Last Child In the Woods

Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods, describes the phenomenon of "nature deficit disorder" among today's children and examines how our children's lack of personal experiences in nature will affect our environment and their learning. He explores the connection between this deficit and some of our most troubling threats to childhood health including obesity and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). You'll enjoy this review of his book from one of North Carolina's environmental educators, Parks Chief Naturalist Marti Kane!

What is more frightening to an environmental educator than global warming? I’ll tell you what it is – no children playing in the woods! Many of us can remember a time not too long ago when, as children, we played in the woods, made forts and tree houses, and explored nature in her wildest forms. But, as journalist Richard Louv documents in his new book, Last Child in the Woods, this type of natural play is endangered and, perhaps, on the verge of extinction.

There are many reasons why this is so. The death of the family farm and the lack of natural places in which to play have certainly contributed. Larger homes, air conditioning, TV, videogames and computers make the indoors a more inviting place. And then there is fear – the fear that parents feel about allowing their children to roam anywhere these days unsupervised. Human predators seem to lurk everywhere. Messages of “have you seen this missing child?” show up on our milk cartons and in our mailboxes. And what about deadly diseases such as rabies and bird flu that we might catch from wild animals?

Louv addresses these fears and presents strategies for overcoming the barriers that prevent children from experiencing the natural world. As environmental educators, we can employ Louv’s strategies in our work. For example, we could examine the educational services we offer to determine how well we are allaying fears. Those of us fortunate enough to be working at Environmental Education Centers could take the lead in developing partnerships with schools, scouts and other youth organizations.

Why is it so important to save our children from nature-deficit disorder? So what if children don’t play in the woods anymore? Well, we are in the midst of a childhood obesity crisis, for one. Louv also quotes studies, such as “Closing the Achievement Gap” from the State Education and Environmental Roundtable, that show remarkable improvements in the test scores of children involved in environment-based education. Other studies demonstrate that natural play can be used successfully as therapy for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In fact, the absence of nature in the lives of children may aggravate symptoms of ADHD.

Even more important is this question that Louv asks: “Where will future stewards of nature come from?” As the number of children with hands-on emotional attachment to nature decreases, can we expect that they will advocate in the future for the protection of habitats, biodiversity or the natural processes on which the health of our ecosystem depends? Probably not. If we care about sustaining life on planet Earth, we had all better be concerned about the environmental education of our children. If we are to survive and thrive here, then no child can be left behind!

-- Marti Kane, Parks Chief Naturalist, N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation

Also by Louv:

"Nature Deficit." Orion Magazine. July/August, 2005. http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/05-4om/Louv.html

Union-Tribune columns: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/louv or http://www.thefuturesedge.com/

In addition to Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, the following books, also available at the DENR Library, may also be of interest:

Kahn, Peter H. Jr. and Stephen R. Kellert, eds. Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations. MIT Press, 2002. Env Ed BF353.5 .N37 C47 2002.

Lieberman, Gerald A. and Linda L. Hoody, Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning. State Education and Environment Roundtable, 1998. Env Ed GE70 .L54 1998. (The executive summary for this study is available online at: http://www.seer.org/extras/execsum.pdf.)

Nabhan, Gary Paul. The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places. Beacon Press, 1994. Env Ed BF353.5 .N37 N32 1994.

Sobel, David. Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education. Orion Society, 1996. Env Ed LB1585 .S583 1996.