Children & Nature Network

The Children & Nature Network was founded in 2006 by a group of educators, writers, and community leaders who share a deep concern about children’s disconnection from nature. The Children & Nature Network was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. The organization 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.

Mission

The mission of the Children & Nature Network is to give every child in every community a wide range of opportunities to experience nature directly, reconnecting children with nature's joys and lessons, its profound physical and mental bounty.

Co-Founders

The co-founders of the Children & Nature Network bring a substantial set of accomplishments as recipients of awards and recognition for their research, leadership, journalism, educational program development and entrepreneurship. Board members include published authors, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, academics, youth leaders, and business and organizational leaders.
• Richard Louv
• Cheryl Charles, Ph.D.
• Martha Farrell Erickson, Ph.D.
• Martin LeBlanc
• Amy Pertschuk
• Michael Pertschuk

Nature-Deficit Disorder

The term “nature-deficit disorder” was coined by author Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods to describe what happens to children who become disconnected from their natural world. Louv associates this separation from nature to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.^[1]
Research indicates that getting children outdoors helps reduce attention disorders.^[2]

Authors

In addition to Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, other books written by the Children & Nature Network Board of Directors include Coming Home: Community, Creativity and Consciousness by Cheryl Charles, Toddlers, and Families: A Framework for Support and Intervention by Martha Erickson, and Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations by Stephen Kellert.

News Service

The Children & Nature Network news service offers parents, youth, civic leaders, educators and health-care providers access to the latest news and research in this field as well as practical advice, including ways to apply new-found knowledge at home, at school, in work environments, and in the community. The network also engages a diverse community of institutes, organizations and industries by providing a forum for publishing and presenting research, reports and case studies on children's health and nature, and related program-development strategies and support. The Children & Nature Network has compiled research studies to help understand what’s best for children’s healthy development.

References

1. ^ The Dallas Morning News; Suffering from 'nature-deficit disorder'; dallasnews.com/
2. ^ American Journal of Public Health ; A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence From a National Study; pubmedcentral.nih.gov/