In this influential work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert richard louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation mdash he calls it nature deficit mdash to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. last child in the woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond mdash and many are right in our own backyard. This new edition reflects the enormous changes that have taken place since the book was originally published. It includes: 100 actions you can take to create change in your community, school, and family. 35 discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.

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A new progress report by the author about the growing leave no child inside movement. New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. last child in the woods: saving our children from nature deficit disorder has spurred a national dialogue among educators, health professionals, parents, developers and conservationists. This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children. Rdquo mdash oprah winfrey's 2011 summer reading list ldquo a summons home to the nature that nourishes the best human qualities of creativity, intelligence, connection, and compassion.

Rdquo now in paperback! in his bestselling book last child in the woods. Richard louv sparked a national debate that spawned an international movement to reconnect kids and nature. He coined the term nature deficit disorder influenced national policy and helped inspire campaigns in over eighty cities, states, and provinces throughout north america. Supported by groundbreaking research, anecdotal evidence, and compelling personal stories, louv identifies seven basic concepts that can help us reshape our lives. By tapping into the restorative powers of nature, we can boost mental acuity and creativity promote health and wellness build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies and ultimately strengthen human bonds. Louv makes a convincing case that we are entering the most creative period in history, that in fact the twenty first century will be the era of human restoration in the natural world. This encouraging and influential work offers renewed optimism while challenging us to rethink the way we live.

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ϻ�persuasive speech august 2013 name: indigo kretzschmar topic: nature deficit disorder general purpose: to persuade specific purpose: by the end of my speech, my audience will learn the importance of outdoor play for today’s children. After you listen to me today, you will hopefully encourage more outdoor play for today’s children c. Being a mother and a teacher in today’s world, i see the lack of interest by children to go outside and play d. First, i’ll tell you what nature deficit disorder is, second i’ll tell you the benefits of more outdoor exposure, third i’ll tell you what you can do to change the future. Transition statement: so now let me tell you where the term nature deficit disorder came from. Nature deficit disorder is not a medical condition it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature.

Richard louv, child advocate and author of last child in the woods created this term to describe the disconnection between children and nature 1. The author says children are spending more time indoors, and when they do go outside, they're most likely to be on their way to soccer practice or some other structured activity. The result, he says, is that kids are out of touch with fields, streams and woods. According to a study done by sandra hofferth at the university of maryland, from ’97 ’03, there was a decline of 50% of children 9 12 who spent time in outside activities. According to duke university child and well being index, the rates of violent crimes against young people have fallen well below 1975 levels. Studies conducted in association with the kaiser family foundation, found that children ages 8 18 years old spent an average of 6.5 hours a day plugged in electronically! transition statement: i have told you about the lack of nature in our children’s lives, now i’ll you the benefits of more exposure to nature.

Could nature therapy be a new option for add attention deficit disorder treatment or even autism? 1. Environmental psychologists reported in 2003 that that nature in or around the home, or simply a room with a view of a natural landscape, helped protect the psychological well being of the children. The human environment research laboratory at the university of illinois, researchers have discovered that children as young as five showed a significant reduction in the symptoms of attention deficit disorder when they engaged with nature. The cdc found that the amount of tv that children watch directly correlates with measures of their body fat 2. It makes me think about how nowadays you see children watching tv in the car on a road trip instead of observing the natural beauty right outside their window 3.

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Carolina state university, primary experience of nature is being replaced by the secondary, vicarious, often distorted, dual sensory vision and sound only , one way experience of television and other electronic media. Children live through their senses and this interaction with the outdoor world is essential for their healthy development 3. Autism is described as tunneled senses, and feeling of isolation and containment 4. Researchers have found that children with disabilities gain enhanced body image and positive behavior changes through direct interaction with nature.

By timothy egan

march 29, 2012

tucson your day breaks, your mind aches for something stimulating to match the stirrings of the season. The gate at the urban edge is open, here to the santa catalina mountains, and yet you turn inward, to pixels and particle board vistas. A third of all american adults check, it just went up to 35.7 percent are obese. The french don’t even have a word for fat, paul rudnick mused in a mock parisian tone in the new yorker last week. And, of course, our national branding comes with a host of deadly side effects: heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain kinds of cancer. Medical costs associated with obesity and inactivity are nearly $150 billion a year. Cripes: maybe surgery is the answer, or a menu of energy drinks and vodka the ann coulter diet?.

We spend more than $50 billion on the diet industrial complex and have little to show for it or too much. They took in vitamin d from the sun, and learned to tell a crow from a raven ravens are larger crows have a more nasal call so say the birders. And then, in less than a generation’s time, millions of people completely decoupled themselves from nature. There’s a term for the consequences of this divorce between human and habitat nature deficit disorder, coined by the writer richard louv in a 2005 book, last child in the woods. It sounds trendy, a bit of sociological shorthand, but give the man and his point a listen. Louv argued that certain behavioral problems could be caused by the sharp decline in how little time children now spend outdoors, a trend updated in the latest recreation participation report. The number of boys ages 6 to 12 who engage in some kind of outdoor activity, in particular, continues to slide.

Kids who do play outside are less likely to get sick, to be stressed or become aggressive, and are more adaptable to life’s unpredictable turns, louv said. The average young american now spends practically every minute except for the time in school – using a smartphone, computer, television or electronic device, my colleague tamar lewin reported in 2010. You can blame technology, but behind every screen dominant upbringing is an overly cautious parent. Studies show exposure to the randomness of nature may actually boost the immune system. Suburbs of denver are aflame this week, and much of the united states is getting ready for the tantrums of hurricane and tornado season, boosted by atmospheric instability. Last week, an australian mountaineer named lincoln hall died at the age of 56, and in the drama of that life cut short is a parable of sorts. Hall is best known for surviving a night at more than 28,0 feet on mount everest, in 2006.

He’d become disoriented near the summit, and couldn’t move to the peril of his sherpas. But the next day, a group of climbers found hall sitting up, jacket unzipped, mumbling, badly frostbitten but alive. Still, having survived perhaps the most inhospitable, dangerous and life killing perch on the planet, hall died in middle age of a human caused malady from urban life mesothelioma, attributed to childhood exposure to asbestos. Various groups, from the outdoor co op rei to the trust for public land, have have been working to ensure that kids have more contact with the alpine world than one lined with asbestos. And they don’t even have to haul children off to a distant mountain to get some benefit.