Not many children or teens nowadays travel to the countryside during weekends, or in summer vacations, preferring to remain in the cities with their friends. Parents also share some of the responsibilities, in the sense that stressful jobs and overloaded work schedules do not allow them more time to spend with their families. However, investigators believe that these factors should not always deter families from taking small trips to the countryside whenever possible, AlphaGalileo reports.

Debbie Pearlman Hougie of University of Hertfordshire Rural Geography believes that parents should not let the comfort of modern life interfere with children’s chances of getting to know their surroundings. Her idea is not a new one, taking children out of cities could also contribute to their health, and also their awareness on several issues, such as biodiversity and climate change. Many other researchers believe that seeing the countryside allows children to relate to efforts of saving our planet, which are currently being promoted by international authorities.

Also, she says that this population segment is prevented from going out and experiencing something else by two main things – the parent’s inability to negotiate the countryside, and their fears of their children’s safety in this environment, as well as the pull of the computer monitor. The Internet, with its games, instant chat programs and social networks, exerts arguably the most important influence on children today. The expert says that her study looked at 53 children, aged 5 to 10, from Hertordshire. She also conducted focus group with the parents.