While compiling research for a course this semester, I came across the words “environmental literacy” and “nature deficit disorder” for the first time, and these terms have not escaped my brain. With a few summers as a camp counselor and babysitting experiences that spanned my high school days, I have become familiar with the fixation on technology children are increasingly exposed to, in ways I never was. I had no idea, however, the scale of problems this creates for both children and planet.
Poorly planned urbanization lacking green spaces and the temptation of sitting indoors and exploring enticing Apps have a range of negative effects on the mental and physical well-being of children which researchers are beginning to realize. In addition, all this time spent out of nature is expected to prompt a lack of interest in nature in generations to come.
To Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator for the Obama administration, the second biggest threat the environment faces today, after climate change, is this growing disconnect between children and nature. A favorite tree you climbed with the neighborhood kids, that time your mom drove your siblings out to the beach to play in the waves, and sleeping under the stars at summer camp all have the potential to promote some affinity, or simply respect, for the outdoors. This, in turn, can influence adults to be better advocates for nature.
Not only does a childhood lacking in nature allow more apathy for land, air, and oceans for future generations, it also takes away an essential classroom that gives context to processes that shape civilization: Where does our food come from? Who do we share the environment with? Playing outdoors offers the time and space for girls and boys to observe, experiment and learn about these questions and more.
All this time spent indoors is not only a loss for the environment, but a threat to the health of the children themselves. A deficit of the calming effects of nature are suggested by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, to increase the likelihood of ADD and depression among youth. Insufficient natural play is also considered as a key contributor in the childhood obesity epidemic.
How to help children fall in love with the salamanders in their backyards and the pinecones that fit in their tiny hands? Support programs that promote environmental literacy and outdoor play! The National Park Foundation funds a variety of programs, such as the Parks as Classrooms Program, which bring thousands of students, who might otherwise not have the opportunity, to national parks every year. Summer camps often have “campership programs” that fund outdoor experiences for boys and girls whose families cannot send them to camp unaided. There is no shortage of nature advocates working to inspire new generations of environmental stewards.
To hear more of Gina McCarthy’s stance on children and nature:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqvYD1rFavQ&sns=em (around 22:50)
Poorly planned urbanization lacking green spaces and the temptation of sitting indoors and exploring enticing Apps have a range of negative effects on the mental and physical well-being of children which researchers are beginning to realize. In addition, all this time spent out of nature is expected to prompt a lack of interest in nature in generations to come.
To Gina McCarthy, EPA administrator for the Obama administration, the second biggest threat the environment faces today, after climate change, is this growing disconnect between children and nature. A favorite tree you climbed with the neighborhood kids, that time your mom drove your siblings out to the beach to play in the waves, and sleeping under the stars at summer camp all have the potential to promote some affinity, or simply respect, for the outdoors. This, in turn, can influence adults to be better advocates for nature.
Not only does a childhood lacking in nature allow more apathy for land, air, and oceans for future generations, it also takes away an essential classroom that gives context to processes that shape civilization: Where does our food come from? Who do we share the environment with? Playing outdoors offers the time and space for girls and boys to observe, experiment and learn about these questions and more.
All this time spent indoors is not only a loss for the environment, but a threat to the health of the children themselves. A deficit of the calming effects of nature are suggested by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, to increase the likelihood of ADD and depression among youth. Insufficient natural play is also considered as a key contributor in the childhood obesity epidemic.
How to help children fall in love with the salamanders in their backyards and the pinecones that fit in their tiny hands? Support programs that promote environmental literacy and outdoor play! The National Park Foundation funds a variety of programs, such as the Parks as Classrooms Program, which bring thousands of students, who might otherwise not have the opportunity, to national parks every year. Summer camps often have “campership programs” that fund outdoor experiences for boys and girls whose families cannot send them to camp unaided. There is no shortage of nature advocates working to inspire new generations of environmental stewards.
To hear more of Gina McCarthy’s stance on children and nature:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqvYD1rFavQ&sns=em (around 22:50)
