The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will kick off its new Get Outside! outdoor activity program for families at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland on April 3 in San Antonio.
The free event from 4-6 p.m. will be at the Lackland Youth Programs building, 2361 Selfridge Ave.
The kick-off party will feature light refreshments, fun activities for families, nature-related giveaways and a time for participants to register on-site for the program.
A nature activity and demonstration will be led by a Texas State Park interpreter, and Debra Kellstedt, Dr.PH., AgriLife Extension specialist, Bryan-College Station, will present on the health benefits of being in nature.
Get Outside! program features fun outdoor activities
Developed by Kellstedt, Get Outside! is a five-week program that features fun and educational activities to help encourage families to spend more time in nature. The program features cards with activities that families can mark off like a game of bingo.
The activities include hiking through a forest, collecting leaves in a nearby park or greenspace and an insect hunt.
“The activities are meant to engage all of the senses and include things that can be done mostly close to home or on base,” Kellstedt said.
Program goal
The goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of families by helping them to be more active outdoors, Kellstedt said.
“By exposing military families to small and large doses of sensory-engaging nature on a weekly basis, we hope to see increases in physical activity and time outside,” she said. “Research has shown that people are more physically active when they are outside, and regular doses of nature can protect against stress and improve mental health.”
Also, spending more family time active outside will see the long-term impacts of improved physical and mental health, which could in turn reduce rates of chronic conditions and mental health issues in the military family populations, Kellstedt said.
For more information about the kickoff event, contact Lackland Youth Programs at 210-671-2388. For more information about the program, contact Kellstedt at 979-321-5007 or email debra.kellstedt@ag.tamu.edu.
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