They worry because what's missing from today's children will be a hole in tomorrow's society. Groups such as the Sierra Club are trying to do something about this. They develop the skills they wouldn't get in their home life. One of 40 such programs nationwide, New Jersey Inner City Outings exposes children from Hoboken, Elizabeth, and Newark to the outdoors. One way Blewett found to get her kids more involved in nature is through New Jersey Audubon Society's Weis Ecology Center in Ringwood, which offers outdoor environmental education programs for children and adults.
Outdoor experiences are key to meeting that step.
As recently as the 1970s, children older than 8 or 10 were very mobile and had a wide territory they considered their own, said Robin Moore, an expert on children's play at North Carolina State University. Now quite-grown children often don't even know their own neighborhoods beyond the route to school and other activities, Moore said. And that usually doesn't include any wild or undeveloped places, said Louv. His research included interviews with children in Florida, Missouri, California, and other spots around the nation. We're hearing that from all over the country.