Get Hooked On Nature – Ben Klasky TED Talk

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With children now getting upwards to 7.5 hours of screen time a day and less than one hour outdoor, Ben Klasky goes over the benefits of getting kids outdoor. From how the outdoors benefits children to how he is working to get kids outside, this TED Talk is a good wake up call for those spending too much time twitter and not enough time listening to the tweeting of the outdoors.

In this TED Talk Ben start off by giving the ‘Warning Label’ of the side effects of being ‘on nature’. These included increased happiness and concentration along with more Vitamin D and lower obesity. He then went on to talk about one of his associates who started as a tough city boy who got into trouble at school until he was forced into the schools nature club. The result? He is now a world explorer for National Geographic. Another large aspect of this ted talk was the fact that kids are getting 7.5 hours of screen time a day, and instead of trying to beat that he suggests to join that by making apps that reward you for going outdoors and playing.

Being a programmer and a kid who enjoys TV it seems like sometimes the indoors is perfect, but once you get outside you wonder why you were ever indoors in the first place. This article has really made me think about how society has lost that magic of the outdoor and that kids should go play outside more. After watching this video I actually downloaded one of the apps mentioned; Geocashing, and soon I’m going to drag some of my friends out with me to explore and enjoy the wonders of nature.

Get Hooked on Nature: Ben Klasky at TEDxRainier. Dir. Ben Klasky. YouTube. TED Talks, 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 June 2014.