Read 'n' Seed 2: First quarter of "Last Child in the Woods"

I just read the first quarter of "Last Child in the Woods." I read up to chapter six which was 70 pages. I was very impressed with how Louv, the author handled the issues that were presented.

The first chapter is entitled Gifts of Nature and discusses how much nature has to offer us. It is compared to what we are offered by watching television. The main idea is that nature allows us to use all of our senses and our imagination and creativity. He also compares nature to Ritalin. I never had really thought about it, but after spending time outside I am much more relaxed even if the activity is high in energy. Louv also discusses how much less children play outside now then compared to how much their parents did. Many parents don't allow their children to simply go run in the woods without them. He calls this lack of time outside nature deficit.

 The time period that we live in now is called The Third Frontier and is discussed in chapter two. The chapter spends time discussing these four ideas:

1.   "For the young, food is from Venus, farming is from Mars."
2.   The end of biological absolutes. Are we mice or are we men? Or both?
3.   A hyperintellectualized perception of other animals.
4.   Contact with nature: so close yet so far 

 The third chapter is entitled "The Criminalization of Natural Play" and discusses how we cant explore the land in ways that we used to. A tree fort now requires a building permit. There are city laws about "injuring" wildlife and plants. Climbing a tree in a city park would be considered injuring it. Part II of the book discusses the health benefits of being outside. It compares how many children are being diagnosed with ADHD and the amount of time spent outside. I did not realize how many kindergarten students are diagnosed with depression and take medication. Louv also makes a connection with parents unwillingness to allow their children to wander outside and a lack of social skills. When I think about my childhood neighborhood, I think about how we wandered from yard to yard and park to park. If children aren't allowed to wander outside or even walk to their friends house are they missing out on social skills?

 I learned so many things while reading this first quarter. I found it very interesting that little research has been done on the subject. This is because in the fifties no one thought that things would change so there is no record of time spent outside. Also little research is being done today because of money. There really are no companies that would benefit from promoting children spend time in the woods. Therefore there is a lack of funding. One statistic that stood out to me is that "In the United States, children ages six to eleven spend about thirty hours a week looking at a TV or computer monitor." That's almost the same time as a full time job!

 I look forward to reading more about the implications of being nature deficit. The main thing is that we simply need to spend more time outside. We can play or just lay on the grass but it is very important to stimulate all of the senses! More and more children are being diagnosed with behavioral issues as well as becoming obese. These may not be cured by spending time outside, but it can certainly help! I'm having issues with Blogger currently, but will hopefully have some links and pictures available soon!