Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Nature Deficit Disorder - Are Children Not Getting Outside Enough?

A growing number of children's advocates and political leaders are worried that our culture's disconnection from nature is harming kids. This lack of contact with nature may be leading to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders and depression.

Concerns about the long-term consequences on children’s physical and emotional well-being have spawned a national movement to "leave no child inside."

This show from KQED's Quest from May 2008 takes a look at Nature Deficit Disorder.




The Children & Nature Network

The vision and mission of the Children & Nature Network is to give every child in every community a wide range of opportunities to experience nature directly, reconnecting our children with nature's joys and lessons, its profound physical and mental bounty.

The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. The network provides a critical link between researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being. C&NN also promotes fundamental institutional change and provides resources for sharing information, strategic initiatives and success stories.

More see Nature Deficit Disorder - Leave No Child Inside.