When was the last time you put your device down and asked your children to go outside and play?
Did you know that 79 percent of kids wish they could experience more outdoor adventures, yet only 59 percent of parents report regularly or occasionally visiting a forest or park with their family?
Being outdoors is known to enhance creativity, improve attention span and increase problem-solving abilities. Despite these clear benefits, families struggle to find time together outdoors, due to competing demands and the realities of overly scheduled lives.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, and motivate families to get outside together, the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council want you to Discover the Forest.
“It’s important for children to experience and connect with their national forests and grasslands. Studies have shown that if a child experiences the wonders of the great outdoors, they are far more likely to revisit a forest as an adult. Moreover, they share the experience with their own children,” said USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen.
The public service announcement was created pro bono by advertising agency David&Goliath.
“We live in this world where technology consumes our every thought and doesn’t seem to be slowing down,” said David Angelo, founder and chairman of David&Goliath. “We need to inspire people to break away from the exponential chatter and listen to the thoughts that have been with us long before technology. Because you never know what you’ll discover in the forest.”
The U.S. Forest Service manages 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands for the American Public. Its mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
