The Great America Backyard Campout is NEXT Saturday, June 28

Looking for a way to kick off your summer?
Here’s an idea for family fun, no further than your backdoor. Sponsored by National Wildlife Federation to encourage parents and kids alike to turn in their TV remotes, iPods, Wiis, computers, MP3 players, cell phones and all things high tech, and experience a night with Mother Nature including listening for nocturnal wildlife (maybe even see a few), star-gazing, cooking outdoors, telling stories about Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, and exploring a whole other world right in their own backyard.
Last year thousands of families from around the country participated in the Great American Backyard Campout. You don’t need to go to Yosemite National Park to experience the great outdoors and the wonders it has to offer. Just open up your backdoor!

Where: Backyards across America
When: Saturday night, June 28
Who: Families, friends, neighbors, and communities
Why: This initiative is part of a National Wildlife Federation campaign to rescue our nation’s kids from what famed author Richard Louv calls “nature deficit disorder.” Research now shows that kids spend an average of 44 hours per week “plugged into” electronic media - for the first time in our country’s history; we have an entire generation that is growing up disconnected from nature.
Camping in your backyard is a great way to introduce your kids to the fun and adventure of sleeping under the stars. It also brings families closer together without the distraction of TV, computers, and video games.

Getting Started: The National Wildlife Federation is providing everything you need to head out into the great outdoors called your backyard. The web site has packing lists, recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, exploration activities, nature guides. Check it out at www.backyardcampout.org. People can even sign up on the site to share their campout plans and experiences.