I was listening to the radio while driving this morning and I happened to come across a talk show on a local radio station that was interviewing the child advocacy author, Richard Louv. He was promoting his book, Last Child In The Woods, which is subtitled, "Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder".
As I tuned in, Louv was talking about the type of childhood playing outdoors that those of us growing up in the previous generations experienced. Most of us remember the fun we had in our freedom to explore our surroundings and play creatively -- without a lot of the artificial environments and restrictions imposed today on children in the name of security and as a result of community developments.
The back cover of the book states: "In his landmark work Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv brought together cutting-edge studies that pointed to direct exposure to nature as essential for a child's healthy physical and emotional development. Now this new addition updates the growing body of evidence linking the lack of nature in children's lives and the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Louv's message has galvanized an international back-to-nature campaign. His book will change the way you think about our future and the future of our children." It proves children need nature as much as nature needs children.
Richard Louv is the author of seven books. He is the chairman of the Children & Nature Network, has served as adviser to the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World award program and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. He has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, NPR's Morning Edition, and many other programs.
For more resources to help you, your family and community make sure that "no child is left inside", check out the Children and Nature Network web site, who's purpuse is to build a movement to reconnect children and nature.
The site's "About Us" page states that "The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. C&NN provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being. The vision and mission of the Children & Nature Network is to give every child in every community a wide range of opportunities to experience nature directly, reconnecting our children with nature's joys and lessons, its profound physical and mental bounty." (Alternate address: www.cnaturenet.org)
Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.
;)
Links;)
Tags (Tag Cloud);)
Archives
