I've been reading Richard Louv's book,"Last Child in the woods" recently. I was intrigued by his phrase,"Nature Deficit Disorder" and really wanted to learn more about this. His book is extremely interesting, a good read. Basically speaking, Nature deficit disorder occurs when children no longer have access too or are allowed, outside. Thus, according to Louv, a whole range of behavioral disorders set in.
I remembered seeing a photo not so long ago of a child, sitting with a DS, by the side of the largest and oldest tree in the USA. This child was playing on his DS, whilst his family visited the tree. It was quite a sight. The child was more interested in the game than experiencing the awe and wonder of this sight. It brought home a few realities about modern life to me and to the others who saw the photo.
I've been quite fascinated by the research around getting children outdoors more and into the woods. In Northern Ontario we are so fortunate to have so many places for children to be outside and experience the forests. What is holding us back in allowing our children more time outside and away from computers, televisions and structured sports events?
www.childnature.ca
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