Mohawk Day Camp200 Old Tarrytown RdWhite Plains, NY 10603(914) 949-2635

The Importance Of Outside Play

Remember when you were a kid and you could not wait to wake up on a warm, sunny

Saturday morning? You hear your mom working in the kitchen, trying not to wake you up, but

you can smell the bacon and immediately spring up and run down the steps. You run into the

kitchen, only to see your little brother already sitting at the table, working on his bacon

sandwich. He is sitting next to dad, who is reading the newspaper. You almost rudely grab your

sandwich from your mom because you are in a bit of a rush. You and your friends had already

made arrangements to meet at the cul-de-sac at 9:30 sharp so you can play 4-on-4 football with

the new nerf ball Billy received for his birthday on Tuesday. You scarf down your sandwich,

assure your little brother he is still too young to play with the “big boys,” kiss your mom on the

cheek and run out the door, almost letting your dog out behind you accidentally in the process.

You see Jonny across the street run out his front door just as you are passing your

mailbox. You exchange looks, then smiles, and immediately start sprinting in a foot race to see

who can get to the cul-de-sac first. You two are the last to arrive, and are met by the groans of “I

told you 9:30 sharp!” and “You are always late. We are losing daylight!” Five minutes after

arguing about why the teams yesterday were not fair and how Andy has brick hands but has to be

on Jeremy’s team because they woke up extra early drawing up an unbelievable trick play, you

are ready to start. You get voted to throw the ball off (who kicks the ball off anymore?) because

you have the biggest arm and you try to finesse the ball along the grass sidelines because Jonny

is super fast and can return any throw. After playing for an hour, the game is rudely interrupted

1

by Andy’s mom, who reminds him that he has a haircut appointment at 11 o’clock. Everyone

moans, but agrees to go onto the next event, bike races. While Andy is gone, Scott and Mike

come back from their soccer game. They lost, but they do not care – they are ready to pedal as

fast as they can. You bike race through lunch and then take a 20-minute break on your lawn

before Andy comes back. You can finally start your 5-on-5-basketball game. Basketball goes

until dinner and after rushing through your hamburger, you are told by your mom that your little

brother is to come and play with you and your friends. It is finally dark out, and that only means

one thing – manhunt. Girls in the neighborhood come out of their caves and play with the boys

for this event, because the more people that played meant the more backyards you could run

through. Boundaries were not decided by who played, but by how many played. After countless

number of games and arguing whether Sarah reached the tree base before Noah tagged her or if

Jackson stepped out of bounds relentlessly trying to not be caught by a girl and avoid a lifetime

of humiliation, you finally are called in one by one by your moms or dads. The weekend seemed

like it would never end. The summer could not come fast enough.

The days of children playing outside seem to be long gone. Saturday does not mean bike

trips, rock climbing, fort making, pool diving or snowball fights anymore. Instead, children use

their Saturdays the same way they are using their Friday nights….and their Thursday nights…

and their Wednesday, Tuesday and Monday nights – playing video games. Since 2005, more and

more kids have been using gaming systems as an alternative to outside play. This chart depicts

exactly what kind of trend is occurring:

2

One thing can be seen from this chart – an upward trend. It is scary how many of the major

gaming devices are being sold. Years ago, exercise went hand-in-hand with being a child. You

run, you play, you stay fit. The equation was as easy as 2+2. But now, with the advances in

technology, kids can take advantage of talking with their friends via phone, Facebook, Twitter,

etc. Years ago, you would have to go down to your friends house, maybe in the pouring rain, and

risk the chance that he may not even be home just to talk to him. And once you were down there,

a game instantly started. That is the magic with kids – their imagination. Kids have not

necessarily lost their imagination today, but there is less chance to use imagination because Kim

and Janice who are next door neighbors text each other how the other is doing instead of going

next door and asking in person.

Patty Leblanc, who mothers a ten-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl says, “My 10-year

old just asked my husband and I if he could have an iPhone. Can you believe that? I did not have

a cell phone until I was in college. I asked why he thought he needed one, and he told me that all

of his friends have one.”

3

Furthermore, kids are not getting enough opportunities when they should have them.

Take for example in school. According to ABC’s Geraldine Sealey, author of “Just Do It? Many

Schools Cutting Gym Class,” gym classes are being sacrificed to save money to put toward math

and science test scoring (Sealey). John Mills, father of three girls and one boy, found this

alarming. “The thing I looked most forward to when I was in school was gym class - well, that

and lunch,” said Mills. “As a young kid, all I wanted to do was run around and try to beat all of

my friends in competitions. Now, kids do not even get the opportunity in school. They play

video games at home, and continue to sit in school. Kids need gym. I don’t get it.” Without the

gym and exercise the kids should be getting, they are suffering when it comes to something very

serious – weight.

In this picture, you can easily see how obesity in the United States has continued to

increase:

4

Is it a coincidence that as technology is improving, obesity is moving upward too? Jason Briggs

finds that it is not. “Just look around. You drive down Main Street and you see more

McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King’s and KFC’s,” said Briggs. “No wonder children consume

that crap. You wave a dollar in a kid’s face long enough and soon enough he is going to grab it.

Wave fast food in front of our youth and soon enough, well, just look around.”

With the camp season just around the corner, think about what your children will be doing

this summer. Will they be running outside or will they be staying inside? There is limited space

available at Mohawk Day Camp. Mohawk Day Camp offers campers unique opportunities that

will enrich their young lives athletically, culturally and educationally. Mohawk offers numerous

sports, arts and crafts, drama and more. Campers also learn how to participate and have fun

while in a safe, secure and healthy environment. Visit the Mohawk Day Camp Open House on

Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. for tours, food and fun.

Get your kids outside. Consider this a wake-up call. Look at that second chart again.

5