Our kids are in trouble. Maybe not your kids, but their friends,
or perhaps a teenager down the street. Two whole generations--
starting with people entering their thirties now--have grown up
with what authors like Richard Louv label "nature-deficit
disorder." Despite being America's most environmentally aware
segment, many of these young people have few real connections to
the outdoors. They are taught to hug a tree, but not how to
climb one. Fortunately, the cure isn't a mystery. Our kids need
to move. Hike, bike, paddle, skate, walk, run, whatever--just
move. And they need to do it outdoors, both for the exercise and
the exposure to sunshine and fresh air. Introduce kids to nature
at a young age, studies show, and you give them a foundation for
lifelong health, fitness, and self-confidence. At a national
level, the Outdoor Foundation, the Children & Nature Network,
and First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative are
training leaders and developing tool kits that help parents and
educators make a di