Sometimes there is nothing more subversive than a book. Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, is a case in point. Louv’s writes about the contrast between his childhood memories of happy times in natural environments and the closely regulated lives that modern children experience, where most activities take place indoors and all outdoor activities take place in manicured venues and are closely supervised by adults. Louv maintains that such a life disconnects children from the natural world and leads to what he calls “nature deficit disorder.”
Louv’s book has hit a responsive chord with a mushrooming number of teachers, conservationists, and outdoor educators. A Google search on “No Child Left Inside” yields almost 83,000 hits. The state of Connecticut has adopted Louv’s ideas as the foundation for a major program in its state parks. The Economist recently profiled the astonishing growth of this “literal and figurative grass-roots movement.” According to a recent USA Today report, the US Forest Service is launching a pilot program along the same lines.
Louv’s book is slender, readable, contagious and cheap. LCLC is urging Books & More to stock it. In any case, they will be glad to order it for you. The Amazon.com information page is here. Anyone wishing more information can contact Lori Williams, who will fill your ear.
