Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder,Books,Free Shipping,156512605X,

	Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
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Product Details Binding Paperback Dewey Decimal Number 155.418 EAN 9781565126053 ISBN 156512605X Manufacturer Algonquin Books Number Of Items 1 Number Of Pages 390 Publication Date April 10, 2008 Publisher Algonquin Books Availability Usually ships in 24 hours Product Description 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. Today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, says child advocacy expert Louv (Childhood's Future; Fatherlove; etc.), even as research shows that 'thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can... be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorder and other maladies.' Instead of passing summer months hiking, swimming and telling stories around the campfire, children these days are more likely to attend computer camps or weight-loss camps: as a result, Louv says, they've come to think of nature as more of an abstraction than a reality. Indeed, a 2002 British study reported that eight-year-olds could identify Pokémon characters far more easily than they could name 'otter, beetle, and oak tree.' Gathering thoughts from parents, teachers, researchers, environmentalists and other concerned parties, Louv argues for a return to an awareness of and appreciation for the natural world. Not only can nature teach kids science and nurture their creativity, he says, nature needs its children: where else will its future stewards come from? Louv's book is a call to action, full of warnings—but also full of ideas for change. Agent, James Levine. (May 20) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Unstructured outdoor play was standard for me as a hyperactive child growing up in the rural Midwest. I fondly recall digging forts, climbing trees and catching frogs without concern for kidnappers or West Nile virus. According to newspaper columnist and child advocate Richard Louv, such carefree days are gone for America’s youth. Boys and girls now live a 'denatured childhood,' Louv writes in Last Child in the Woods. He cites multiple causes for why children spend less time outdoors and why they have less access to nature: our growing addiction to electronic media, the relinquishment of green spaces to development, parents’ exaggerated fears of natural and human predators, and the threat of lawsuits and vandalism that has prompted community officials to forbid access to their land. Drawing on personal experience and the perspectives of urban planners, educators, naturalists and psychologists, Louv links children’s alienation from nature to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, stress, depression and anxiety disorders, not to mention childhood obesity. The connections seem tenuous at times, but it is hard not to agree with him based on the acres of anecdotal evidence that he presents. According to Louv, the replacement of open meadows, woods and wetlands by manicured lawns, golf courses and housing developments has led children away from the natural world. What little time they spend outside is on designer playgrounds or fenced yards and is structured, safe and isolating. Such antiseptic spaces provide little opportunity for exploration, imagination or peaceful contemplation. Louv’s idea is not new. Theodore Roosevelt saw a prophylactic dose of nature as a counter to mounting urban malaise in the early 20th century, and others since have expanded on the theme. What Louv adds is a focus on the restorative qualities of nature for children. He recommends that we reacquaint our children and ourselves with nature through hiking, fishing, bird-watching and disorganized, creative play. By doing so, he argues, we may lessen the frequency and severity of emotional and mental ailments and come to recognize the importance of preserving nature. At times Louv seems to conflate physical activity (a game of freeze tag) with nature play (building a tree fort), and it is hard to know which benefits children most. This confusion may be caused by a deficiency in our larger understanding of the role nature plays in a child’s development. At Louv’s prompting, perhaps we will see further inquiry into this matter. In the meantime, parents, educators, therapists and city officials can benefit from taking seriously Louv’s call for a 'nature-child reunion.' Jeanne Hamming 'Last Child in the Woods, which describes a generation so plugged into electronic diversions that it has lost its connection to the natural world, is helping drive a movement quickly flourishing across the nation.' - The Nation's Health (The Nation's Health ) 'This book is an absolute must-read for parents.' - The Boston Globe (Boston Globe ) '[The] national movement to 'leave no child inside'…has been the focus of Capitol Hill hearings, state legislative action, grass-roots projects, a U.S. Forest Service initiative to get more children into the woods and a national effort to promote a 'green hour' in each day…The increased activism has been partly inspired by a best-selling book, Last Child in the Woods, and its author, Richard Louv.' - The Washington Post (The Washington Post ) 'Louv impresses with the number of topics covered-everything from the natural histories of creative people to putting the 'wild things' back into the urban environment...' (The Montreal Gazette ) '...a convincing call to the wild that's more than timely...' (The Ottawa Citizen ) “The simplest, most profound, and most helpful of any book I have read on the personal and historical situation of our children, and ourselves, as we move into the twenty-first century.” -Thomas Berry, author of The Dream of the Earth 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. “I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” reports a fourth grader. But it’s not only computers, television, and video games that are keeping kids inside. It’s also their parents’ fears of traffic, strangers, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus; their schools’ emphasis on more and more homework; their structured schedules; and their lack of access to natural areas. Local governments, neighborhood associations, and even organizations devoted to the outdoors are placing legal and regulatory constraints on many wild spaces, sometimes making natural play a crime. As children’s connections to nature diminish and the social, psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent, new research shows that nature can offer powerful therapy for such maladies as depression, obesity, and attentiondeficit disorder. