Every child deserves a night under the stars
A few weeks ago, I went back to Algonquin Park to camp for the first time since I was a teenager.
Five couples and seven kids — all under the age of 6 — piled into canoes and paddled across Rock Lake to a gorgeous island campsite sheltered by towering pines and carpeted by orange needles.
We saw a bull moose grazing in the reeds, a heron fishing in the mud, chipmunks and red squirrels and more frogs than you could catch.
It was a nostalgic weekend for everyone, reliving childhood camping excursions and creating new memories for our kids. The experience of spending time in nature never changes.
And that’s something everyone should have a chance to experience. Algonquin is only three hours away, but it seems farther than the moon for many kids in Toronto.
That’s why the Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund is such an important cause, and one that readers have rallied around for more than100 years. Since1901, hundreds of thousands of kids from families that might not own a car, or a sleeping bag, have been given the opportunity to escape the city and spend a few days at summer camp. Thanks to your contributions this year, the Fresh Air Fund has met its fundraising goal of $650,000.
Star readers have raised $676,990, which will allow thousands of kids to escape the city
That means 25,000 more kids will be able to swim, canoe and hike — some of them for the first time — this summer. As of Friday, we’ve raised $676,990.
“I’m thrilled to know that the Star’s readers have stepped forward again this year to help ensure that so many children can have the time of their lives this summer at camp. It says a lot about the quality of our community, which has so generously provided a gift that will keep on giving long after camp ends,” said John Boynton, publisher of the Star and CEO of its parent company, Torstar.
We’re lucky to live in Canada for so many reasons. Our amazing education and health-care systems; our open and welcoming multicultural society; our prosperous economy that provides opportunity and material well being for so many. But we also have the land. I lived and worked overseas for many years and was struck by how spoiled we are in Canada with quick access to relatively undisturbed nature. There simply aren’t the same expanses of wilderness in Europe. Even in Africa, it’s hard to get away from roads, garbage and other signs of civilization.
But in Canada there are majestic expanses of pristine nature just a short drive from the heart of our biggest urban cen- tre. You don’t have to fly to the Yukon or paddle into the woods for a week to be surrounded by the sounds and smells of the wild. They’re right at our doorstep.
And an increasing number of scientific studies show that spending time in nature has measurable health benefits for kids.
Cam Collyer, executive director of programming at the charity Evergreen, says parents and educators are becoming increasingly concerned with the effects that modern lifestyles are having on kids, who spend more time closely supervised, indoors and on screens.
“Research shows that time in nature provides a counterbalance to this,” he said. “Contact with nature has positive effects on everything from the immune system to eyesight. There are also more subtle changes to brain development, memory and attention.”
Instead of spending their summers glued to their smartphones, kids who unplug and reconnect with the natural world are recharging their mental batteries, Collyer said.
“There’s some good research that has been exploring attention restoration,” he said.
When a child is in a natural environment, where there are a lot of things going on — wind in the trees, sounds and noise — they have a more dispersed, soft focus. This is in contrast to the hard focus that’s needed when you’re performing a task, or sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher.
“Time in nature, because you have a softer focus, is very calming for the mind and restorative. You’re essentially filling the tank for focused attention,” said Collyer.
In other words, sending kids to camp is good for them. It’s something people have always suspected, but now we know it to be true.
Without a doubt, I’m grateful for the time I spent camping as a kid and I can’t think of a better present for any child.
The gift of campfires, stargazing and serenity — the kind that can only be found in the woods.
Thank you for making this possible, once again, for so many children in our city.