Today’s youth are increasingly disconnected with nature and spend less time outdoors than any other time in recent history. As a result childhood obesity rates are increasing at alarming levels and children are not developing a sense of personal stewardship for the Earth.
Times have changed, and the way children play has changed, but the need for kids to connect with nature has not. NCCAN! was inspired by a book written about the effects of keeping children indoors and a growing body of research indicating that children need to be connected to nature for their mental, educational, physical and social development.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv’s groundbreaking book brings together a growing body of research that reveals a link between the lack of contact with nature and problems in our society that harm individuals, families and communities. It traces the causes and impacts of children’s disconnect from nature through interviews with educators, parents and health professionals, as well as with children themselves.
NCCAN! was formed in response to these challenges, with the ambition to get today’s children and families to explore and embrace their wild roots, and simply spend more time outdoors for the mental and physical well-being it brings to people, and the long-term benefits it can have for our society and the environment.
Because of Louv’s work a national conversation was ignited. Through the work of many grassroots organizations, more people are recognizing the social, physical, cognitive, and psychological benefits of spending time in nature each day.
Research shows that outdoor play can help develop full use of the senses, protect psychological well-being, soothe the symptoms of attention-deficit disorders, reduce obesity, and diminish stress and anxiety.
In North Carolina, where more than 32 percent of children aged 6-12 are overweight or obese (source: Trust for America’s Health) and more than 8 percent of those aged 4-17 have at some point been diagnosed with ADHD (source: CDC.gov), the need for a nature-based culture shift is clear.
Did you know?
- A child is six more times likely to play a video game on a typical day than to ride a bike.
- In 1995, 68% of children ages 7 to 11 rode a bike at least six times a year. Last year, only 47% did.
- The average child in America will spend more than 45 hours per week in front of a TV, computer, or video game and less than 30 minutes per week in unstructured, outdoor play.
As of 1990, the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to one-ninth of what it had been in 1970, along with an increase in structured “free time.” Lack of knowledge, busy schedules, limited access to nature, fear of strangers, popularity of video games, TV, and computers, perceived safety risks, fear of lawsuits and loss of recess periods are all contributing factors.
By keeping childhood indoors, we are depriving children of a full connection to the world. The implications for children’s physical and mental health, for the future of our natural resources, and even for our communities’ economies, are far-reaching.
