Retro Thursday: Senior Citizen Skip Day in the National Parks

It seems like every generation of high school students adopts some sort of Senior Skip Day. It's usually a day near to the graduation date when all the seniors skip classes en masse and head out to some major recreational venue such as an amusement park, a baseball game season opener, campground, etc.

Traditions vary on the implementation. Some events are supposed to be a secret like the kegger at a secret rendezvous in the woods or on a farm, whereas some schools allow the student government to coordinate the happenings, thus effectively granting a school sanction to something that is supposed to have a hint of scandal.

High school seniors eventually turn into senior citizens. That doesn't mean that Senior Skip Day traditions shouldn't end nor should senior citizen appreciation of the great outdoors. The Humana Corporation and more than a dozen other national sponsors such as Subaru, Disney, REI, American Express, and even Budweiser concur. They want you to skip what you are doing and get outside, preferably into any of more than 400 national parks and monuments administered by the National Park Service.

Why? Because there is widespread Nature Deficit Disorder throughout the culture, especially in children.

“the proportion of 9-12 year olds who engage in outside activities such as hiking, walking, fishing, beach play, and gardening has declined by 50 percent ...(and) children’s free play time in a typical week has declined by a total of nine hours over a 25-year period”

Even seniors suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder.

On the Retro Thursday of October 8th, 2015 seniors citizens can get free access to any US national park. Wouldn't that date be a great excuse to take some kids on an outdoor adventure? How about your kids, the grand children, the neighbor kids, or other special youth populations? Hey, better idea! Take both a child AND a senior citizen that might normally be confined to a nursing home or assisted living center. What a great intergenerational experience that could become for everyone!

To skip out and take advantage of the free day in nature use the Find Your Park website to locate a place to have your own adventure. Can't find a participating national park nearby? Consider using the Americas State Parks  site to locate a state park to visit.

Whatever you do get in your RV or car go where you can appreciate nature and rediscover the awe of nature.