'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. Today, average eight-year-olds are better able to identify cartoon characters than native species, such as beetles and oak trees, in their own communities. 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. Hardcover, 323 pages. |
