Combating Nature Deficit Disorder

Marin Mommies is pleased to present another great guest article, this time by Ally Kushin, Camp Director for Coastal Camp at Headlands Institute. She discusses the increasing problem of nature deficit disorder and highlights local opportunities to connect children to the natural world. Ally has worked in the field of environmental education for the past 9 years as a naturalist, park ranger, and camp director.

In 2005 the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv popularized the term “nature deficit disorder.” In it, he refers to the trend of children spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioral, social, and medical problems. Louv claims that causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the “lure of the screen,” referring to increasing electronic media consumption.

Children who spend more time in nature are known to develop increased concentration, memory, and self discipline. The latest research has established amazing connections between the amount of time spent in nature to everything from better grades to increased immunity to germs to stronger bones.

Unfortunately, children are reaping fewer and fewer of the benefits of spending time in nature. Children across the United States average over 30 hours per week passively observing electronic media such as the Internet, TV, and video games, and less than one hour per month of active, participatory outdoor play time. The impact of being a participant in the outdoors, versus being an observer with electronics, should help children develop a strong leadership ability in school, sports, and throughout their lives.

At the Headlands Institute our solution is a combination of structured and unstructured playtime for our visiting students. Increasingly, we are finding our students simply do not have the time in their daily life for unstructured play. Schools throughout the country have decreased recess and increased homework. While school sports often are held outside, the stress of the rules and pressure to win do not provide children with ample time to reflect in nature. Since 1977, we have provided outdoor field science education to over 20,000 students per year and have recently extended our programs to include a summer day camp, called Coastal Camp.

Four local opportunities that I suggest to help your children connect with nature are:

1. Enroll your upcoming 1st–9th grader for a week of exploration and hands-on learning at Coastal Camp this summer.
2. Seek out family stewardship volunteer opportunities in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area or another local park. 
3. Grab a pair of binoculars and a child friendly bird guide and head out early one morning to Tennessee Valley where you can find many different species in the willow trees along the creek or near the Pond.
4. Pack up the kids and the camping gear for a staycation by camping in Marin County. The Marin Headlands has three free campsites at Haypress, Hawk Camp, and Bicentennial Campground.  Reservations are required through the Visitor Center at (415) 331-1540.

To learn more about ways to combat Nature Deficit Disorder check out www.childrenandnature.org.