No Child Left Inside Debuts in South Carolina

Daniel Island News – April 17, 2008
By Tom Ratzloff

Does your child commune with Mr. Nintendo rather than Mother Nature?

When he takes the garbage out, does that qualify as a wilderness excursion?

If so, your little one may have NDD – nature deficit disorder, according to Richard Louv, author of "The Last Child in the Woods."

"Nature-deficit disorder is not an official diagnosis but a way of viewing the problem, and describes

the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. The disorder can be detected in individuals, families, and communities," Louv wrote.

Because children’s play activities have changed significantly over the past three decades, many American youngsters have lost touch with the great outdoors, he said. Earlier generations of children usually played outside with friends until the church bell tolled or the sun went down. In fact, staying indoors was considered abnormal in many families.

Not today.

Because of fears about child abduction or crime, many children and their parents have been "scared inside," according to a Hofstra University study of 800 mothers. It found that 82 percent of the mothers wouldn’t let their children play outside more often because of crime or safety concerns.

However, the Duke University Child and Well-Being Index of 2007 noted that "(our) most disturbing finding is not violence or abductions, but that children’s health has sunk to the lowest point in 30 years due largely to obesity."

Another lure to stay indoors is the overwhelming popularity of video games, TV and computers, according to Columbia, S.C. resident Diana Bristow.

"Children now are held to tight schedules with sports, after-school programs, and a whole host of other tightly structured activities," she said. "Oftentimes if they aren’t at one of these programs they are glued to the Xbox, computer, or TV. While these are great to keep children occupied, it is creating a void in which children don’t get to use their own imaginations to explore the environment around them."

Bristow works with No Child Left Inside (NCLI), a new local initiative spearheaded by the Lowcountry Experiential Education Program (LEEP). It strives to help children reconnect with the outdoors.

"We are so excited to be able to get No Child Left Inside started in South Carolina," Bristow said. "Even though this is starting as a local program, we hope that soon it will spread throughout the state."

No Child Left Inside’s principles are based on Louv’s book and there are similar programs throughout the United States. The author also helped found the Children & Nature Network (C&NN), which provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being.

"No Child Left Inside’s main objective is to educate children and parents about the advantages of playing outside and experiencing their surrounding environment," said Bristow. "We also facilitate loosely structured programs which foster children’s curiosity and builds confidence about being in the outdoors."

No Child Left Inside has the following goals:

• To create and develop a movement of children to the outdoors;

• To encourage the use of existing local green spaces;

• To educate about the benefits of being outside through media, role models, and public interaction;

• To facilitate the sharing of experiences, places and activities related to nature;

• To create and provide loosely structured activities that foster education and respect for the outdoors;

• To promote community events that support NCLI’s mission.

Bristow said NCLI will use a combination of Web-based communications, direct contact, and word of mouth to create a movement of children to reconnect with nature. Its Web site will allow people to share about their outdoor experiences and to share fun nature hot spots with others.

"Using new and existing LEEP contacts, we will speak with students, teachers, and all interested about the fun and benefits of enjoying nature," Bristow said. "No Child Left Inside will also host and attend local events in which we can reach out to a variety of people."

No Child Left Inside will be visiting with schools and PTA associations in the Charleston area, but will be making its initial debut at an Earth Day event hosted by Earth Fare on April 22. It is also launching a new Web site – www.scnaturekids.com – where people can share their experiences in the outdoors. The Web site will also be a resource for outdoor activities that families can participate in, locations that they can enjoy in the area, and other news about No Child Left Inside.

For more information, call Bristow at 1-800-732-9625 or visit www.scnaturekids.com.

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