Generation Wild, part of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) that connects kids with the outdoors, has launched Take Your Brain Out, an initiative aimed at offsetting the effects of excessive screentime on kids’ brains.
According to Generation Wild, the average child spends more than seven hours a day looking at some kind of electronic device and less than ten minutes a day outdoors, and they stress to parents that time outside is not only beneficial to children, but actually essential to supporting a child’s brain development.
GOCO Executive Director Jackie Miller said, “Parents today worry about screens co-opting their kids’ focus, attention, and joy, but here’s a game-changer: just carve out time for outdoor play, and nature will help reset those developing brains.
“Take Your Brain Out is a fun reminder of the great things that happen when we spend time outdoors, and Generation Wild provides plenty of tips and inspiration to make more time outside fun and easy.”
This year Generation Wild has partnered with health experts to educate Colorado’s parents on why it’s essential to carve out time for outdoor play. Family activity ideas from Generation Wild’s 100 Things to Do List include going on a picnic, sleeping under the stars, dancing in the rain, and exploring a state park.
In the spirit of this initiative from Generation Wild, I have put together a short list of family-friendly trails and parks that are easy to do for all ages.
Contemplative Path, Red Rock Canyon Open Space
This trail is accessed from the parking lot on the park’s west side (right off of the roundabout at the entrance). It is a pedestrian-only trail that winds along towering red rocks, through a grassland and through stands of trees.
Zook Trail, Cheyenne Mountain State Park
This trail starts at the Limekiln Trailhead near the entrance to the park and is one of the most popular trails in the parks. It wanders in a loop through trees and gently climbs a hill to a nice overlook. In the spring, this trail has some of the widest variety of wildflowers. The park also offers events for kids. Entry fees apply. Dogs (other than service dogs) are not permitted on this trail.
Petrified Forest Trail, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
It’s a little bit of a drive to Florissant Fossil Beds, which makes it an often-overlooked hiking destination, but it is a gem. None of the trails there are hard, so you may want to wander around more, but the Petrified Forest Trail is right outside the door of the visitor’s center and is easy, scenic and educational. Check their website for family friendly events, including great night-sky programs. Entry fees apply. Dogs (other than service dogs) are not permitted.
Lower Columbine Trail, North Cheyenne Canon Park
An easy trail that starts at the Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center, it winds among the trees next to North Cheyenne Creek. Both the visitor center and the trail provide plenty of stimulus to get kids’ minds geared towards the outdoors.
Bear Creek Nature Center and associated trails, Bear Creek Regional Park
Literally resurrected from a fire that destroyed it some years ago, El Paso County’s Bear Creek Nature Center was the first nature center in Colorado and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The trails around the nature center are easy, scenic and dog-free.
Fountain Creek Nature Center, Fountain Creek Nature Trail and Cattail Marsh Wildlife Area
Another El Paso County Parks facility, the nature center and trails are family friendly, with the trail open to pedestrian use only. You’ll find all manner of wildlife, especially many varieties of waterfowl that migrate through the area. Keep an eye out for the turtles that like to sun themselves on the rocks and logs in the ponds.
Getting outdoors and away from our screens is not only good for kids, but good for adults, too. Not only is disconnected from electronic devices a stress reliever, but just basking in the sun’s rays is beneficial to both mental and physical health. Take your brain and your kids’ brains outside.
More information about Generation Wild is on GenerationWild.com.
Be Good. Do Good Things. Go Outside.
