The trend away from outdoor play in children is having a significant impact on the health of today's youth, as well as their stewardship and interest in the environment. Take a Child Outside Week aims to combat this trend through a series of events to be held September 24-30, 2013.

Events include the screening of the documentary Mother Nature's Child, outdoor programs, guided hikes, and environmental education workshops led by the Champaign, Urbana, and Champaign County park districts. The final event will be a comminity forum with input from child and nature experts, scholars, and students from the University. Author Richard Lov, who wrote Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, will also speak at the forum.

The goal of the event is to create a dialogue in the University community that concerns maintaining interest in sustainability and the environment in future generations.