Reconnecting Children with Nature
A national movement to reconnect children with nature has developed over the last few years in response to the bestselling book by Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are right in our own backyard.
Individuals and organizations involved in directing children’s health and well-being have formed alliances locally, regionally and nationally to assure that children in every community have opportunities to experience nature directly. The rapid growth of this effort is in response to the research that suggests our children (because they do not play outside like former generations of children have) are at risk of losing touch with the important health benefits of playing outside in nature. Fortunately, the Children & Nature Network (C&NN), in collaboration with hundreds of organizations including the Brumbaugh Nature Center of Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, was created to encourage and support people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. The network provides a critical link between researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being. C&NN also promotes fundamental institutional change and provides resources for sharing information, strategic initiatives and success stories.
The C&NN news service and portal offers parents, youth, civic leaders, educators and health-care providers access to the latest news and research in this field as well as practical advice, including ways to apply new-found knowledge at home school, in work environments and the community. The network also engages a diverse community of institutes, organizations and industries by providing a forum for publishing and presenting research, reports and case studies on children’s health and nature, and related program-development strategies and support.
For more information, contact C&NN at www.childrenandnature.org or Charleen Race at the Brumbaugh Nature Center at Mount Union College at racech@muc.edu or 330-829-8161.
August/September 2008 Contents