Concern about how much time kids spend inside and on devices is nothing new. Researchers have been studying kids’ recreation habits for decades in an effort to understand how kids use their time and current trends in recreation choices. Caregivers use this information to inform decisions on lifestyle changes. Policy makers and recreation managers use it to plan, outreach, and manage recreation areas. The monograph “Time Out” details one such study, where researchers widened the field of what constituted an outdoor activity in order to get a more accurate picture of how kids spend their time and how much of it is outdoors.
In the monograph, kids learn about the scientists’ findings, but they also learn how studies like this are conducted. Surveys of people, and children in particular, present unique challenges. Kids will learn about how the scientists designed the study to create a randomized sample of children and to mitigate possible bias. In the included activity, kids get a chance to conduct their own survey and experiment with the accuracy of results from different sample sizes.
One of the findings of the study was that kids were engaged in a wider variety of outdoor activities than had previously been recorded. Many of these activities combined technology and time outdoors, like reading an ebook or playing games on a phone outside. The researchers suggested that activities like geocaching (an outdoor, GPS-driven scavenger hunt) that combine technology and the outdoors might encourage kids to spend more time outside. In a second activity, kids get to give it a try and learn to use a compass to complete a fun scavenger hunt activity.
A Focus on Outdoor Recreation
“Time Out” is one of many products we’ve created about recreation in the outdoors. Spending more time outdoors can contribute to better physical health and mental wellbeing. Creating connections to outdoor spaces can also encourage a mindset of conservation and appreciation for nature.
Looking for inspiration for outdoor activities?
The Forest Service recently published an article on a sometimes overlooked feature of many national forests and grasslands – dispersed camping. Dispersed camping is camping outside of a designated, prepared campsite, and many public lands allow it. It’s a way to spend some time in nature off the beaten path. Like any outdoor activity, though, dispersed camping takes some preplanning. Check out their article for lots of great tips to help plan your next trip.
And safety is always key. Unfortunately, fatalities occur on public lands, though many of them can be prevented. Check out the Forest Service article on avoiding the 10 most common causes of fatalities in national forests.
