FunkyHiFi
06-26-2010, 11:41 PM
As someone who loves being outside and whose career regularly involves "the outside", :) I thought this was worth posting here.
"Why Kids Need a Big Dose of Nature" (http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2008/02/13/why-kids-need-a-big-dose-of-nature.html)
some excerpts.......
You argue that exposure to nature is therapeutic and offers enough protection from certain health problems that its absence ought to be considered a disorder. Is that an exaggeration?
I should be clear that I am in no way intending to make a medical diagnosis. Nature deficit disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, including diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional sickness. Nature deficit can even change human behavior in cities. Long-standing studies show that the absence or inaccessibility of parks and open space is associated with high crime rates, depression, and other urban maladies.
"Nature" means different things to different people. How do you define it?
When I talk about nature, I am not just talking about wilderness.......
For which diseases are the links between nature exposure and good health the strongest?
It's important to acknowledge that some of the studies need more clarification on causality and correlation. However, at the very least, this research is powerfully suggestive that there is a relationship between nature exposure and reduced symptoms of ADD, that lack of exposure plays a role in childhood obesity, and that time in nature can help quell symptoms of depression.
The new study points to about a 1 to 1.3 percent yearly decline in national park visits in America. Why do you think this is happening?
........But time and fear are also big factors. Many parents feel that if they don't have their kids in every organized activity, they will fall behind in the race for Harvard. And we are scared to death as parents now of "stranger danger" and letting kids roam free.
Your parents allowed you to run loose in the woods while you were growing up in Missouri. Should today's parents try to somehow overcome their fears and let their children do the same?
No, I won't say that. This isn't an exercise in nostalgia. I felt that fear as a parent, and my kids didn't run as freely as I did. I do think, though, that we have to be very intentional now about getting our kids outdoors. It's going to be different than when we were kids, and we'll have to do much of it together with them.
Lastly (it's a long article!):
What would you say to people who say that they live in the city and getting to nature is essentially impossible?
I would tell them that the Sierra Club sponsors an interesting volunteer program in which they put backpacks on the kids and go on a 5-mile hike in their city, in their own neighborhood, and find nature..........
And as a major fan of astronomy - another (vast) version of nature right above our heads - and Carl Sagan (MCA likes him too), I have to put in a plug for Dr. Sagan's Cosmos series, a thirteen part astronomy/human history/semi-philosophy show that has won numerous awards and helps explain some of the Big Questions but without talking down to anyone, using beautifully-shot live action sequences and CGI, much of which still looks good today.
Here's the first episode:
"The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean" (http://www.hulu.com/watch/63317/cosmos-the-shores-of-the-cosmic-ocean) (click on the gear icon to choose the 480P version for better image quality)
Btw the haunting electronic music is by Vangelis, the same Greek musician who did the title track for Chariots of Fire.
"Why Kids Need a Big Dose of Nature" (http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2008/02/13/why-kids-need-a-big-dose-of-nature.html)
some excerpts.......
You argue that exposure to nature is therapeutic and offers enough protection from certain health problems that its absence ought to be considered a disorder. Is that an exaggeration?
I should be clear that I am in no way intending to make a medical diagnosis. Nature deficit disorder describes the human costs of alienation from nature, including diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional sickness. Nature deficit can even change human behavior in cities. Long-standing studies show that the absence or inaccessibility of parks and open space is associated with high crime rates, depression, and other urban maladies.
"Nature" means different things to different people. How do you define it?
When I talk about nature, I am not just talking about wilderness.......
For which diseases are the links between nature exposure and good health the strongest?
It's important to acknowledge that some of the studies need more clarification on causality and correlation. However, at the very least, this research is powerfully suggestive that there is a relationship between nature exposure and reduced symptoms of ADD, that lack of exposure plays a role in childhood obesity, and that time in nature can help quell symptoms of depression.
The new study points to about a 1 to 1.3 percent yearly decline in national park visits in America. Why do you think this is happening?
........But time and fear are also big factors. Many parents feel that if they don't have their kids in every organized activity, they will fall behind in the race for Harvard. And we are scared to death as parents now of "stranger danger" and letting kids roam free.
Your parents allowed you to run loose in the woods while you were growing up in Missouri. Should today's parents try to somehow overcome their fears and let their children do the same?
No, I won't say that. This isn't an exercise in nostalgia. I felt that fear as a parent, and my kids didn't run as freely as I did. I do think, though, that we have to be very intentional now about getting our kids outdoors. It's going to be different than when we were kids, and we'll have to do much of it together with them.
Lastly (it's a long article!):
What would you say to people who say that they live in the city and getting to nature is essentially impossible?
I would tell them that the Sierra Club sponsors an interesting volunteer program in which they put backpacks on the kids and go on a 5-mile hike in their city, in their own neighborhood, and find nature..........
And as a major fan of astronomy - another (vast) version of nature right above our heads - and Carl Sagan (MCA likes him too), I have to put in a plug for Dr. Sagan's Cosmos series, a thirteen part astronomy/human history/semi-philosophy show that has won numerous awards and helps explain some of the Big Questions but without talking down to anyone, using beautifully-shot live action sequences and CGI, much of which still looks good today.
Here's the first episode:
"The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean" (http://www.hulu.com/watch/63317/cosmos-the-shores-of-the-cosmic-ocean) (click on the gear icon to choose the 480P version for better image quality)
Btw the haunting electronic music is by Vangelis, the same Greek musician who did the title track for Chariots of Fire.