The Scraped-Up Kid – Cherie Galyean
“Richard Louv, the author of The Last Child in the Woods, does a fantastic job outlining the issues with the disconnect that children are having with nature. He coined the phrase “nature-deficit disorder” to explain the developmental effects that this has on children. There are so many benefits that come from kids being outside…We have gone to such an extreme edge of making places safe for our kids that they aren’t developing the internal systems that their bodies need. This is why we see so many sensory, balance and attention issues in our kids…Children need to see and experience a world in which they can still feel its beauty and magic. They need to be able to plant their feet on the ground and feel rooted to their surroundings. Kids should have moments in which they are awed by the majesty of nature. They need to climb, fall down and hear their laughter echoing on the wind. If we provide them with those opportunities they will be ultimately be healthier and happier.”(more)