It’s hard to imagine a kid growing up in Maine and not spending hour after hour in the outdoors.

Unless you’re the parent of one. Then you probably know how tough the competition can be.

The notion of “Nature Deficit Disorder” has been kicking around for a couple years. Richard Louv’s 2005 book, “Last Child in the Woods,” gave the name to a trend that had become plain to parents and park rangers - kids are spending less unstructured time in the back yard or the back woods, and it’s affecting their bodies and minds.

Studies show kids who do get outside are more likely to do well in school, have better self discipline and tend to become more conservation-minded citizens, among other things. The Nature Channel isn’t quite as good as the real thing, it turns out.

There’s no disputing that this generation of youngsters spends a lot more time in front of keyboards, staring at screens, gripping game controllers and getting shuttled around to organized competitions. And kids do seem to get bored faster. (They sometimes don’t even listen to entire songs on their ipods. Just the good parts!) Shooing them outside for an hour can be torture – and the kids don’t like it either.

It’s not just the electronic competition for their attention, according to Louv and other experts. There’s a general state of fear — of everything from Lyme disease to abduction – that has made parents more protective and kids less adventurous, they say.

The trend gets some of the blame for a steady decline in visitors to places like Baxter State Park and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

Now, Maine’s Department of Conservation and other state agencies are preparing to shoo kids outdoors with a campaign they’re calling, “No Child Left Inside.” The details are being worked out and will be announced this month.

“That’s going to be one of our main goals for the year – to increase the number of kids getting outside,” said Conservation Commissioner Pat McGowan.

McGowan grew up in Maine when the woods were a primary source of entertainment and said he’s convinced a lot of kids wouldn’t need medications or counseling if they got out more. “Hiking works,” he said.

Of course, when you can’t get the kids to the wilderness, you can bring nature to the kids.

That’s Laura Newman’s job at Portland Trails. While the land trust encourages kids and others to use its 30 miles of accessible trails around the city, Newman runs the organization’s school ground greening program. It provides money and technical help to bring trees and gardens to school yards and help kids feel more natural in nature.

Too bad governments and non-profits have to create formal programs to encourage something that used to come so natural. But it’s an adaptation, kind of like gym memberships for adults who spend their days sitting in cubicles and cars.

It might be hard to overcome the lure of all that fun technology. But it’s Maine and it’s almost summer. That’s pretty sweet medicine.

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