Have you been outside today? Whether it's a visit to a neighborhood park or Yellowstone, spending time in nature provides big health benefits – especially for kids.
- Spending time outside increases levels of physical activity and may help reduce the prevalence of obesity.
- Contact with nature helps lower levels of stress in children and can mitigate attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Exposure to natural environments (even just areas with many trees) may help improve childhood asthma symptoms.
National Public Lands Day, which takes place on September 25, is a perfect opportunity to get outdoors with family and friends of all ages. Roll up your sleeves and join thousands of Americans for a day-long, coast-to-coast effort to preserve and improve the public lands, which make up 30 percent of the nation's land area. To find an NPLD event in Texas, visit
http://publiclandsday.org/involved/sites.htm?state=Texas. Most NPLD events take place rain or shine, so check the local forecast to be prepared.
NPLD is a fee-free day in many federally managed lands. And volunteers who participate are given coupons for second free entry into their favorite federal public land areas that have entrance fees.
