Campaign wants something besides PS2s, DVRs and iPods to grab kids' attention

A rash of acronyms lure today's kids inside.

PS2s. DVRs. iPODs.

Technology and all its trappings have revolutionized the indoor experience, opening a world of information and amusements to children with a few clicks of a mouse.

Escaping outside to nature's classroom consequently, risks becoming an endangered hobby, experts caution. Yet a new nationwide coalition aims to reacquaint children with nature.

Three dozen environmentalists, educators and elected officials launched a $20 million campaign last month to get kids outside, whether for a prairie walk, bird watching or the mother of outdoor pursuits, camping.

The National Wildlife Federation touts a daily "green hour." The campaign hopes to counter TV and computer time by giving children at least 60 minutes of free-wheeling, frolic-in-the-grass time. It can be in a garden, a back yard or a park down the street.

Such initiatives -- cleverly named and well funded -- aim to revive the cultural custom of getting outdoors.

"This is about nurturing the next generation to take care of where we live," said Michelle Uting of the Chicago Wilderness Consortium. "If we don't get our kids engaged now and excited about nature, then we can do all the conservation work we want. ... In 20 or 30 years, it will be for nothing."

Suburban conservationists echo the call to action.

Through the consortium, more than 200 organizations from Cary's Trout Valley Homeowner's Association to the College of DuPage signed on to a three-year plan with a strikingly simple goal: get more kids playing outside.

In wandering along wooded paths, chasing butterflies or peeking under fern leafs, experts said, children discover nature and give free rein to their creativity in the process.

"It's a little like 'choose your own adventure,' " said Dave Guritz of the DuPage County Forest Preserve, which this summer launched a series of family expeditions in its 24,000 acres.

"If you structure time outdoors, it's not as impactful as providing opportunities for kids just to go explore," Guritz added. "It fosters that personal connection [with nature], which is what's missing from kids today."

The effort comes as child health concerns about obesity, diabetes and attention disorders steadily mount.

A University of Maryland study found children's free playtime dropped an average nine hours a week from 1981 to 2003.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers determined exposure to nature can help mitigate the symptoms of attention-deficit disorder, or ADD, in kids as young as 5 years old.

Other studies show experiences in nature cultivate self-confidence and a healthy body image among children.

Yet the meteoric rise of computer games, music, television and video games competes for kids' attention. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found young children spend an average 1.5 hours a day with technology's toys. Among 8- to 18 year-olds, the daily time investment climbs to 6.5 hours.

Drawing on such research, Richard Louv in 2005 coined the term "nature deficit disorder." His writing called attention to a long-standing concern. What three decades ago alerted conservationists to a divide between children and nature since has become a widely lamented problem.

"The meaningful relationship between children and nature is endangered," Louv said.

Deb Perryman sees the threat reflected every day.

The Elgin High School environmental science teacher routinely challenges her students to learn outdoors. By interacting with nature, she said, they grasp the importance of clean air and unpolluted water with an urgency not felt in classroom textbooks.

"If we work harder to get kids outside, they are just more likely to care about it and be interested in it," said Perryman, the 2004 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

A reunion will not happen accidentally.

"I tell my kids all the time to get their face out from that computer," said St. Charles mother Mary Jo Peters, who often gardens alongside her kids. "We're an active family, but I've got to turn it off. I just tell them, 'Go ride your bikes.'"

Forest preserves across the suburbs offer summer camps and nature expeditions to open a door. In Lake County, for instance, families can pick up explorer packs that show just how pervasive nature's lessons are.

"You can step outside, look down and see three different types of insects," said Allison Lehnen of the Lake County Forest Preserve.

Teachers and parents -- legitimately concerned about children's safety -- also must play a role. That means they may end up walking along prairie paths, too.

"I have to force myself sometimes. I'll just say, 'OK, we're going outside. Come on,' " Arlington Heights mother Rachel O'Connell said. "It all takes time."

Patience, too.

Director Mary Rice often watches families stroll along paths searching for birds or wildflowers at Schaumburg's Spring Valley Nature Center. Giving children time to explore and experience nature from a four-foot perspective deepens their learning.

"You have to slow down, and I think that's part of the challenge," Rice said.

For all the concern, budding naturalist Nelly Rakowski inspires hope.

The 11-year-old Wheaton girl prefers outdoors to indoors -- especially if tree climbing is involved -- so long as it's not too hot, not too cold and sunscreen is close at hand.

"If you spend time in nature, it can be good for you. You can teach your family about stuff like 'this is stinging nettles' and 'this is poison ivy,'" Rakowski said.

Karsten Zielinski is only 7. But already he knows the importance of protecting the places where dragonflies live and tall grass grows.

"If there's no, like, outdoors," the Schaumburg boy said, "there won't be any animals and there won't be any forests or anything. So I really care about it."