There Is A Real World, Beyond The

There's A Generation Now That Didn't Grow Up In Nature. Some Of These Adults Are Parents And They Know That Nature Is Good For Their Kids But They Don't Know Where To Start.

In A Famous Middletown Study Of Muncie, Indiana, In 1924, Mothers Were Asked To Rank The Qualities They Most Desire In Their Children. At The Top Of The List Were Conformity And Strict Obedience. More Than Fifty Years Later, When The Middletown Survey Was Replicated, Mothers Placed Autonomy And Independence First. The Healthiest Parenting Probably Promotes A Balance Of These Qualities In Children.

When You're Sitting In Front Of A Screen, You're Not Using All Of Your Senses At The Same Time. Nowhere Than In Nature Do Kids Use Their Senses In Such A Stimulated Way.

From 1997 To 2003, There Was A Decline Of 50 Percent In The Proportion Of Children Nine To Twelve Who Spent Time In Such Outside Activities As Hiking, Walking, Fishing, Beach Play, And Gardening, According To A Study By Sandra Hofferth At The University Of Maryland.

As The Nature Deficit Grows, Another Emerging Body Of Scientific Evidence Indicates That Direct Exposure To Nature Is Essential For Physical And Emotional Health. For Example, New Studies Suggest That Exposure To Nature May Reduce The Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (adhd), And That It Can Improve All Children's Cognitive Abilities And Resistance To Negative Stresses And Depression.