The Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) partners with the US Forest Service to launch The Children and Nature Initiative – "Where Is The Great Outdoors?"

The Children and Nature Initiative promotes the general physical and mental health of America’s children by helping them get back outdoors to play.

The Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) has been invited by the US Forest Service to partner in this noble, nation-wide program. Working with a group of outdoor specialists and educators, MCT http://www.mctinc.org has developed an interactive, engaging assembly called Where is the Great Outdoors?, currently being presented as a complement to the MCT International Tours programs. The assembly, as it pertains to daily outdoor play, helps kids reconnect with their emotions and senses pertaining to outdoor activities. The US Forest Service, National Wildlife Federation, People for Puget Sound and others will be linked together through a follow-up website of the same name, http://www.whereisthegreatoutdoors.com.

The goal of this portal website is to bring all like-minded organizations together to further engage kids and families nationwide with things natural near their home place and get them outdoors to play, discover and learn. The decline in active outdoor play (down 50% since 1980) has had a profound effect on the American child’s physical and mental well being.

Childhood obesity, lack of exercise and unhealthy lifestyle choices have been long-developing social issues and the solutions will be long term as well. A second phase of the initiative will be launched in early 2011 as MCT adds a new tour show title that will help kids understand their place in nature. Once added to the mix of touring MCT shows, the new show title will remain active in the repertoire for 5 years. This will give communities and schools the opportunity to focus an entire week of activities around children and nature related activities. It will also give the Forest Service an opportunity to connect volunteers with the schools and community to provide additional assistance with place-based educational programs.

By embracing dialogue and action regarding children’s health and healthy lifestyle choices, MCT is seizing the opportunity to further realize its mission – The development of life-skills in children through participation in the performing arts. It’s all connected.

MCT BY THE NUMBERS

The Missoula Children’s Theatre is the world’s largest touring children’s theatre.

• MCT began operations in 1970.

• MCT’s International Tour is now in its 37th year.

Projections for next 12 months:

• MCT will complete more than 1,200 Residencies worldwide.

• 65,000 children will perform in MCT shows.

• 750,000 people will watch an MCT show.

• 650,000 Adults

• 25,000 High-school youth

• 55,000 Middle-school youth

• 15,000 Kindergarten and 1st-grade youth

• 5,000 Special needs youth

• The 1,200+ residencies will be commissioned by:

• 780 Rural communities 1,000 to 50,000 in population

• 360 Urban communities 50,000 or more in population

• 142 US military bases worldwide

• One million highway miles will be logged by MCT vehicles.

• In the summer of 2009, 47 teams from the MCT International Tour (94 professional Tour Actor/Directors) began visiting communities across North America and abroad—in all 50 states, 15 countries, 4 Canadian Provinces and 2 Territories.