11 November 2005
DailyRecord
KIDS WANT TO BE OUT, NOT IN
By Janice Burns
CHILDREN are desperate to put wellies before tellies and play outside but they are being stopped by so-called "dirt phobic" parents, according to new research.
They want to spend less time stuck inside watching TV or playing computer games but busy mums and dads are discouraging them in case they get filthy - meaning more washing and ironing.
However, it is more fun to be a child in Scotland than anywhere else.
When it comes to identifying flowers, fruits and vegetables, the daffodil was the most recognisable out of seven pictures. However, one in 10 children could not identify the rose. And 16 per cent could not identify the leek.
Many children are also unable to identify which fruits and vegetables grow on trees or in the ground.
A quarter could not say how tomatoes are grown and strawberries left a fifth of children pink-faced when they got it wrong. Three per cent of primary school children thought potatoes grew on trees and one in 20 kids thought that's where carrots came from.
However, more than half of today's cosmopolitan kids know that olives grow on trees.
The survey was conducted for the launchofan initiative bythe MarieCurie Cancer Care charity which will see 2400 schools planting their daffodil bulbs.
Desperate Richard Duggleby, of Yell, said: "The research shows that gardening is low down the pecking order of children's leisure activities but they are desperate for the chance to switch off the TV and spend moretimehelpinginthegarden."
Former pop singer-turned-gardener Kim Wilde, who is a spokeswoman for the initiative, said: "Gardening is a great way for children to get active.
"This scheme lets children experience the pleasure of nurturing a growing plant, whilst making a positive difference to the lives of people with cancer
Kids north of the Border get an average of nearly 100minutes of daily play time, nearly twice the amount enjoyed by their peers in London who get 58 minutes The study of 2000 children aged four to 11 reveals that two thirds want to spend more time outdoors getting grubby. Only a quarter prefer watching TV and 24 per cent prefer playing video games over playing outside.
Nearly a quarter of those who want to spend more time outside say parents don't let them in case they get dirty.
Fifteen per cent of children choose to stay indoors to avoid the risk of getting their clothes dirty, said the survey by phone directory firm Yell.
