The National Wildlife Federation is urging kids to “Get Wild, Child!” Families can celebrate National Wildlife Week from March 15 through March 21 by getting “inside” kids outdoors. Wildlife Week encourages kids to learn, explore, discover and imagine, surrounded by a world of green.

Children today spend only 4 to 7 minutes outside each day on average, while engaged with electronic media an astounding 7 hours and 38 minutes a day on average, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“We’re raising a generation of indoor children who are missing out on the simple joys found in nature,” says Rebecca Garland, Executive Director of NWF’s Be Out There movement. “Our kids need to know why they call it the great outdoors.”

Lack of outdoor time has been linked to childhood obesity, depression, stress, and ADD. Time in nature improves children’s physical, mental and emotional health, boosts classroom performance and encourages conservation stewardship. Fortunately, there is no shortage of places in the Texoma area for kids to get out and enjoy the natural wonders of our communities. And with the week of March 15 – 21 coinciding with Spring Break for many places, it’s the perfect time to Get Wild!

A few miles from Lawton there is a treasure trove of nature just waiting to be discovered. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge boasts mountains, unique geological formations, an abundance of wildlife and plant life, hiking trails and guided tours, as well as Lake Lawtonka.

Elmer Thomas Park in Lawton is another destination that provides plenty of opportunities to commune with nature. Families can get moving on the walking trail and observe the ducks and geese on Lake Helen and the prairie dogs darting from hole to hole.

In Wichita Falls you can take a trip to the 178-acre Lucy Park, which has numerous species of native trees and a hiking and biking trail. The park is located in a bend of the Wichita River and is home to the “falls” of Wichita Falls.

Quartz Mountain State Park in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma, is another site literally bursting with ways to get back to nature. It features 4,284 acres of park, 5 camping areas, 99 primitive sites, sand dunes and hiking trails. There are swimming beaches and ample opportunity to explore the 6,260 lake acres by boat.

The web site www.nwf.org/wildlifeweek offers resources for kids, parents and educators, including an official Family Activity Passport with a week’s worth of local plant and animal wildlife watch lists and fun nature-themed games and NWF’s NatureFind program, www.nwf.org/naturefind, locates nearby outdoor recreation spots where National Wildlife Week is in full swing.

Celebrating National Wildlife Week is a way to develop happier, healthier kids with a life-long appreciation of nature.

For more information on tours in the Wichita Mountains, visit www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/oklahoma/wichitamountains/tours.html. During the month of March they are offering Stars Over the Wichitas tours.