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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

"Be Out There" for ID Kids: One Hour A Day Outside

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Monday, June 1, 2009   

Boise, ID – Chasing butterflies, playing cowboys and Indians, and just wandering around outside for at least an hour a day; that's the prescription from the National Wildlife Federation(NWF) this summer for Idaho children who may be experiencing "nature deficit disorder" because they spend so little time outdoors, compared to children of a generation ago.

NWF vice president for education and training Kevin Coyle says the digital age is one reason kids spend more time inside, with some studies showing that children spend six hours a day in front of the TV or video screen.

"By not getting outside, they're not engaging in relaxation, engaging with other kids, just getting some exercise. We're really seeing that American childhood has moved indoors."

Coyle says another reason children spend more time in the house is because parents are concerned about safety. He suggests scheduling outings to playgrounds and group outdoor play dates to help alleviate fears about child abductions, and he points out that such abductions by strangers are rare – although when they do happen they make top news stories, which can distort the real risk.

NWF is coordinating the "Be Out There" campaign to help raise awareness of the lack of outdoors time for kids, and Coyle points to progress with the introduction of a bill in Congress called the "No Child Left Inside Act," which would fund environmental education outdoor programs. He says there are other ways to help expand outdoor time for kids, too.

"Increasing the amount of focus in day care centers on outdoor time for children, and returning recess to schools; those are two good ways."

He says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made a link between less outdoor time and increased childhood obesity rates.

More information on outdoor opportunities for kids is at www.nwf.org




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