Get Ready for the 2007 Worldwide Day of Play!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

The Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP), sponsored by Nickelodeon and supported by The Outdoor Foundation, is a celebration of a child's right to play. In 2006, The Outdoor Foundation and members of the outdoor industry joined together to get kids across the US out enjoying active outdoor recreation. The 2007 WWDoP will once again give the industry a chance to get youth active!

Learn more:

• What is the WWDoP?
• Read how Cascade Designs got youth active on the WWDoP.
• Explore the WWDoP Toolkit and request copy of your own.
• Why is play outdoors essential for healthy children?

What is the Worldwide Day of Play?

For most outdoor enthusiasts – hikers, campers, climbers, paddlers, etc. – every Saturday is a designated, unofficial worldwide day of play. But for many kids, Saturday is synonymous with marathon TV sessions and video games.

On Saturday, September 29, 2007, the official Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP), sponsored by Nickelodeon and its partners, will motivate "indoor" kids to get active outside. In honor of the WWDoP, Nickelodeon will “go dark” on air to encourage kids to get up, go out and play. The goal is to have kids across America gather in parks and playgrounds to engage in healthy, fun outdoor activities. The WWDoP is the culmintation of Nickelodeon’s Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.

Take the pledge! Join The Outdoor Foundation in celebrating the 2007 WWDoP and use the worldwide celebration to inspire new active outdoor recreation participants.

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An Outdoor Industry Manufacturer Shares Their WWDoP Experience

Cascade Designs turned the 2006 WWDoP into a fun event for the entire company and touched the lives of hundreds of youth. With an easily manageable amount of resources and planning, Cascade organized a company-wide contest complete with prizes and, of course, massages. Employees got kids involved in activities as varied as backpacking, mountaineering, mountain biking, hiking and orienteering. Read about Cascade Designs' experience and learn how your company can replicate their success!

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The WWDoP Toolkit

• Download the WWDoP Toolkit for tips and suggestions on participating in the WWDOP.
• Find a youth group in your area by using The Outdoor Foundation's Getting American's Active Database.
• Read how important all play outdoors is for children's health and well-being and for the environment.
• Read more about Nickelodeon’s WWDoP.
• Read more about Nickelodeon’s Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge.

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Why Play? Read What the Research Says

• Building "Generation Play": Addressing the Crisis of Inactivity Among America's Children, Stanford School of Medicine
  
• Green Exercise: Complementary Roles of Nature, Exercise and Diet in Physical and Emotional Well-Being and Implications for Public Health Policy, University of Essex (British)
• Physical activity and clustered cardiovascular risk in children: a cross-sectional study (The European Youth Heart Study), The Lancet (Read coverage from MSNBC.com)
  

• Nearby Nature: A Buffer of Life Stress Among Rural Children, Environment and Behavior (Read Cornell's Chronicle Online Coverage) (Read Cornell's Chronicle Online Coverage)
• At Home with Nature: Effects of "Greenness" on Children's Cognitive Functioning, Environment and Behavior (Read Cornell's Chronicle Online Coverage)
• Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green PlaySettings, Environment and Behavior
• Green Exercise: Complementary Roles of Nature, Exercise and Diet in Physical and Emotional Well-Being and Implications for Public Health Policy, University of Essex (British)

• Nature and the Life Course: Pathways from Childhood Nature Experiences to Adult Environmentalism, Children, Youth and Environments (Read Cornell's Chronicle Online Coverage)
  
• Psychological Restoration in Nature as a Positive Motivation for Ecological Behavior, Environment and Behavior

"What's Happening to Playtime and Family Time for Today's Kids?"

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