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Nature, children and society
Aug. 31st, 2005 11:16 amI saw a link to this article,Last Child in the Woods, in Botany Picture of the Day.
I've been thinking about it ever since. I do know that this thinking (children do better when they are out in the country-side) was very popular in the early 1900's (much of the literature of the time is filled with it - see L.M. Montgomery's short stories). Certainly at that time, cities were not pleasant places to be and the countryside was the cure for all sickness, but nowdays are cities really the evil thing?
I do believe that kids should experience nature for many reasons, but "Nature Deficit Disorder"?
I think a lot of the problems with kids today stems from overscheduling and never giving the kids unsupervised play time. There's so much emphasis on "quality time" and getting a head start on school and stuff that letting kids do their own thing, finding their own methods of creative play, goes by the wayside.
I think that can be done whether in a city or in the countryside. Perhaps it's easier in the country since you have less "bad" to worry about (not getting run over by cars since you have a yard, knowing your neighbors).
So is Nature the cure for our children's ailments or society's problems?
I've been thinking about it ever since. I do know that this thinking (children do better when they are out in the country-side) was very popular in the early 1900's (much of the literature of the time is filled with it - see L.M. Montgomery's short stories). Certainly at that time, cities were not pleasant places to be and the countryside was the cure for all sickness, but nowdays are cities really the evil thing?
I do believe that kids should experience nature for many reasons, but "Nature Deficit Disorder"?
I think a lot of the problems with kids today stems from overscheduling and never giving the kids unsupervised play time. There's so much emphasis on "quality time" and getting a head start on school and stuff that letting kids do their own thing, finding their own methods of creative play, goes by the wayside.
I think that can be done whether in a city or in the countryside. Perhaps it's easier in the country since you have less "bad" to worry about (not getting run over by cars since you have a yard, knowing your neighbors).
So is Nature the cure for our children's ailments or society's problems?
