Louv

I was one of the lucky ones. At least that is what my grandfather used to tell me. I was born and raise on a farm in the dense northern Minnesota forests. The woods were my schoolyard. I spent my days learning to appreciate the life that the forest gives us. He taught me to hunt and track; but also explained the woods are to be treasured and protected because if they are destroyed we lose our way of life.

The second opening paragraph of Richard Louv's article struck me so deeply. Especially his point that "physical and mental nature experiences foster mental acuity and concentration" (pg. 2). In America we are losing touch with nature. We spend so much time indoors that we forget the physical and spiritual healing nature can provide to us. Children are drawn to nature from infancy and studies have shown that children that with disorders such as ADHD can benefit substantially from the restorative environment of nature. However I believe we are beginning to move back into the right direction in this regard. Health initiatives such as First Lady Michelle Obamas Let's Move Outside Campaign are beginning to get kids outside and interacting with nature. Her online site contains links to outdoor parks and events that provide kids with activities that help them get active outside away from the Xbox and computer. Louv asserts that "contact with nature is as important to children as good nutrition and adequate sleep" (pg. 12). So we should take this warning with appropriate actions to help our kids have a better life. Programs like Let's Move Outisde and the NFL's Play 60 Campaigns ( View the inserted the commercial above) are great examples of people from different backgrounds coming together to encourage kids to get active and healthy.

Growing up on a farm there was always work to be done. Crops needed tending and animals needed feed and care. If I wasn't it school or doing homework I was outside taking care of the farm. At the end of each day I was exhausted and there was no room for excitability or excess energy. We as a society have become to stationary in our jobs. We sit at a desk all day, our children sit in desks all day and we wonder why they are bouncing off the walls with energy when they get home from school. According to Louv "Our brains are set up for a agrarian, nature-orientated existence that came into focus five thousand years ago" (pg. 5). Its no wonder our children are suffering.

I have always wondered why all kids beg their parents for pets. After studying Louv I think children crave a connection with nature and household pets are a way for them to be connected to a natural world that they are oftentimes deprived of. The family pets allow a child to experience being with a primal animal that sees its entire existence in terms of its place in the natural world. Animals have proven to be very therapeutic to children especially those who struggling with attention deficit disorders.