I want to draw your attention to the US best seller titled 'Last Child in the Woods'. This book is full of interesting facts and figures about our disconnection with nature and what this means for the future of wo/mankind.
The author, Louv, highlights that this generation of children are the first to be raised indoors, without meaningful contact with nature. He wants parents to understand how they can protect their children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Louv's work ultimately inspired the international movement of Leave No Child Inside which is about environmental education.
There are some significant differences between educational and therapeutic models of working alongside children in nature - but educating them about their surroundings and inspiring a love of nature is a wonderful start. Sadly this is a start in life that many children in today's society are not given.
Nature Therapy is about interacting with nature through the senses. One of the human costs to progression is the diminishment of sensory experience. In other words, our sensory world has shrunk. Being immersed in nature means smelling, hearing, tasting and touching. Getting out into the woods provides us with the opportunity to fine tune our senses, to put meaning in to our lives and understand our place in this world.
Getting out into the big wide world of nature is the finest gift you can give a child. Whilst X boxes break and computer games come and go, the gift of a love of our natural world will stay with them the rest of their lives. It will sustain them during tough times, provide them with inspiration, passion, insight, creativity, meaning and purpose. It has the potential to help them deal with the stress of modern existence in a positive way. Go on - inspire a child today.
The author, Louv, highlights that this generation of children are the first to be raised indoors, without meaningful contact with nature. He wants parents to understand how they can protect their children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Louv's work ultimately inspired the international movement of Leave No Child Inside which is about environmental education.
There are some significant differences between educational and therapeutic models of working alongside children in nature - but educating them about their surroundings and inspiring a love of nature is a wonderful start. Sadly this is a start in life that many children in today's society are not given.
Nature Therapy is about interacting with nature through the senses. One of the human costs to progression is the diminishment of sensory experience. In other words, our sensory world has shrunk. Being immersed in nature means smelling, hearing, tasting and touching. Getting out into the woods provides us with the opportunity to fine tune our senses, to put meaning in to our lives and understand our place in this world.
Getting out into the big wide world of nature is the finest gift you can give a child. Whilst X boxes break and computer games come and go, the gift of a love of our natural world will stay with them the rest of their lives. It will sustain them during tough times, provide them with inspiration, passion, insight, creativity, meaning and purpose. It has the potential to help them deal with the stress of modern existence in a positive way. Go on - inspire a child today.
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