A place for those in Columbus and Central Ohio interested in the Leave No Child Inside movement inspired by Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods.
http://streaming.osu.edu/wosu/allsides/070110bOL.mp3
Click above to listen. You can also download the mp3 for yourself.
WOSU was nice enough to put links on their site to our Collaborative, to the Children and Nature Network, and to Jenny Morgan’s music.
Setting up camp
This weekend, hundreds of groups across the country will pitch tents, make s’mores and get away from gadgets for one night
Thursday, June 24, 2010 02:53 AM
By Jim Weiker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Sydney Tyler plays on a tree swing after putting up a tent in her grandparents’ backyard with her mother, Marla.
Will Figg | DISPATCH
Sydney Tyler plays on a tree swing after putting up a tent in her grandparents’ backyard with her mother, Marla.
Sydney Tyler and her mother practice for the Great American Backyard Campout, scheduled for Saturday nationwide.
Will Figg | DISPATCH
Sydney Tyler and her mother practice for the Great American Backyard Campout, scheduled for Saturday nationwide.
The Great American Backyard Campout, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, will take place Saturday. For more information or to register, visit “Get Outside” at www.nwf.org.
Connie Stover’s children love to camp out: sleeping outdoors, gathering around the fire and telling stories in the tent.Beyond all the nature stuff, though, camping holds a few added attractions.
“I really like staying up late,” said 9-year-old Emily. “And I love to cook s’mores.”
Whatever the lure, Mom welcomes it.
Stover vividly remembers camping as a child, and she wants her five children to have similar experiences.
“It’s inexpensive, it’s outdoors, it’s nature, it’s family time together, and it’s good memories,” said the 41-year-old Grove City resident.
The National Wildlife Federation wants others to understand firsthand what Stover enjoys several times a year: On Saturday, the nonprofit conservation group will sponsor the sixth annual Great American Backyard Campout, designed to draw Americans out of the house and into nature, even if nature consists of a manicured lawn next to a patio.
“This is all part of our campaign called ‘Be Out There’ - to make sure kids get outdoor time,” said Karoline Hurd, a senior events manager with the federation.
Last year, Hurd said, the event attracted about 90,000 participants nationwide.
This year, organizers asked participating groups - instead of individuals - to register with the federation, making it difficult to gauge whether the event has grown. As of Monday, about 500 teams had signed up, Hurd said, with 21 from Ohio including groups from Columbus, Bexley and Gahanna.
Camping can be especially valuable today as an antidote to the myriad electronic distractions facing young people, said Jonathan Bonness, director of camping with the Simon Kenton Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
“It’s a good alternative - to force youth to be outdoors where they can learn about daddy longlegs and bugs and weather, to experience a
rainstorm outside and to play in the mud and go creeking,” Bonness said.
Children might complain about forgoing PlayStations, iPods or laptops when they leave the house, he said, but they forget about such things when they arrive at a campsite.
“Most of them, they’re not bored, and they don’t miss their electronic gadgets.”
Stover bans such toys during her family’s camping trips.
“I don’t let them take any of that electronic stuff with them when we go,” she said. “We’re not going to be bug-eyed with games. That’s not why we’re there. We’re there to make friends, build a fire, enjoy the great outdoors.
“Sometimes they grumble about that, but, once they get there, they have a great time.”
The Stover children don’t disagree.
“Sometimes I go camping, and it would be nice to have my iPod,” said Nathan, 15. “But when you start thinking about it, it’s nice to go somewhere and not see kids texting all the time.”
At 7, Sydney Tyler isn’t fix-ated on iPods or video games, but her mother still considers camping a way to remind her daughter about the world beyond electronics.
“We live in a community that’s pretty well-off, and the kids have a lot of the fancy stuff,” said Marla Tyler of Bexley.
“To take off for a night of camping is just a good opportunity to get back to nature.”
Tyler enlisted two other families to visit Lake Hope State Park near Athens for the Great American Backyard Campout, which she saw promoted on the American Girl doll website.
“My daughter and I camp out in the backyard sometimes, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to get out to the park and do it,” said Tyler, who enjoyed camping when she was young.
