Modern city life in Vancouver is very hectic as I juggle physically-demanding work and two kids in what is an extremely expensive paradise. But this past week one picture managed to distract me from my long to-do list and made me reflect.
Pictured above is my son building a fort in the woods with his classmates. I believe this is a brilliant idea! Getting kids out of the classroom and into the woods is exactly what they need: they get to move, get their hands dirty and the fort design is totally up to them. That’s what kids need, unstructured outdoor play.
And I’m happy to report that my son had a blast while my wife, as one of the parent volunteers, probably tried to get my son to use some nasty hand sanitizer.
Dr. Qing Li
It was happy coincidence that also this week I finished reading the new book “Forest Bathing” by Dr. Qing Li. (I will soon review the book on this blog so please check back later.)
Interestingly, the book ends with the chapter “Our children, the future”. Dr. Li mentions the work of Richard Louv who coined the term ‘nature deficit disorder‘. Louv has linked the lack of nature in young people’s lives to various problems:
- behavioural disorders
- depression
- obesity
- lack of vitamin D
- increase in short-sightedness
Benefits
According to Louv, there are several benefits derived from spending time outdoors.
- Children learn better outdoors and they are better behaved
- Nature is great for their mental and physical development.
- They are less likely to become ill or stressed
- They are happier.
It’s good if children study the natural world but getting outside just for the fun of it is best so let them get muddy and dirty.
Back to my son’s class. Because the school grounds are in black bear country and caution is required my son’s teacher recruited a few parent volunteers for safety reasons. (See my latest blog post on black bears wandering onto my work sites.)
The kids were free to design their forts as they wished. Some girls reportedly took advantage of one volunteer grandpa by repeatedly asking him for assistance!
If you have kids you must fight the ‘nature deficit disorder’ by taking them outside often. I’m very happy my son has a great teacher and I will be taking my kids outside as much as possible.
References:
Forest Bathing by Dr. Qing Li
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
