Nature Deficit Disorder

I remember as a kid I used to spend hours and hours with my brother in our front and back gardens, building houses, cooking "cakes" and "soups" with whatever berries and dirt we could get out hands onto, and playing our own invented games that often lasted for the whole weekend or school holidays.I remember on cold early mornings my dad would take my brother and I to the big park next door and we would search for mushrooms and feed the ducks and turtles. All my best memories are from being outdoors with my family and its a memory I want my children to grow up with too.

But research has shown that there is this ever increasing rate of children with "Nature Deficit Disorder", the new generation of "Pampered Prisoners"; children that go to school by car, and home by car, that aren't allowed to play past the front gate, and any play dates with friends must be scheduled by parents first. Parents are becoming ever more worried and protective over the safety of their children to the point where out door play is almost like a distant memory. With the rapid bombardment of video games, computer games, iPods, iPads, mobile phones and indoor toys, children are brought up in a world that is ever more detached from nature and the outdoors.

So What Can We Do??
Stephen Moss, author of The Natural Childhood Report, believes that children should be given priority within neighbourhoods, with strict speed limits and a way of allowing children to play in the streets, by getting out the mass of children into parks and streets so that parents don't feel so insecure about letting their children play; safety in numbers.

Another, much larger possibility is creating 'child-friendly villages', where new developments are created around families with young children. A village of sorts where cars are restricted to the perimeter or underground parking, making the streets a safe environment for children and families. Create facilities that encourage outdoor play, not just a playground, but parks and activities, and a culture that inspires parental engagement and community engagement. By getting to know the people who live around you and getting to know your neighbours parents can feel more secure that there is someone going to be looking out for their kids.

Creating community gardens or houses with porches and gardens that allow interaction with the street and neighbours, or traditional townhouses which encourage people to get out of the house for entertainment rather than sitting at home in one of their many theatre, games or study rooms will create an environment that is closer to what many of the Y gen and above grew up with.

I think that it is as much the parent responsibility to engage with their kids and play with them, or make the conscious decision to not let their children own video games. It sounds like an extreme idea in these days but I grew up without any form of video game, toy guy, or computer game that wasn't educational, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. If parents encourage creativity and imagination through outdoor play and worked for a safer community I believe that there would be fewer social and behavioural problems in children in the generations to come. An awareness of the environment and a fond connection to the outdoors may also result in a greater respect and appreciation for nature in later years.

Click this link to listen to the full interview with Stephen Moss: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-07/nature-deficit-disorder/3938178

Share your thoughts in a comment below..!

- Em