Rachell and Cliff Bernhardt used to camp a lot before their daughter, Stella, was born more than two years ago.
Now eager to resume camping, the Northwest Side couple figured that the national campout would be an ideal opportunity to see whether their toddler is ready.
The Bernhardts plan to make a family event out of the night, with three nieces and a nephew in two tents in their backyard.
“We hope to start camping again,” Mrs. Bernhardt said. “Even if you don’t go far, it’s different from being home.”
Despite the many distractions, Bonness said, youngsters aren’t necessarily the ones who resist the outdoors.
“It can be pouring down rain, and the kids love it,” he said. “The parents will be the ones complaining.”
jweiker@dispatch.com
Ohio improves on national obesity ranking
Trust for America’s Health report moves Ohio from 10th to 13th most obese state
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 10:00 AM
By Misti Crane
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The scale has budged.
This morning, the Trust for America’s Health is issuing its annual report on the state of obesity throughout the country, which includes a ranking of the states.
Ohio, which was ranked 10th last year, has moved to 13th most-obese state this year. Almost one in three adults is obese, and the statistics are worse for blacks and Latinos. Almost half of black Ohio adults are obese and 32 percent of Latinos are obese. The rate is about 28 percent among whites.
More than two-thirds of the states have an adult obesity rate above 25 percent, according to the report, which was produced in cooperation with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Mississippi was ranked the most obese state, at almost 34 percent and Colorado was ranked the slimmest state, with a 19 percent obesity rate.
Obesity is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a body mass index of 30 and above. Someone who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall is considered overweight at 169 pounds or more, and obese at 203 pounds or more.
To see the report, go to www.healthyamericans.org or www.rwjf.org.
Please keep checking your email for news from The Leave No Child INSIDE Central Ohio Collaborative.
We will be releasing a report soon with detailed documentation from our April 9 meeting, as well as the amazing progress locally and around the state that has happened since then.
We have some pretty exciting things in the works to raise the visibility of our movement and educate more families about the importance of playing outside in nature!
Hi everyone!
Now that summer has officially arrived I hope that you are all making time to get out and play! Speaking of play, the US Play Coalition is honored to be one of the partners of Play On! 2010 and I wanted to be sure you know about this exciting conference. Jill Vialet and the people at Playworks describe this conference as “a hands-on, interactive conference brimming with useful information. It is designed for parents, teachers, coaches, youth workers, community advocates and everyone else who understands the value of play and wants better tools, techniques and strategies to make it part of their community.” Play On! is scheduled for October 12-13, 2010 and will be held at Columbia University in New York City. It will be my pleasure to present on behalf of the US Play Coalition along with Joel Agate, who will be, at that point, a member of the coalition steering committee and Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University. Our session will focus on the value of play and the importance of nature and I will facilitate a panel discussion consisting of play experts. Below is the registration information that Playworks recently released. You can also find more information about Play On! at www.playworks.com/play-on-2010. I hope that many of you can make it to the conference and I look forward to seeing you there.
Thanks,
Fran
Healthy Yards, Healthy Streams
Backyard Conservation Series
Join Sierra Club, FLOW, and Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District for a
six week course to learn how to protect our streams by making your own yard
healthier, more beautiful, and safer for your family. The six topics will include; an
introduction to watersheds, creating backyard habitats with native plants, organic
gardening and lawn care, rain barrels, rain gardens and composting.
July 15th through August 19th
Thursdays 6:30-8:30 pm
New topic each week
Cost: $30 for entire Course
Location: Backyards through
out Columbus
At each workshop, prizes will be raffled away that are tied to the day’s activities
and at the end of the series a final gift will be awarded to anyone who attends at
least five of the events. Snacks and light refreshments will be provided at each
workshop. Workshops will be held light rain or shine, and August 26th will be our
rain date if any cancellations are required.
