Has your kid had their dose of Vitamin N today?
Kids need time in Nature to develop into healthy and happy people, but today's kids are increasingly indoors. Fewer swing from branches, splash in streams, or explore outdoors. "Nature Deficit Disorder" or a lack of "Vitamin N" was proposed by Richard Louv over a decade ago. Now, overwhelming evidence shows that not just kids, but all humans benefit from time in Nature. As an ecologist and wilderness explorer, I know that the future of our wilderness areas depends on connecting kids with Nature. Children who value Nature will make decisions to protect wild lands when they're tomorrow's leaders. Talk about a win-win! Kids need Nature and Nature needs kids, creating a synergy in bringing kids and Nature together. This is why I write. And this is why I develop nature field programs for under-resourced urban kids. |