Nature’s Vitamin D

By: Faith Baca

At Pueblo County High School, students cannot go outside during school hours unless they sit outside during lunch or at the end of the school day. Students of all ages should be able to go outside for at least 7 minutes, especially now that it's fall and not as hot outside.   
          
“Seven minutes a day is barely enough time to begin to imagine the premise of a game,” according to the article,  “Seven Minutes Outside: the Collapse of Childhood Play”
     
 Kids should be able to go outside for their health. Being in nature can reduce stress and make you feel calmer by increasing oxygen. Being in the sun improves your mood, concentration, and vitamin D exposure. 
  
If you go outside in the fall, you can see the leaves on the trees change color and start falling. They do that because they stop producing chlorophyll.

Being outside strengthens your immune system by bringing in fresh air, and it reduces stress and anxiety by lowering stress hormones and calming your nervous system. 
 
“Being outside makes me calm down when I am stressed,”  said Freshman Sofia Gonzales

In the fall, people get more sleep because the shorter days and less sunlight make your bodies produce more melatonin, which makes them more tired in the evening.

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/seven-minutes-outside-the-collapse-of-childhood-play/