Join other parents and caregivers - with your children - at Kotzebue's Chukchi Library on Tuesday, December 6th from 10:30 until noon.  Learn about new ways to share outdoor activities with your children.  There will be stories, crafts, outdoor play, and healthy snacks.  Dress for the weather.  Research shows that kids that spend time outdoors are healthier, happier and smarter.  Call Meghan Nedwick (442-3420) or Brittany Sweeney (442-3799) for more information. This workshop is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Open flyer here.

Parents, you can help your kids enjoy being outdoors year round by giving them each a "My Activities Field Journal." Created by the Alaska Department of fish & Game and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this downloadable booklet is free and fun.  Included within it are ideas for tracking weather, spotting birds, making maps and being a wildlife detective.  Written for ages 8-12, kids will find things to do for all seasons and in all parts of the state.  Download one now for each of your children!

Our children may be the first generation at risk of having a shorter lifespan than their parents [1]. Sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity have contributed greatly to the numerous health problems plaguing today’s children. Chronic conditions such as childhood obesity, asthma, and

attention-deficit disorder have all increased over the past few decades [2]. These chronic conditions may lead to pulmonary, cardiovascular, and mental health problems in adulthood. Outdoor activity in the natural environment has taken a back seat to television, video games, the computer, and a demanding schoolwork and extracurricular schedule. Today’s youth are losing the contact with the natural environment that is potentially beneficial for their health and well-being. To read the entire article and reference material from the National Environmental Education Foundation, download it here.