An indoor (or backseat) childhood does reduce some dangers to children; but other risks are heightened, including risks to physical and psychological health, risk to children's concept and perception of community, risk to self-confidence and the ability to discern true danger

Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our chidlren's health (and also, by the way, in our own).

We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children's memories, the adventures we've had together in nature will always exist.

Some kids don't want to be organized all the time. They want to let their imaginations run; they want to see where a stream of water takes them.

The physical exercise and emotional stretching that children enjoy in unorganized play is more varied and less time-bound than is found in organized sports. Playtime—especially unstructured, imaginative, exploratory play—is increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child development.

How can our kids really understand the moral complexities of being alive if they are not allowed to engage in those complexities outdoors?

Now, more than ever, we need nature as a balancing agent.