Nearly everyone has heard a grandfather's stories about how he walked five miles to grade school, each way, often in blinding blizzards or blazing heat. Chances are it was uphill in both directions and each adventure-filled trip created memories to last a lifetime.

Nowadays, some say, children are typically bused to school and ferried around in the family minivan. After school, video games and movie reruns are more popular than making face paint from juniper berries and pretending to be an Indian.

In a recent article in "The Sun" magazine, Richard Louv, a journalist who coined the term "nature deficit disorder," notes that nature is rarely mentioned in the national debate on childhood obesity.

Broken bones have been replaced by repetitive-stress injuries caused by video games and computer keyboards. Children's activities, Louv argues, seem more restrictive than ever, and that could have consequences down the road, beyond a super-sized nation.

"It's not just the spotted owl that's endangered in nature; it's the human child," Louv stated in the article, which appeared in the February 2007 issue of the magazine. "And if children aren't going outside today, who is going to care about the spotted owl 15 years from now?"

Those with an eye on the future can breathe a little easier, at least in Helena, where there's a move afoot to unite parents for family-friendly day trips and equipping their young ones with the latest in outdoor gear.

"I think our kids are too plugged in right now," said Jennifer Harris, owner of Outdoor Kidfitters Co. in downtown Helena. "It's not like we can totally get away from technology. But how can we mix the two together so it's more balanced? It's too one-sided right now."

Harris, a California native, fondly remembers the months she spent primitive camping in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Now, the mother of three who moved to Helena four years ago wants to pass her love of the outdoors on to her children, and help other parents do the same while fitting their children for the elements.

Harris grins at the very mention of Louv's book, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder." She knows the subject matter well and buys into Louv's argument that if parents don't get kids off the couch and out the door, then who's going to defend the country's precious resources down the road?

Health and science reports have long warned of a rise in childhood obesity and other health problems. The epidemic of overweight children correlates with technological advances like video games and the home computer. But that one is easy to peg.

Closer to home, Harris says, there may be something else - something much easier to resolve. For starters, she says, Montana's population is growing and that means new residents. But many newcomers may not know the area, or even how to get outdoors. So she wants to help them unite.

Before the snow began to fly and the weather turned cold, Harris and other Helena parents began holding kid-friendly hikes in conjunction with the Montana Discovery Foundation.

Once the holidays are over, the upstart network of outdoor families will gear up for snowshoe outings and child-friendly cross-country ski trips. Harris' store will rent kid-sized skis and snowshoes soon.

"It's why we do these things, so other parents can meet one another and form bonds and relationships and get out there with their kids," Harris said. "Our goal is to show parents how you do this stuff with kids, because it's a lot different than going out there by yourself."

The impetus behind Outdoor Kidfitters turns out to be a rather simple story. In a nutshell, Harris said, there wasn't much in the way of outdoor gear for children 13 years and younger - an age when kids begin forming lifelong habits. With that in mind, she decided to open her own store and sell the children's gear locally.

"We carry a lot of parent-owned, kid-specific companies like Outside Babies and Mountain Sprouts, where all they do is kid's outerwear," said Harris. "We do have bigger brand names, and we're going to be renting kids cross-country skis and snowshoes, along with a Wilderness Engineering 'Hinder Shuttle.' "

As Harris explains it, the Hinder Shuttle is something like a stroller on skis, which a parent can tow while going cross-country or snowshoeing. Other items include backpacks to carry the baby into the woods, along with outdoor shoes for children, small Nalgene bottles, jackets, helmets and books related to, you guessed it, kids and the outdoors.

In the four months Outdoor Kidfitters has been open, Harris and company have created inroads toward their goal of getting parents and kids back into the outdoors. They've also made new friends, like Erin Lanigan and Heather Dunmyer, two mothers who spend their share of time at the shop.

"Our kids, very rarely, are watching television," said Lanigan, holding her son George. "We think the outdoors is really important, not just for kids but for the whole family to be out and doing stuff."

Dunmyer, who recently moved to Helena from northern California, found the Kidfitters store while looking to equip her 2-year-old daughter Bella for the cold Montana weather.

"Bella and I walk as much as we can," said Dunmyer. "We try not to get in the car too much. She hasn't ever watched any TV or played on the computer yet."

Louv raises a number of questions regarding children and the outdoors. He suggests that the increase in antidepressants for kids could be because children are missing out on the calming effect of nature.

He also promotes the "loose-parts theory," which suggests that the more loose parts there are in an environment, the more creative the play. Our environment, he adds, shapes us and has much to do with who we are.

"I was lucky to have parents who introduced me to nature," Louv said. "Being outdoors gave me a sense of balance and a little bit of escape from family problems."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com