American children spend an average of 4 to 7 unstructured minutes of play outside a day, and 7 hours in front of a screen. Wow! That is vastly different from the world 20 years ago, and we are just now becoming aware of the dangers of this shift for child development and overall well being. In addition, American children are being read to less than ever, and do little time reading themselves.
However, a park in Dothan has figured out a way to marry these two long lost activities- a good walk and a good story. The Houston County Library Systems and Kiwanis Park have teamed up to give children of the Wiregrass a Story Walk. As you walk along the trail, there are different "stations" along the way that contain different pages of a picture book. As you meander down the half-mile trail, you will read a book in its entirety. What a fun way for beginning readers to read a book out loud to their parents, or for a younger child to hear a story while getting exercise at the same time! As a bonus, the trail starts and ends at a playground, where children can enjoy some unstructured free play.
Stories are changed every two weeks in the summer, and once a month in the fall, winter, and spring, so there is always fresh new content to read. So grab your shoes, lace up the sneakers, and hit the trail for a fun time!
