Children & nature.

I’m probably preaching to the choir, but has anyone here read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit-Disorder? In short, Louv explores the recent (last two decades) phenomena of children playing almost exclusively indoors. If they do venture outside, it is usually within a structured environment.

From my own perspective, I cannot think of one Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, or Becky type kid. Granted I am not exposed to that many children on a daily basis, yet I do have nieces and nephews who do not take advantage of the wonderment of nature as I did as a child.

Although I am not a “kid person” per se, I do enjoy seeing children on the trail knowing that they are at the very least exploring nature to some degree.

Any thoughts?

MadRiver said:

I’m probably preaching to the choir ...

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Thank God my children are not couch potatos! They all went hiking with me last weekend, and they all enjoy being outdoors, doing such things as:

Hunting
Ultimate Frisbee
Throwing the shot and discus (my daughter!)
Walking
Hiking
Jogging
Sledding
Soccer
Skiing
Astronomy
Etc.

Not that they don't enjoy computer games and the **** tube too, but they have a pretty good balance.

As the proud father of the world's most beautiful four-month old ( ) , this has been on my mind quite a bit. The world is a different place then when we grew up. There were no video games, cable TV, and computers. We were outside everyday playing one sport or another...tromping through the woods...riding our bikes (without helmets and kneedpads!!!!!)...and hiking & camping.

I only hope to be able to expose my daughter to half of what we had growing up. There seem to be more "distractions" for kids today, and the electronic and information age certainly makes it more difficult. I have no intention of getting video games, but it seems to be hard to fight.

I guess I'll check back in a few years to let y'all know how I'm doing!

Trespassing with abandon !

When I was a kid we hardly knew and rarely cared who the owner of the property was that we were running through, fishing from or playing on.
If someone got hurt, they went home and got patched-up. That is not the case now for some good and for some not-so-good reasons. My 2 boys are active but it's up to me to get them out into areas that they can explore. It's not like the Tom Sawyering I did when I was young, but probably quite a bit safer.

Opportunity

I'm not a parent yet, but until recently I worked at a summer camp for a good portion of my "adult" life. Despite all of the distractions out there, children given the opportunity and encouragement to enjoy the outdoors will still take advantage of it. A majority of the kids that came to my camp in Western, MA are from Boston, NYC, or CT and the surrounding suburbs. For the month that they are there, they hike, swim, explore and enjoy nature. While some of them take to it better than others, given the chance most kids dive right in. That's not to say they don't hop right back into TV mode when they get home, but by removing the external stimuli of the internet and 'Game System 4598K', kids are still just as happy as many of us are to play outside.

Times have changed, but kids haven't. It's just a matter of showing them THE way!

I strongly recommend The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places (1995), by Gary Paul Nabhan and Steve Trimble. A great book, easy and enjoyable reading, making some very good points.

Also compare the long term glow of a kid who has tackled a peak or a long distance hike ot toughed out some bad weather to the short lived thrill of a video game.

MadRiver said:

I’m probably preaching to the choir, but has anyone here read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit-Disorder? In short, Louv explores the recent (last two decades) phenomena of children playing almost exclusively indoors. If they do venture outside, it is usually within a structured environment.

From my own perspective, I cannot think of one Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, or Becky type kid. Granted I am not exposed to that many children on a daily basis, yet I do have nieces and nephews who do not take advantage of the wonderment of nature as I did as a child.

Although I am not a “kid person” per se, I do enjoy seeing children on the trail knowing that they are at the very least exploring nature to some degree.

Any thoughts?

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I was given that book for Christmas and am about a quarter of the way into it. Very interesting read.

Chip said:

When I was a kid we hardly knew and rarely cared who the owner of the property was that we were running through, fishing from or playing on.
If someone got hurt, they went home and got patched-up. That is not the case now for some good and for some not-so-good reasons. My 2 boys are active but it's up to me to get them out into areas that they can explore. It's not like the Tom Sawyering I did when I was young, but probably quite a bit safer.

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Sounds similar to my experience growing up. My kids have developed the "Tom Sawyer" gene as well. Until we moved a little over a year ago, our house was on a small plot of land, but next to some neighbors who had large areas of trees and small streams. Our kids loved exploring this area they called the "Mysterious Beyond" until the neighbors got worried about liability. It was a sad day when we explained their banishment. Fortunately, we have moved to a new house with lots of trees, climbable boulders, and a stream with a waterfall and swimming hole. The kids muck around pretty regularly out there with their friends. They still enjoy tv and video games a bit too much, and sometimes need to be pushed outdoors, but they haven't yet turned into suburban couch potatoes.

