Summer is the time for hiking, gardening, picnicking, and simply enjoying the great outdoors. It is also prime tick season—which means increased exposure to the serious infectious diseases they carry. “According to the New York Department of Health, ticks are most active late spring through mid-August,” says Lou Paradise, president and chief of research of Topical BioMedics, Inc., Rhinebeck, NY, t...

To commemorate its one year anniversary and celebrate National Get Outdoors Month, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK) is launching a new Facebook application to inspire and encourage young people to get outside, and be active. In support of the President's America's Great Outdoors Initiative and the First Lady's Let's Move Outside! program, the new Get Your Nature On Facebook application will pr...

Fifty-two national parks and thousands of Let's Move Outside Junior Rangers are heading into autumn determined to keep families moving. The National Park Service and the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition are teaming up to encourage American families to add outdoor activity to their days. While kids earn their Let's Move Outside Junior Ranger designation, every member of the fami...

“Let's Move Outside, Junior Rangers!” is First Lady Michelle Obama's call to kids across the country. Today, 16 national parks – for a total of 36 nationwide – launch Let's Move Outside Junior Ranger. National Park Junior Rangers will not only have fun and get exercise but also receive an extra reward for working up a sweat. So far this summer, thousands of kids have earned the title while discove...

For American parents who want their kids to be fit, focused and feeling good, the first step is out the front or back door. National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has issued a health report, Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit through Outdoor Play, which is based on the current trend toward a holistic approach to health. The report reveals how American childhood's move inside over the last 2...

Biking, walking, knitting, gardening- all are hobbies that can be enjoyed by anyone. But when people encounter difficult situations, they can transform these simple pastimes into long-term pursuits that give them a reason to keep going. For cyclist John Funke, motivation was exactly what he needed when a cancer diagnosis threatened to end his life. “A year ago, I was in bad shape,” he recalls,...