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade-point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that childhood experiences in nature stimulate creativity. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv talks with parents, children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, child-development researchers, and environmentalists who recognize the threat and offer solutions. Louv shows us an alternative future, one in which parents help their kids experience the natural world more deeply—and find the joy of family connectedness in the process. 'I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are,' reports a fourth-grader. Never before in history have children been so plugged in—and so out of touch with the natural world. In this groundbreaking new work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression. Some startling facts: By the 1990s the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970. Today, aerage eight-year-olds are better able to identify cartoon characters than native species, such as beetles and oak trees, in their own community. The rate at which doctors prescribe antidepressants to children has doubled in the last five years, and recent studies show that too much computer use spells trouble for the developing mind. Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyards. Last child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development—physical, emotional, and spiritual. What's more, nature is a potent therapy for depression, obesity, and ADD. Environment-based education dramatically improves standarized test scores and grade point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Even creativity is stimulated by childhood experiences in nature. Yet sending kids outside to play is increasingly difficult. Computers, television, and video games compete for their time, of course, but it's also our fears of traffic, strangers, even virus-carrying mosquitos—fears the media exploit—that keep children indoors. Meanwhile, schools assign more and more homework, and there is less and less access to natural areas. Parents have the power to ensure that their daughter or son will not be the 'last child in the woods,' and this book is the first step toward that nature-child reunion. In his landmark work Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv brought together cutting-edge studies that pointed to direct exposure to nature as essential for a child's healthy physical and emotional development. Now this new addition updates the growing body of evidence linking the lack of nature in children's lives and the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Louv's message has galvanized an international back-to-nature campaign. His book will change the way you think about our future and the future of our children. Richard Louv is the author of seven books. He is the chairman of the Children & Nature Network, has served as adviser to the Ford Foundation's Leadership for a Changing World award program and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. He has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, NPR's Morning Edition, and many other programs. For more information about the impact of the book and the work being done, visit: www.cnaturenet.org. Customers who bought this item also bought Web of Life: Weaving the Values That Sustain Us Sharing Nature With Children (20th Anniversary Edition, Revised and Expanded) Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education (Nature Literacy Series, Vol. 1) (Nature Literacy) (Nature Literacy) Nature in a Nutshell for Kids: Over 100 Activities You Can Do in Ten Minutes or Less I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature Customer Reviews for: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder Rating - The Importance of Nature Richard Louv makes many great points in his book, Last Child in the Woods. I love that he discusses the fact that nature can help people to be less socially awkward and more confident. All in all, nature can just make people into healthier beings. It is also really neat that he talks about how important it is to stay in touch with nature because it brings us closer to God. If people keep ripping out the nature that God puts there, it is like we are saying that what we create is better than what God can create. In essence, ... Read More Rating - Important Work Whether you're an avid outdoor parent or family, this is an important read. If active in nature and its various outlets, it will validate your commitment with your family. If not, it will serve as a primer and, certainly, important motivation to incorporate the natural world in your child's upbringing. Nature, albeit remarkably complex, can also be taken in with simplistic beauty. I would recommend, first, a read of Rachael Carson's "A Sense of Wonder." Then Louv's narrative will provide the road map. His book is destined to be ... Read More Rating - Important Book This may very well be one of the most important books I have read this year ... or the past few years. I purchased "Last Child in the Woods" right after I heard Richard Louv interviewed on a local radio program. I was so moved by his message and impressed with the breadth of his knowledge and depth of experience. And it all translates well in the book. "Last Child..." feels more like a conversation than a text(book). It's just that comfortable and open. Yet it very strikingly paints a picture of what is ... Read More Rating - Parents NEED this, take it from a forest kid I'm young enough that I still get called "kid" by my friends' parents, and when I saw the cover of this book in the store, with the kid holding a frog, I instantly felt like this book was about someone just like me. When I started reading, I felt so even more. I've lived in forests and next to creeks all my life, but today, I look around at my friends and I see that most of my generation wasn't as lucky as me. They're all scared of bugs, (even moths!) they adamantly refuse to swim in the lake, (won't even touch salt water) ... Read More Rating - Insightful, important book I whole-heartedly recommend this important book. Richard Louv's book sparked a movement that had been simmering under the surface for some time -- with the rapid growth of technology in recent years, our children are spending less and less time outside. I work with Green Hour, a campaign of the National Wildlife Federation, that aims to inspire parents to encourage their kids to turn off the computer, IPod and TV and GET OUTSIDE! Check out www.greenhour.org to find the tools you need as a parent to help fight nature deficit ... Read More see more reviews See all books by author Richard Louv

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