Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights: Quit texting and go play

My toddler loves Daddy’s iPhone and its cool apps, and she didn’t fall for my attempt to replace her other favorite toy, my cellphone, with her own plastic version. After turning away for a second the other day, I found her in my chair mimicking my fingers’ stampede over the laptop keyboard. She doesn’t get a chance to watch much TV, but she does know YouTube.

I played video games as a kid, but it didn’t start when I was 18 months old. Before I became an Atari whiz (dating myself here), I knew how to get dirty, ride a bike, scamper up rocks and make a fort. I know my daughter will probably learn to text before she builds a treehouse, but I sincerely hope that along the technology-filled road, she’ll happily make at least a few substantial stops in the great outdoors.

This last week, Florida’s governor urged families in the state to get out into nature. Part of the state’s new resolution is the “Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights,” encouraging activities such as building sandcastles, hiking, bird-watching, smelling wildflowers.

But did you know that we in California have a very similar bill of rights of our own? This proclamation, signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in July 2007, encourages “parents, educators and other concerned citizens to do all they can to help our state’s children experience and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature.”

Every child, according to the bill, should have the opportunity to do certain things (listed below) before the age of 14. Many of the points may seem obvious, but they nevertheless serve as good reminders. I’m going to do my best to make sure my little family tackles these to-dos often — and certainly well before my daughter is in high school. Some of those e-mails, texts and tweets will just have to wait.

1. Discover California’s past.
2. Splash in the water.
3. Play in a safe place.
4. Camp under the stars.
5. Explore nature.
6. Learn to swim.
7. Play on a team.
8. Follow a trail.
9. Catch a fish.
10. Celebrate their heritage.

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Seal Beach. Credit: Bombay; Your Scene / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 10:07 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Family & Kids, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.