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| Curing Nature - Deficit Disorder |
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Is the era of free-range children winding down? Social observers and critics are speculating on the basis of little empirical evidence, that a variety of cultural pressures have pushed children too far from the natural world. The disconnection does not bode well for either the children or nature.
Few scientific studies exist that document that children spend less time exploring nature today. Nor, are there many scientific studies outlining the ways they benefit from being where the while things roam. After all, mother nature does not commission research to sell her product. Nevertheless, doctors, teachers, therapists, and parents have been saying for years that kids spend too much time before TVs and video screens, scheduled for sports and various lessons, or sequestered behind locked doors. There is an intuitive concern that children need more opportunities to interact with nature. Author Richard Louv has now focused on the issue. In his new book, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature - Deficit Disorder" (Algonquin Books) he urges parents to restore childhood to the unplugged and unprogrammed state of casual outdoor play that they may remember from their own youth. It's a wake up call to challenge the latent attitude that nature is no longer important. Fortunately, the Triangle region is becoming better prepared to respond to the needs of free-range children. As the landscape transforms from rural, to suburban, to urban, a regional greenways network is being conserved. The protected streams and riparian forests are available as informal and formal outdoor classrooms/laboratories to be explored as natural wonders. This green infrastructure assures the public that close to home locations will exist to treat nature-deficit disorder. |
Greenways meet an ever growing need, a need to leave the hectic city (if only for a moment) and to experience earth beneath your feet and fresh air in your lungs – to feel life and to feel alive.
— VICTORIA LOGUE
— VICTORIA LOGUE
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