California Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights 04/08/11

Did you know The East Bay Regional Park District has adopted “the California Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights”? Here's what it says:

Every child should have the opportunity to:


- Discover California's past
- Splash in the water
- Play in a safe place
- Camp under the stars

- Explore nature

- Learn to swim

- Play on a team

- Follow a trail

- Catch a fish

- Celebrate their heritage

The Contra Loma Reservoir in Antioch is part of the East Bay Regional Parks District and is encouraging the “California Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights”.


http://www.ebparks.org/news/12282007

I think we have to start paying attention to the fact that we love our technology and we sometimes forget how important it is to take our kids to the park, the beach, or out for a walk. Our kids have grown used to having almost unlimited access to a DS, a computer, a cell phone, a television, & a Wii. I quite enjoy these things myself and I’m not suggesting we cut them out of our lives and or prevent our kids from enjoying enjoying them either.

That said, I think we all need to spend some time outdoors and we all need to spend some quality time with other human beings. We don’t all enjoy the same activities, and that’s okay. There are so many options out there. Did you notice some of the “bill of rights”?

• Splash in the water

• Play in a safe place

• Explore nature

• Learn to swim

These are things we used to take for granted in our community. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get back to that point. Children are so inquisitive and as parents and other adults in the community we have so much opportunity to encourage their learning and their relationships with people and nature. If we’re lucky, we may just gain something ourselves from the experience.

The Contra Loma Resevoir is a treasure sitting in our own backyard and I absolutely want to support the initiative they're taking with the "California Children's Bill of Rights".

Do you realize how lucky we are to live in the Bay Area with so much beauty and wonder all around us? It would be a shame to bury that treasure and never realize its true beauty.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be spending some time at the Contra Loma Reservoir this spring & summer. Hope to see you there!