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Spend the night outside at the Schuylkill Center's Great American Backyard Campout June 24

PHILADELPHIA - For one night only, Philadelphia-area residents can spend the night at the Schuylkill Center, at the annual Great American Backyard Campout, in collaboration with the National Wildlife Federation. The Schuylkill Center joins dozens of parks and nature centers across the nation and over 12,000 campers for the 13th annual event.

Families can camp under the stars in the Schuylkill Center's woodlands and take a first step into a lifetime filled with healthy, outdoor fun. Campers will cook outdoors, go on a night hike, tell stories around the campfire, and meet animals from the Schuylkill Center Wildlife Clinic. Wake up Sunday morning to breakfast, and canoeing.

An younger generations spend less and less time outdoors – with the average American child getting just half an hour of free time outside each week, the Great American Backyard Campout is a national effort to connect families with nature across the country. The program is a part of National Wildlife Federation's 10 Million Kids Outdoors Campaign. This initiative seeks a future in which all children spend time outside each day, creating a generation of happier and healthier children with more awareness and connection to the natural world.

To sign-up for the Great American Backyard Campout at the Schuylkill Center, see www.schuylkillcenter.org or call 215-482-7300, x137. Cost is $40/person, with discounts for Schuylkill Center members

About the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education

The Schuylkill Center was founded in 1965 as the nation's first urban environmental education center. Its 365-acres of fields and forests serve as a living laboratory to foster appreciation, deepen understanding, and encourage stewardship of the environment. Reaching over 36,000 Philadelphia-area residents each year, the Schuylkill Center offers a diverse collection of educational programs, including programs for school, continuing education for teachers, Pennsylvania's first Nature Preschool, and a full calendar of events for the public. For more information: www.schuylkillcenter.org.