Giving Compass' Take:

• In this Children & Nature Network post, Kiran Bir Sethi and Kirti Zala of the aProCh initiative in Ahmedabad, India, discusses their work in making cities in the country safer and more fun-filled for kids to play outside.

• How can we apply the lessons from aProCh's efforts to the U.S.? Which urban initiatives have embedded outdoor play and unstructured activities into their DNA?

• Here's how outdoor education can inspire environmental STEM learning.

I have been witness to the last five decades of India not as a bystander but as one who has grown up walking the streets of many of our cities and interacting with some wonderful people across three generations. While I love my nation, what does not sit right with me are the many lifestyle changes that have come about in the name of urbanization.

As a child, my fondest memories are of how every evening I played on the streets with my friends — games like Gilli-Danda, Pittu and Dabba, I-spy — and how we returned home with dirty hands and feet, sometimes even bruised, but always with the happiest hearts.

Over the years, the boundaries of our cities have expanded but, ironically, the free streets and community parks have shrunk. Our simple play times of yesteryear now seem old school for our children and have been replaced by lengthened screen time, playing with ever-evolving gadgets and re-socialization. The focus on indoor activities has reduced opportunities for human interaction and alienated today’s kids from experiencing the joy of nature and free play.

Read the full article about outdoor play in India by Kiran Bir Sethi and Kirti Zala at Children & Nature Network.