10 Benefits for Choosing Outdoor Camp

February 17, 2018

10 Benefits For Choosing Outdoor Camp This Summer

Throughout the school year, most kids spend a majority of their waking hours indoors, being carpooled to and from activities, team sports, homework, computers and TV.  Trading indoor activity, screen time and video games for fresh air, salt water and sunshine cultivates health and well-being, good times and the fondest of summers-in-Marblehead memories! Let’s get kids outside and paddling! The following list (adapted from The Wilderness Society) shows us why nature-based outdoor camp experiences are a great choice:
1. Reduces Stress
Kids get stressed juggling extracurricular activities and handling increasing scrutiny of their performance in school  Being outside helps restore peace, clear thinking and the joy of being a kid.
2. Physical Benefits
Outdoor recreation helps foster a love of nature based activity in children, supporting a lifetime enthusiasm for engaging in fun physical exercise 
3. Cognitive Benefits
Spending time outdoors is a healthy lifestyle choice that contributes to balance and an increase in self-discipline offering many psychological and behavioral benefits. 
4. Environmental Awareness 
Children who spend their time outdoors learn to respect the environment, have a stronger connection to nature and will care about our natural world when they are older. 
5. Increases Attention Span
Studies have found that kids improve concentration after time outside and may be widely effective in reducing attention deficit disorder symptoms in children.
6. Promotes Social Skills
Outdoor activities foster "social, emotional, and cognitive competencies" in kids.
7. Better Sleep
Getting sunlight in the morning helps us sleep better at night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. 
8. Improves Vision
Getting kids to spend more time outdoors is a "simple strategy" to reduce the progression and development of nearsightedness in children. 
9. Increases Vitamin D Levels
Playing in Sunlight is the natural way to restore and maintain healthy Vitamin D levels.
10. Doctor’s Orders
Yep, really. Doctors encourage kids (and parents) to reap the numerous health benefits of being active and outdoors including boosting immunity and preventing illness.

 

 

* This blog is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be providing medical advice and is not a substitute for such advice. The reader should always consult a health care provider concerning any medical condition or treatment plan. littleharborboathouse.com nor the author assumes any responsibility or liability with respect to use of any information contained herein.