Pennsylvania Game News - July 2010 - 19

disconnection with the natural world. The Problem There is startling new evidence that spending time in nature is as important to children as good nutrition and adequate sleep. “To take nature and natural play away from children may be tantamount to withholding oxygen,” says author Richard Louve, in his groundbreaking book, Last Child in the Woods — Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder. In it, he explains that in the course of a few decades, children’s physical contact with nature has faded to an alarmingly low level. New research is connecting the rapid increase in childhood depression and attention deficit disorder to this lack. For in nature, children make full use of their senses, are inspired to be creative, learn visualization and concentration, reduce their stress, develop a deep sense of spirit and a sense of play, become more fit, and evolve into better stewards of the land. Studies show that the rate of chronic disease among American children has doubled since the late 1980s, and much of the increase was a result of obesity. If we could get kids outside enjoying fresh air, we could set them on a path to better health. The average American child spends almost eight hours a day glued to electronic entertainment media. That’s more than the equivalent of a fulltime work week. Other

A new bill is in the House of Representatives called The Healthy CHOICES Act that includes a section titled “Moving Outdoors in Nature.” Grants would be provided for states to develop and implement strategies to get people moving via parks, recreation, outdoor play and other means.

studies show that kids spend an average of four to seven minutes per day engaged in unstructured outdoor play. This imbalance is costing our children their health in the form of obesity, diabetes, and attention deficit issues. With the planet in the mess that it is today, we can’t expect to grow environmentally conscious kids who will protect the planet and its creatures when they have not attached to the land nor made an intimate, personal connection with the natural world. What Can Hunters Do? Every hunter knows that it doesn’t get much better as far as connecting goes than a good hunt. When you sit motionless in the woods with every sense alert, you think like the animal you are hunting, experience the cold, the wind, the sun’s warmth, and the beauty of the forest. Then to encounter that animal, take it and have it bless your family’s dinner table, is a lesson in gratitude and exchange that is difficult to match. All kinds of important, life-affecting things can be learned just by passing on the tradition of hunting. But what if, like my children, yours have no interest in killing. As hunters, we still have tremendous skills, knowledge and wisdom that we can share with our youngsters. There are
SCOUTING for wild animals is a great opportunity to get kids into the woods, whether or not they have any interest in hunting at all.

JULY 2010

Pennsylvania Game News - July 2010

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