Kids do not just go camping, parents take them and train them. When I grew up my mom, a full time homemaker, did all the trip planning, food preparation and packed everything. My dad came home from work and drove the car to the campground. Moms nowadays are stretched thin and few have time for this. Also, kids are too regulated nowadays - little free play outdoors. Their weekends are all scheduled - little league, soccar, dance, this or that lesson, etc.

I think also the fees that are now charged for campgrounds do not help. It used to be free. Plus with the reservation system, with kids, how do you know enough to reserve a campground 6 months ahead?

Television and technology have done their damage too. Kids now expect to be continually entertained. I do not even camp at campgrounds anymore because if there are families, they are in RV's and have boom boxes and TV's.

And it is not just kids. Adults are too busy and too out of shape to get outdoors. Gyms are more popular because you can go for a few hours.

In spite of the lack of actually going outdoors, they do teach more environmental subjects in the schools than when I went. Most kids now get a lot of school training on wildlife, enviornment and recycling. So I am not sure that just because kids do not spend as much time outdoors that they do not value the environment.