California: Goodbye computer screen, hello outdoor adventure
February 7, 2017 | Amy Diiullo
California families are putting down their screens and saying hello to outdoor adventure instead.
In a state that’s home to the tech capital of the country, getting kids in California off their computers is an everyday struggle for many parents. Plenty of kids come home right after school and jump on their screens until dinner.
Access to outdoor adventure may be especially hard for children and teens that are not enrolled (or interested) in team sports, which can provide the kind of routine outside activity to keep kids healthy while putting a pause on screen time.
With California’s progressive public and private schools already leveraging computers for classwork throughout the day, and older kids permitted access to smartphones intermittently at their lockers, lunch and even recess, shouldn’t we as parents figure out some ways to help our children prioritize non-screen activities after school and on the weekends?
This is the question towns like Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, home to tech giants like Google and LinkedIn, are trying to answer with afterschool programming, parks and rec programs, and other innovative opportunities for urban adventure.
One type of recreation parents should consider is non-traditional urban and outdoor adventure sports that are both inclusive and social, meaning kids don’t have to be world-class athletes to participate—and they can still hang out with friends while doing the activities.
In addition to pickup-style games such as 3-on-3 basketball and freestyle football, most of these accessible afterschool activities require minimal investment in gear and fulfill that social need teens crave. In places like the San Francisco Bay Area there’s plenty of access to water activities like simple and forgiving stand up paddle boarding. Other emerging urban and universally appealing adventures include skateboarding, longboarding and indoor sport climbing. And how about good old-fashioned running—on city streets or nearby park trails?
For slightly more technical, but no less fun, non-competitive outdoor pursuits such as rock climbing and trail and road biking, Avid4 Adventure’s new sport-specific day sessions and try-it-all multisport camps can be a helpful way to pique your child’s interest in the outdoors and jumpstart a more inclusive afterschool activity.
Summer camp continues the adventure
Easy-access school-time activities are one thing, but how do California kids stay inspired during a summer away from class, especially when parents are still working and older kids are left to their own devices?
Summer is a time when something more structured like a single-sport camp or overnight adventure camp can take the energy and momentum kids create in their after school activities and amplify that outdoor time with some serious grit- and confidence-building adventure.
Avid4 Adventure is riding this wave by offering some boundary-pushing day camp options in California communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. For example, kids as young as kindergarten can become “explorers,” trying everything from paddling kayaks to maneuvering their first pedal bikes—plus creative pursuits like yoga.
Older kids work on developing skills and leadership in activities like mountain biking and SUP. And pre-teens can push newfound outdoor pursuits further from their comfort zone with riding a bumpy trail or climbing a nearby crag.
With eight California camps and counting, we’re encouraging a growing trend in moving kids beyond their screens, into activities in their local urban environments—and ultimately into the empowering world of wilderness.
The question remains: Will California kids trade their screen time for street time? We sure hope so. We’re on a mission to expose children to outdoor adventures of a lifetime. So maybe next time your kids come home they’ll grab a bike instead of an iPad.
Writer: Over the last 15 years, Julie Kailus has earned marketing communications credentials working behind the scenes for clients and companies in a broad scope of industries. However, she has never stopped embracing the joy and inspiration it brings her to tell stories about people, products and places pushing boundaries in the outdoor world. Julie spends most weekends chasing her sons around the Colorado mountains.
Tagged: Bay Area Outdoor Recreation, benefits of outdoor activities, California, California Family Adventures, getting kids outside, Kids Camps, Outdoor adventure, summer camp