“Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”
by Richard Louv (Algonquin Books, 9781565126053, $14.95)
Are today’s kids losing touch with nature? Journalist and prominent
children’s advocate Richard Louv believes they are, and in “Last Child in
the Woods,” he argues that the causes and effects of this loss deserve the
attention of parents, educators, and everyone involved in the lives of young
people.
As America has become more urban and suburban, he says, as electronic
entertainments have gained popularity, and as families have become more
fearful and less likely to venture out of doors, our children have less and
less direct experience of the natural world. Louv describes this reality as
more than a simple sad fact. He argues that this change strongly affects
young people’s physical health by decreasing vigorous activity and
contributing toward obesity and disease. It leads to shortened attention
spans and to replacing patience and calm with anxiety and strong drives for
immediate gratification. It also changes, dramatically, what they know about
the world and how they know it.
Presenting findings from diverse surveys and studies, Louv points out that
less time playing outdoors and exploring nature yields children who are
inexperienced in using their physical senses, in observing, in making
predications about animals, plants, weather, and landscapes. It lessons
their ability to learn and squanders their innate aptitudes for science and
reasoning and for many related areas of comprehension and learning. It leads
to children being alienated from their surroundings, to kids who are
ignorant of where their food comes from and how natural forces shape our
world.
But “Last Child in the Woods” isn’t a prediction of doom. Louv spends much
of the book finding ways for parents and teachers to reintroduce children to
nature. This newly released, updated paperback edition includes points for
group discussion, lists of great Web resources and field guides, and lots of
suggested action points to help heal the breach he identifies. Some points
are for policy-makers, but many are simple actions anyone can take: helping
a child learn to listen and pay attention to the nature around him,
identifying the crawlies living under a scrap of board laid on bare dirt,
observing clouds and matching them to the weather they most likely indicate.
There’s no rocket science here, it’s easy, everyday--but important--stuff.
“Last Child in the Woods” isn’t a shrill, depressing warning, nor is it
another diagnosis of dysfunction for today’s much-studied kids. Instead,
it’s an early call to reasonable, common sense action, and it’s filled with
thoughtful, thought-provoking ideas. Richard Louv is a writer who has taken
time to listen carefully to children, their parents, and their teachers, and
to think about the world we’re all growing up in. His words carry a great
deal of hope, and his book absolutely rewards the curious reader.
Review by
Mark David Bradshaw, June 4, 2008
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