Last Child in the Woods

When I first started reading Louv’s Last Child in the Woods I found myself sitting at a cold and uninviting desk located within a spare room in the corner of my home.  Coincidentally enough, I found myself distracted by Facebook, the new hit song on the radio, and the sound of the television in the other room.  After repetitive years of such distraction I have found it difficult to read or study without them. Upon reading the first few pages of the excerpt I decided to take my reading outside.  Within a few moments of sitting under a large oak in my backyard, I noticed I was much more relaxed and in a better position to focus and direct my attention to the reading. It was at that moment I realized the significance of the reading and human’s relationship with nature.

Reading Last Child in the Woods reassured me what I have known all along, nature is just as important for children as good nutrition is for your health.  As a child I grew up on a farm and always looked forward to spending time outside with the animals.  I would often finish my homework on the bus just so I could spend more time rummaging through the old barn behind the horse stable or creating new trails to my tree fort.  As a kid I was never into video games, I couldn’t grasp the concept sitting in one spot for hours killing zombies or collecting “coins” to advance to the next level. To this day I still do not own a gaming system and still have no desire to sit for hours killing zombies! As stated in the excerpt many kids don’t know what it’s like to play outside, mainly because outside doesn’t have any outlets!

Many kids will argue “why do I need to go outside to learn from nature when I can just watch it on television?” Don’t get me wrong a lot can be learned for watching television or educational videos on you iPad, but for most of us we have not truly learn from something until we experience it firsthand.

So next time you find yourself distracted my technology, take Louv’s advise and take a moment to lose yourself in nature.