For full details and registration information, please contact Kelsey Bridges at
kbridges@olentangywatershed.org
Newest Metro park taking shape with expanded acreage
By MICHAEL HAYES
Published: Tuesday, June 8, 2010 6:12 PM EDT
Central Ohio’s newest Metro Park, to be located between Canal Winchester and Groveport, will offer over six miles of biking and hiking trails, fishing, a shelter house and observation decks for bird watchers. The park, to be called Walnut Woods, does not have a concrete opening date yet, but efforts are ongoing to get it ready for public use. “We’re looking right now the likely date will be late 2010 or early spring 2011,” said Peg Hanley of Metro Parks. The parcel of land is located between Lithopolis and Richardson Roads and is on the site of the former Eastside Nursery. The current size is 620 acres, but Hanley anticipates Metro Parks will acquire additional land off Richardson Road to expand the acreage. “Right now we’ve got 620 acres, Hanley said. “We hope to acquire 240 more acres this year,” she said. The additional land will be purchased from the City of Columbus, Handley said. Currently designated the “City of Columbus-Richardson Road Parkland,” that piece is a 240-acre rectangular parcel located on the west side of Richardson Road. Hanley said Metro Parks has spent $4.5 million thus far in purchasing acreage for Walnut Woods and the board will meet either this month or next month to discuss the newest purchase. Hanley said it remains to be determined as to whether the main access to the park will be from Richardson or Lithopolis roads. “Our park planners haven’t completed the design plan yet,” she said. The six miles of bike trails in Walnut Woods will eventually connect to trails in Canal Winchester and Groveport and also to the existing Greenways trail system… http://www.snponline.com/articles/2010/06/14/the_times/news/cwmetropar_20100607_1239pm_4.txt
Paths less-traveled
Metro Parks may let visitors go off trail
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 02:52 AM
By Mark Ferenchik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
When you visit Franklin County Metro Parks this summer, you might be able to leave the trails in certain areas without getting into trouble with a ranger. Parks officials have been tinkering with the district’s rules over the past month to allow visitors to explore areas of the parks that normally would be off limits. The thought is that opening up more park space to visitors will allow them to be “more fully immersed in nature,” parks spokeswoman Peg Hanley said. Board member Robert H. Jeffrey brought it up at last month’s board meeting, and Executive Director John O’Meara worked on the new rules. The board will take up the proposed rule changes during its monthly meeting on Wednesday… http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/06/08/opening-paths-less-traveled.html
The Leave No Child INSIDE collaboratives of Ohio are planning a high-profile event that will take place across Ohio, thanks to technology. The main event and press conference will be held in Columbus, and satellite events will take place across the state, all connected via video and audio conferencing.
Please make plans to attend an event near you:
Sept. 24 (Fri)
10 a.m.
More details to follow as they become available.
This will be the kickoff of a campaign to educate Ohioans about the importance of daily nature play for their children!
Childhood obesity: battling the bulge
BY JESSICA ALAIMO • CentralOhio.com • June 7, 2010
LANCASTER — Sure, he feels healthier, can focus better when he first sits down in class and can run a mile in less than seven minutes. That’s not why third-grader Cameron Collins has walked 120-plus miles before school this year. It’s the prizes. Simple, cheap prizes. There’s not a lot of extra money in the school budget, but this program found an unlikely backer: Buffalo Wild Wings. The crowning achievement in the Feelin’ Good Mileage Club at West Elementary in Lancaster is one Collins has long surpassed. On Friday, 111 students who topped 26.2 miles got to throw a pie in the faces of the gym teacher and principal. Like West Elementary, many schools have independently found ways to tackle childhood obesity. In Fairfield County, 15 percent of third-graders were obese, and 31 percent were overweight or obese in 2005, the most recent data available, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Ohio is one of 16 states that did not enact statewide legislation to combat childhood obesity in 2009. This changed Thursday, when the Ohio General Assembly passed the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Act. A spokeswoman for Gov. Ted Strickland said the bill will be signed when it reaches his desk. The bill passed is a significantly watered-down version of what was proposed… http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20100607/NEWS01/6060306/1002/Childhood-obesity–battling-the-bulge
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Buy Jenny Morgan's new CD, "Nature Needs Kids and Kids Need Nature" now! Go to NatureNeedsKids.com for digital downloads, purchase, lyrics and more!
