Many three-year-olds know their way around a computer these days. But take them outside and they may scream if they see an ant. Do you have any problem with that?
The Playright Children's Play Association does, so it is working to 'bring back the happiness' of playing outdoors in the natural environment, even within the confines of the modern concrete jungle. To this end, it has found a like-minded corporate partner in Melco International Development.
Melco, a Hong Kong-listed gaming and entertainment company founded in 1910, has a long history of contributing to the communities it serves. Lately, the group's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes have focused on youth, education and the environment - three areas Melco perceives as pivotal to the sustainable growth and well-being of a new generation in Asia.
The notion of good, old-fashioned play as an essential element in the development of a happy, well-rounded individual is gaining worldwide momentum. Moves to put the play back into childhood through initiatives, such as forest schools and other outdoor activities, are being launched in several countries. In Hong Kong, Playright's Melco Environmental Play project is groundbreaking.
Kathy Wong, director of Playright, stresses the importance of unstructured childhood play in the natural environment. 'It is a crucial factor influencing the development of life-long conservation values and the holistic development of children,' she says.
The programme, now into its fourth year of financial sponsorship and volunteer participation by Melco and its staff, counters a culture where people have become disconnected with nature. 'Children live in a material world. They are surrounded by artificial things, including 'plastic' food, and protective parents who keep them indoors where they will stay safe,' Wong explains.