AGI Celebrates 'No Child Left Inside Day' at Local Middle School

Scientists from the American Geological Institute (AGI) and the U.S. Geological Survey will lead students at Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston, Va., in a hands-on exploration of earth science on No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Day, October 14, 2008.

Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and USGS Director Mark Myers are expected to participate in the activities at nearby Beaver Pond. The activities will engage students in “learning stations” on topics such as water chemistry and biological diversity.

“No Child Left Inside,” has become a rallying cry for a growing movement nationwide. Under the NCLI banner, various agencies and nonprofits, from USGS and the National Park Service to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, have recently conducted activities to help young people experience the benefits of outdoor activity. In addition, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “No Child Left Inside” Act (HR 3036) on September 18, 2008, authorizing funding improvements in environmental education.

In support of this growing initiative, Earth Science Week (October 12-18, 2008), held annually and organized by the AGI, is celebrating the theme “No Child Left Inside” by participating in NCLI Day. Inspired in part by Richard Louv’s bestseller Last Child in the Woods, NCLI efforts aim to curb what the author calls the rising tide of “nature-deficit disorder” among America’s youth.

For information on the school event, contact Geoff Camphire, Earth Science Week Manager, (703) 379-2480, gac@agiweb.org. For related learning activities and resources, see Earth Science Week online at http://www.earthsciweek.org.