Earth advocates are pushing every business, household and activity to go green and playtime is no exception. In addition to that green apple, a green hour a day keeps the doctor away. That’s the gist of the book, The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids (Trumpeter, 2010). The book’s author, Todd Christopher is also creator of the National Wildlife Federation’s website TheGreenHour.org.

What is a Green Hour?

It’s pretty simple. A green hour is an hour spent outdoors, hopefully with kids engaged in loosely guided activities or unstructured play – no organized sporting activities, number of miles to walk, or group games. The idea is to provide kids with tools and space to explore and get to know the great outdoors. The National Wildlife Federation recommends that parents give their kids a green hour everyday.

Green Hours Then and Now

“Only a generation ago, kids spent long days fully engaged in outdoor play and discovery,” writes Christopher in The Green Hour’s introduction. He goes on to quote research studies that show that the children of the new millennium spend less time outdoors, are less engaged with nature and that many kids today have little regard for the natural world and the environment.

According to the National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There™ page, “today’s kids spend four to seven minutes outside per day” compared to seven hours of time spent engaged with electronic media.

Green Hour Benefits for Kids & Resources for Parents

The National Wildlife Federation’s websites offers resources and tips for parents about the Green Hour and the Be Out There™ movement. Parents can read about the health benefits of having a daily green hour, visit the Parent’s Guide page for suggestions on implementing a daily green hour and read special reports about outdoor play’s enhancement of education for children.

Do you have great memories of playing outdoors as a child? Will your kids have any similar memories? Free healthy entertainment is waiting outside your door. Learn more about The Green Hour by visiting the links in the article above or www.Greenhour.org.

Photos by Paul Abbona, Andrew C and Tina Coulston on StockXchange.