Playing Outside (in the Snow), Going the Way of the Outhouse?

With progress comes loss. Indoor plumbing (great invention, by the way) lost the outhouse. But has modern technology at the fingertips of our kids lost PLAYING OUTSIDE (IN THE SNOW)? I couldn't help notice during the week between X-mas & New Year's with a Winter Wonderland outside, my neighborhood was a virtual ghost town. Making snowmen, sledding and snowball fights- replaced by X-Box 360, texting, video chat, 1000 Channel TV, and my personal favorite- TiVo (DVR).

When we were kids (and I hate saying that), it was "The Guiding Light", "As the World Turns" or go outside and play in the snow! Wasn't much of a choice. Heck, we didn't even have VCRs back then- 5 channels of nothing, my baseball card collection, Lincoln Logs- My goodness- We were like cavemen in the 70s! 

Thank goodness for outdoor Camps like Liberty Lake that encourage kids to swim in a lake, get muddy, and interact with new kids (face to face). And a shout out to the Cub Scouts who spent yesterday outside in the snow competing in the Klondike. As parents, it's our responsibility to give our kids a push to play. OUTSIDE.

• Here's an article from the NY Times about how play is disappearing: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html?
• And here's the Wikipedia entry for "Nature Deficit Disorder" which is absolutely terrifying! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_deficit_disorder

Let us know what you think~