The great outdoors is as close as your own back yard.

As part of a nationwide campaign to help reconnect young people to the outdoors, the National Wildlife Federation has set June 28 as the date for the annual Great American Backyard Campout.

The agency reports that American kids average 44 hours per week staring at electronic screens, TV, video games and computers, and many spend little or no time playing or exploring outdoors. For the first time in America's history, an entire generation is growing up disconnected from nature -- a condition author Richard Louv calls "nature deficit disorder." This can lead to a weaker immune system, greater dependency on drugs to combat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), lost creativity and less self-sufficiency. And NWF officials fear it may make the next generation less interested in supporting environmental causes.

The Great American Campout encourages kids and parents to share an unplugged evening in the back yard contemplating the stars, listening to nocturnal wildlife, preparing a meal al fresco and adapting to the outdoor environment.

"We're trying to push this to these communities where kids spend little time outdoors," said NWF representative Ashleigh Poff, "to combat the trend of nature-deficit disorder and invite people to take a chance. You don't necessarily have to go to a national park. You could take blankets and pillows into the yard and make a tent out of a tarp. You don't even need grass -- a rooftop would be fine. It's about connecting to the outdoors and building a sense of community."

A Web site at www.backyardcamp out.org provides packing lists, recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, exploration activities and more.