I was just reading an article from the BBC website titled “Children urged to put away screens and play outside”. I could not agree more. Children nowadays spend far too much time indoors watching TV or playing on handheld consoles. What happened to the days when children would play outside and come back indoors when they were hungry? I know times have changed and as a result of this we are more protective over our children however, surely this does not mean that they can not play out in the back garden. The Wild Network campaign say that “Children have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation.” A Jungle Gym Climbing Frames we want to encourage children to get back outdoors and away from the TV.
Swap 30 minutes of TV for 30 minutes on a Jungle Gym
The BBC reported that “Children are being urged to take back their “wild time”, swapping 30 minutes of screen use for outdoor activities.” A collaborations of 400 organisations, from playgroups to the NHS say that by swapping indoor activities for outdoor would “increase the levels of fitness and alertness and improve children’s well-being”. Children have great imaginations and being outside allows children to really get into imaginative play, away from the distraction of TV. A Jungle Gym climbing frame is an ideal solution to get your children outside. Installing a wooden climbing frame in your garden will encourage your children outside and increase level fitness.
Jungle Gym Climbing Frames and the Wild Network
The article talks about research by the RSPB that Andy Simpson, the chairman of the Wild Network, has drawn up which indicates that only one in five children aged between 8-12 had a connection with nature. There is an increasing concern as children are spending more and more time indoors instead of being active outside. As parents we need to be advocates of the great outdoors and encourage children to be active. An easy way to do this is to make being active fun. A climbing frame for example will get children climbing and swinging using those all important muscles. Jungle Gym Climbing frames have the moto – Safe, Active, Fun and we are proud to say we have joined the Wild Network to help spread the word.
So get your children outside and show them that there is more to life than TV and the latest video game. A campaign to do just that launches on Friday with a documentary film, called Project Wild Thing. The BBC news report that the film “tells the story of how, in a bid to get his daughter and son outside, film-maker David Bond appoints himself marketing director for nature, working with branding and outdoor experts to develop a campaign.”