Outdoor activities can lead to healthier kids; 4-H camps scheduled

Doug Foxx
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Doug Foxx
Doug Foxx

A colleague recently shared with me a really great info-graphic prepared by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that illustrates just how much of an impact being outdoors can have on kids and their health.

Poultry disease: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza a risk to 4-H poultry projects

Here are just a few of the key facts illustrated by the AAP info-graphic:

  • Children living within a ½ mile of a park are more likely to have higher levels of physical activity.

  • Children living within 2/3 mile of a park with a playground can be five times more likely to have a healthy weight.

  • Exposure to nature can reduce stress levels by as much as 28% in children.

  • Even a 20-minute walk in nature can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) concentrate better.

  • Parents, friends and family are the most influential to youth participation in outdoor activities.

  • Children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to be overweight by 27-41%.

  • More than 1 in 3 children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Minority and low-income children are disproportionately affected.

  • Children have lost 25% of playtime and 50% of unstructured outdoor activity over recent decades.

  • Nature Deficit Disorder was coined by author Richard Louv in 2005 to describe how children are spending less time outdoors and its impacts.

Cloverbud Day Camp and 4-H Junior Camp dates set

This summer Wayne County 4-H will offer two fun-filled opportunities for kids to spend some time outdoors at our Cloverbud Day Camp and 4-H Junior Camp, both open to Wayne County 4-H members.

Cloverbud Day Camp will run June 14-16 and is for youth who are in kindergarten or higher and 5-8 years old as of Jan. 1 of this year. Cloverbud Day Camp will have a Discovering the Sea theme.

Junior Camp will be June 30-July 3 and is for youth who are in the third grade or higher and ages 8-13 as of Jan. 1. Junior Camp is a three-night, four-day residential camp at 4-H Camp Ohio in Louisville. This year Junior Camp will have a Hawaiian Cowboys theme.

Camps challenge youth and teens to step out of their ordinary routines and comfort zones and participate in new activities often not available in their own backyards. Cloverbud Camp is sold out, but for more information and/or to register for Junior Camp, please contact me at the Wayne County Extension Office.

Doug Foxx is an OSU Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or foxx.2@osu.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wayne County 4-H offers activities to get kids outside