Richard Louv’s 2005 book Last Child in the Woods introduced the phrase “nature deficit disorder” into our lexicon. Louv argued that kids spend much less time outdoors, and, as a result, not only fail to develop an appreciation for and connection to nature (and, by extension, the importance of environmental challenges), but also suffer from health problems such as obesity, attention deficit disorder, and even depression to a greater degree.
For several years, the US Congress has tried to act on Louv’s findings, and pass legislation aimed at incorporating outdoor activities and environmental education into public school curricula. After failures in 2007 and 2008, Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD) and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) are taking another shot at the No Child Left Inside Act (H.R. 2054 and S. 866). Introduced on Earth Day in both houses, the bill, if enacted, would
- require states to develop K-12 environmental literacy plans
- offer grants for professional development in environmental education
- also offer grants for curriculum development and research
At this point, these bills have only been referred to the appropriate committees, but with more progressive majorities in Congress, and President Obama’s emphasis on “green” economic development, there may be a better chance that such legislation gets passed this time around. Sponsors are heavily Democratic; Republican critics have described the bills as “wasteful spending and as a way to spread environmental propaganda through the public school system.”
Want to see No Child Left Inside become law? Contact your representatives and Senators, and let them know…
Image credit: Tina Keller at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
July 25th, 2009 - 12:16 pm
very interesting take and it sounds like an interesting book to read. I can definitely see some of the correlations that you discussed in this blog and the No child left inside Act seems like a great idea.
August 7th, 2009 - 11:25 am
Right On ~ An Essential Reading & practice for every teacher/parent! THANK YOU!! Teacher, Saint Louis Children’s Hospital, Saint Louis Missouri…….
August 7th, 2009 - 11:36 am
Yes. This is a growing problem. Kids are attached to their Computers, TVs, and Video Games. They need something to show them what they’re missing outside.
August 7th, 2009 - 1:02 pm
The No Child Left Inside Act is a wonderful idea. However, across the country public schools are systematically installing synthetic turf fields which use, for the most part, crushed recycled tire particulate waste as “soil”. Ten pounds of the rubber per square foot. That equals 40,000 recycled tires per field. A number of the chemicals in rubber tires are on the California Prop 65 carcinogen list, including black carbon. Environmental and Human Health Inc. a non-profit organization in Connecticut has released this list of chemicals that are present in these fields:
Some chemicals found in tires are:
Benzene Carcinogen, Developmental Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant
Phtalates Suspected Developmental Toxicant, Endocrine Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant
PAHs Suspected Cardiovascular or Blood Toxicant, Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant ,Respiratory Toxicant,
Maganese Gastrointestinal or liver toxicants
Carbon Black Carcinogen
Latex Causes allergic reactions in some people
As well the Connecticut Agricultural Stations found the chemicals below in the ground-up rubber tires they tested. That report can be found at: http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/examinationofcrumbrubberac005.pdf
Benzothiazole: Skin and eye irritation, harmful if swallowed. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.
Butylated hydroxyanisole: Recognized carcinogen, suspected endocrine toxicant, gastrointestinal toxicant, immunotoxicant (adverse effects on the immune system), neurotoxicant (adverse effects on the nervous system), skin and sense-organ toxicant. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.
n-hexadecane: Severe irritant based on human and animal studies. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.
4-(t-octyl) phenol: Corrosive and destructive to mucous membranes. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.
Zinc: There is a very large amount of zinc that is added in the manufacturing of tires and therefore there is a great deal of zinc.
Until the US EPA, and California’s Senate Bill 1277 force the removal of these toxic fields, our children are being sent onto refuse piles to play. for more information and ways to stop the use of children playgrounds as dumping grounds for synthetic tires, please refer to synturf.org. Many thanks for your interest in our nation’s children.
Mary Swan Bell, MS
Speech, Language and Hearing Specialist
August 7th, 2009 - 1:05 pm
I grew up in the country, so I have a very close tie with nature. But I wonder if kids in some cities even have the resources to go some place calm to be in nature. Parks are good, but a lot of the ones around my area aren’t very big. And I guess the government here wants to close our reserve parks too. I wonder what will happen if the parks close.
On the other hand, I am a pale person and having people tell me to go outside all the time is a pain because it is semi-tropical here and I sometimes burn within 15 minutes of being outside. I can understand if parents want to protect their kids and sunscreen can sweat off and has problems of its own, like some of them contain unhealthy ingredients.
But even inside, parents could play games with their kids or read to them. I think parents need to play inside with their kids as well as take them for hikes. Computers and TV not only lead to less exercise but also can slow the intellect if the right things aren’t watched. I can see kids getting a lot more out of computers and TV if their parents choose problems that encourage learning and then talk to them about the shows, as opposed to letting them watch The Hills.
Overall, I think parents just need to spend more quality time with their kids, which can be hard for people with busy schedule, but it has to be done. Parents also need to let their kids go outside by themselves after a certain age, so they can explore. My parents let me go outside and walk in the woods behind my house. I am glad I had that childhood.
August 7th, 2009 - 1:22 pm
Other countries, and a few schools here in the US, have been using outdoor natural areas as classrooms for years – with great results. Classes spend time each day exploring, thinking, and interacting with nature, teachers, and other kids. Once again, some of us are just a little behind the times. This is such a no-brainer.
August 8th, 2009 - 4:11 am
Thumbs up for more & longer recesses! Why can’t that just let kids PLAY anymore?
October 26th, 2009 - 3:31 pm
[...] exists outside of the city limits. That thinking is prevalent, and may contribute to the growth of nature deficit disorder among our kids… and ourselves. “Nature,” however, is all around us, and city [...]
November 11th, 2009 - 5:11 pm
[...] be viewed as a government intrusion into the private sector. Same might be said of the “no child left inside” bill? But mandating “eco-driving” habits be taught to teenagers? While this [...]
November 11th, 2009 - 7:00 pm
[...] you’ve read Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, or looked into the detail of “No Child Left Inside” legislation and initiatives,you know that broad health issues (obesity, diabetes, ADHD, and [...]