Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

[Sarah]

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
4 Stars

I commented to a fellow co-worker the other day, that I thought perhaps we were living in the middle ages because so many families at our school were complaining of their children being outside ( a licensing requirement, never mind just a good idea) because they thought their children would get sick. It hasn't snowed heavily in awhile and the temperature has been very warm for Minnesota.
This book addresses the issue of the children of today being so disconnected from nature and the problems that come along with it. The author clearly has some strong ideas and I liked many of the very practical, if not imperative, ideas to counteract some of the issues within more urban areas. Of course there was naturally the discussion that screen time has on children, and I feel that is very much a large part of the issue. If we are to make a serious dent in getting people outdoors, let alone have appreciation for it, we will literally have to put it right in their faces.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I had to read this title to my husband. We both laughed. We live maybe 200 yards from true wilderness and every spring we have to look out for bears on our morning walks. Getting children to come indoors is more of a problem.

But that just goes to show you how different are our lives from those in cities, where I haven't lived for nearly 40 years. Even then, my children were mostly outdoors. Times do change.

[Sarah]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I had to read this title to my husband. We both laughed. We live maybe 200 yards from true wilderness and every spring we have to look out for bears on our morning walks. Getting children to come i..."

I might have giggled as well if I had seen this book before I became a teacher. I grew up playing outside and being in nature was encouraged by parents. Interestingly enough the book talks about how the number of people visiting national parks has dropped, so I think there is a cost and accessibility issue as well.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I suspect part of the problem goes back 20 or more years when children playing outdoors were a magnet for pedophiles and kidnappers. There was a lot of it on the news. So now children aren't allowed outdoors without parental supervision, which is hard to come by when most parents are out earning a living during the day. It is a time of organized play on the weekends.

[Jgrace]

This book has been on my list for a long time. I have fond memories of wandering in the woods near my home in New Jersey as a kid. My own children were not so fortunate.

[Booknblues]

Sarah wrote: "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
4 Stars

I commented to a fellow co-worker the other day, that I thought perhaps we were livi..."

Sarah, I saw you were reading this book and was so glad as this is something that I feel very strongly about. You and I are both in the same profession and I have been doing it for a long, long time. There is so much good research coming out about the benefits of children being outside.

I grew up in upstate NY on a farm and we were outside in all sorts of weather and yet in CA where it is never really cold we have parents ask if we will be keeping the children inside, I am quite honest with them and tell them that it is never cold enough to keep their children inside in CA.

I wish we were like the Scandinavian countries, where they say there is no bad weather just bad clothing.

That being said we try to have the children outside as much as possible and have fruit trees, raised beds for gardens and have recently allowed the children to climb trees .

I'd be happy to talk to you more about this.

[Blueberry]

There are complete homeschool curriculums built around outdoor nature study. We included alot of it in our homeschooling years.
I also enjoyed the book when I read it some years ago.

[Book Concierge]

I grew up in the '50s and '60s ... we were outside from morning to dusk (which a break at mid-day because the Texas sun is really hot in summer). We learned from our parents and grandparents about the flora and fauna of the area .. how to recognize a bird's call, or a coyote's tracks. And yes, I lived in a city (San Antonio).

I feel sorry for kids who don't have that connection these days.

[Sara]

I am so glad to see another review of this book. I read it a few years ago, and it really made an impact on me. I send my kids outside every chance I get. We are lucky enough thag our house backs up to a wooded greenway that will never be developed. My bigger problem is keeping my boys free of ticks. That said, I feel likd many times I have to force my kids to go outside. I seem to recall the opposite problem when I was young and had to be pulled back indoors.

His book The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder is another interesting look at this problem, though its focus is on adults.

[Sarah]

Booknblues wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
4 Stars

I commented to a fellow co-worker the other day, that I thought perhap..."

You and I could probably tell some tales. We always just tell the families at work we have rules about what temps are too cold or hot, and then we have an indoor facility for those times or when it is raining. I currently am following an American teacher who married a woman from Finland. A couple years ago they decided to move and raise their children there. He writes a lot about the differences in how Scandinavians are approaching education, especially recess and outdoor time. I think we have a lot to learn from other countries, but we are bigger in population than some and I think that there is a mindset and cultural change that would need to take place for significant change to occur.

[Nicole R]

I 100% think kids should spend more time outdoors. I also recognize challenges and limitations to that in some geographic areas. Not to say there are not ways to overcome those challenges, but it is not always as simple as shoving your kid outside with a bike and telling him/her to go play like when many of us (myself included!) were younger.

I read this book many years ago and had the privilege of seeing Mr. Louv speak. He is obviously well-educated on the topic and is very passionate about it, but in both his book and lecture I was disappointed that he did not offer potential solutions to the problem.