If you spend time in nature, odds are you’ll see the importance of the outdoors. You’ll feel the calming power of simply being outside, the connection to something bigger. And it’s not surprising, because we used to spend our entire lives there. But unfortunately, today many of us are disconnected from our natural habitat.

The average American spends 95 percent of their life indoors.1 As a result, we are becoming an indoor species, which comes with consequences. Our health and well-being may suffer. And the less we value our outdoor spaces, the less likely we are to protect them. It’s a slippery slope.

The rise of technology, parental fears about traffic and stranger danger3 and the loss of open spaces, are just some of the factors keeping children indoors. Research shows that children are spending half as much time outside today as they did 20 years ago.

But in trying to protect our kids, we may be harming them. Lack of time spent outdoors is linked to issues like anxiety, childhood obesity, academic underperformance and even bullying. If we continue on this road, we’re heading toward a generation that’s unhealthier and unhappier.

Read the full article about outside play from REI