that snow fort we built each winter. We had grand times and always looked forward to the next opportunity to “be outside.” I remember a time… when I took walks in the woods with my father and listened to the sounds of birds and watched the movements of trees in the wind. He taught me the joy of being outside, which gave me the confidence to strike out on my own and spend “memory making time” exploring. These experiences shaped my life, even though, at the time they were happening, I didn’t have a clue they would. At present… our children spend very little time outside. According to Richard Louv in his book “Last Child in the Woods,” kids spend less than 30 minutes per week in outdoor unstructured play time. There are many reasons for this low level of outdoor activity, not the least of which is concern for the safety of our children in unsupervised play. We at the Metroparks would like to encourage parents, educators, guardians, grandparents and mentors to help get the kids out and let them experience the natural world. Explore the Metroparks website for ideas to get you started. Call the interpretive center at your neighborhood Metropark to learn about the family programs being offered. Explore a nature trail. Grab a frisbee and pack a picnic lunch. You might even remember a time… and make a lasting memory for the kids.
Michael George
Chief of Interpretive Services