Last Child in the Woods Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder
Last Child in the Woods Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv was the first to identify a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn’t quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. His book Last Child in the Woods created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now, three years after its initial publication, we have reached a tipping point, with Leave No Child Inside initiatives adopted in at least 30 regions within 21 states, and in Canada, Holland, Australia, and Great Britain.
This new edition reflects the enormous changes that have taken place since the book—and this grassroots movement— were launched. It includes:
• 101 Things you can do to create change in your community, school, and family.
• Discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.
• A new afterword 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.
This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars One star off for…
I loved this book, but…
The author advocates schools taking their kids to wild spaces. I’ve seen what happens. The kids run around in a loud, hyperactive mob, not paying attention to anything, and not really even catching more than fleeting glimpses of things because they have never been trained to be still and observe. The worst of the children destroy and maim while the overworked teachers and chaperones are busy elsewhere. The kids don’t really learn anything even though they are ostensibly there to listen to the naturalist or ranger.
In one year, intertidal creatures clinging to a large boulder and inhabiting a large tidepool were devastated by the influx of two or three bussloads of kids per day from spring all through the summer. To date, those spots have not recovered, and they are swiftly becoming barren due to the yearly hordes. Clearly, exposing children to nature en masse is doing more harm than good. It’s best that parents provide “nature time,” so that children are more closely supervised and can learn more.
The author also urges schools to create natural spaces on campus. I don’t think this would work in reality. Such spaces would be subject to vandalism, and would make great hangouts for bullies and drug dealers. Give me a clear field of view around the building any day.
The author spends many pages on the positive benefits of children who have time alone in nature. Time alone in nature is not feasible for all kids in all situations. One of the primary jobs of a parent is that of bodyguard, and I’m sorry to say that the author makes light of human predators. Enough said.
5 Stars Inspiring
I think every single parent should read this book and think deeply about the education we are providing our children.
5 Stars I’m a true believer
Since I live in the woods and my grown children, with my grandchildren all live in the city, I purchased multiple copies of this book as gifts. Hoping to see them all more.
5 Stars Required reading for parents
Every parent who grew up in the outdoors should read this and remember what it meant to be a child. Generations are loosing their connection to the land and the land is what made America great. Read it and get back out there with your children, or simply get back out there yourself.
5 Stars Microwave generation
I teach high school, and I can tell you we have raised what we call a microwave generation: they want to push a button and it happens. They call their cell phone their “baby.” When I attempted to tell them about a recent trip to Africa where I did volunteer work for animal anti-poaching in the wild, they were aghast I had no access to cell phones, myspace, or a computer. Few were interested in the slide show of my trip, prefering instead to gossip about teen angst and the latest rumours.
However, we are responsible for this. If I tell them the information “is in chapter 13″ they demand to know what page and will not open the book without knowing the exact page. We have a library full of books few students peruse; computers they line up to google. Plaegerism is so difficult to explain( “why is cut and paste bad?”). But when I suggested my class just sit outside one day to hold class, I was met bt gasps and shaking heads from academia. “What if we just sat on the bleachers?” I asked, “in the sun?” I might as well suggest we all go to Egypt.
When I taught career college, I took my criminal justice students to watch the mounted patrol officers train the horses. One of my students, a 24 year old girl, had never seen a horse in real life. She was mesmerized.
We have lost the “let’s pretend” games and driven the creativity out of our young people.
Filed under: Parenting Books