Becket1903 said:

I'm not a parent yet, but until recently I worked at a summer camp for a good portion of my "adult" life. Despite all of the distractions out there, children given the opportunity and encouragement to enjoy the outdoors will still take advantage of it. A majority of the kids that came to my camp in Western, MA are from Boston, NYC, or CT and the surrounding suburbs. For the month that they are there, they hike, swim, explore and enjoy nature. While some of them take to it better than others, given the chance most kids dive right in. That's not to say they don't hop right back into TV mode when they get home, but by removing the external stimuli of the internet and 'Game System 4598K', kids are still just as happy as many of us are to play outside.

Times have changed, but kids haven't. It's just a matter of showing them THE way!

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I am a proud two year camper alumni of Camp Becket with Becket1903. Becket1903 was part of an exceptional staff in the eyes of a camper, who reinforced the love of the outdoors. After spending two summers at Camp Becket, I can tell others that all teens and kids can be outdoors and not in front of TV.
I feel that it is the parent's responsibilty to introduce their kids to the outdoors. My parents were of the generation that were living the Tom Sawyer life. The best memories of my childhood were of being outdoors and having fun.

Mrs KD and I have 5 grandkids,4 of whom are old enough to put into hiking boots. Unfortunately,they are in the Midwest-damn poor mountaineering,and the sea kayaking is even worse
One at a time we have brought each of them here for a real New England experience. First order is new hiking boots,then it's backcountry camping,then maybe a whalewatch,or overnite on our sailboat,visit the Flume,The Basin etc.
We took all 4 on a camping trip in Ohio(aren't we brave? ) and found out just how poor the experience is compared to the Northeast. Went to a gear store in Ohio,and the guy hears my acccent and says "where do you guys do trails?" I tell him the Whites,and ask where he goes also. "Oh,were headed for Crawford Notch next month-there's not much around here". Go figure.
Anyways, we have the kids well trained to hike when we go there,much to the amazement of their "indoorsy" parents!

The subject of this thread has recently become my full time occupation, so I guess I'm sort of a choirmaster. If you want additional information on useful resources in your area, send me a PM with your location and what topic(s) and/or activities you'd like to investigate. I'll try to hook you up with someone local, or at least direct you to some online info sources to start.

I have not seen Richard Louv’s book yet, but from online reviews it appears to be right on the mark. It very much reminds me of an essay "Help Your Child to Wonder", Women's Home Companion, 1956, written by Rachel Carson. It is currently available in book form The Sense of Wonder which I recently read. It is also the source of my current signature. The essay was written to encourage parents to actively share the miracle of nature with their children. "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder," writes Carson, "he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." 50 years later that is more true than ever.

I remember growing up in the industrial city of Flint Michigan in the 1950s. We could just hop on our bikes and ride anywhere we wanted without any adult supervision. Even in a city full of GM factories we could find little oases of nature to explore. The world is more dangerous now and nature is often further away. Now children really do need a parent or another adult to get them outdoors and into nature.

My parents used to send me to the corner store to buy them cigarettes, so they were NOT my source for exploring the outdoors!!
I grew up in the suburbs, but had plenty of woods and fields that offered a place for adventure...we'd be gone all day long and arrive home for supper with scrapes and bruises and grass stains on our knees....the boys and I built a tree house with a sign that said "no girls allowed except for Jade" hahahaha! We'd swim in the pond in the summer and skate on it in the winter....boulders were our castles and the perfect place to play 'king of the hill'....we made our own rope swings deep in the woods which required someone shimmying way up and out onto a big thick branch...we'd fill our tucked in shirts with stolen apples from the local orchard and get chased by the farmer pointing a bb gun at us...we even had a neighborhood dog named Spot....
Ah, the innocent days of Dick and Jane and Sally, Puff the cat and Uncle Zeke are but mere memories, but what memories they are.....

Out of all the kids in my life, only my two nephews have joined me in the Whites for an overnight at Madison Hut...a fun time indeed...
....Jade

I think it is just common sense for kids to be outside. I have a 7 yo and 6yo. They watch maybe an hour of tv a day(most of that is in the am before we get up) and don't own a video game. After school and homework they get "kicked outside" until dinner. They can entertain themselves very easy with minimal stuff. They both love the woods and hiking. I took them on the AT to Sage's Ravine last April. There was fresh signs of bear in the area and my 6 yo, who can be afraid of a med sized dog, was facinated.