From the library...

"Healing the broken bond between our young and nature is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depend upon it."—from "Last Child in the Woods," by Richard Louv.

I'm reading Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. It really is eye opening when you think about it... when WE were kids, we played outside until our parents BEGGED us to come in!! I remember playing outdoors with mud pies, climbing trees with my brothers, going fishing with cane poles, finding leaves and acorns, using a magnifying glass to discover, and creating my own outdoor adventures. There was no sidewalk chalk in my childhood! I've fell into the trap as a parent. We're reversing our ways, we're taking more time as a family outdoors.

We're down to egg timers on TV and Xbox time... and it's very minimal. I remember watching cartoons on Saturdays and Sundays, and as a preschooler I would watch Mr. Rogers or Captain Kangaroo in the mornings on weekdays after breakfast...after that brief TV time, I remember a day filled with endless possibilities of imagination in the yard, or doing things with my mom, or playing in my room on rainy days. We V-Chip the TV upstairs to only allow 'decent' cartoons and educational children's TV or we will watch Discovery or Science together as a family after dinner on rainy days. Our kids do NOT have TV's in their rooms... I hope we're on the right track. Living in the city, without a huge yard and woods, we're being as creative in our endeavors as possible. Most children I've personally talked to (neighbors, friends at school, and kids at the church) DO watch more TV then play outdoors and/or with their parents.... so we're really encouraging our kids to be a little 'different' these days!

I've found a new release that I plan to read once I'm done with my current read. Luisa's Nature, a book written in an infants/childs persepctive.. “Luisa's Nature” is based on real-life events. Split into four parts — one for each season — the story follows her throughout infancy as she discovers things many people may not ordinarily notice, such as leaves falling, a snow-capped mountain, a squirrel's tail twitching or a rainbow. Watching her mother prepare carrot juice, her parents engaging in a snowball fight and listing to her father tell stories about his own adventures with nature are among the personal experiences conveyed through the narrator. Birds, insects, flowers, trees, weather, fish and other animals are all noticed by Luisa.

LUISA'S NATURE is an insightful interpretation of life as viewed by the youngest of the young. With his daughter, Luisa, serving as the narrating voice of this creative non-fiction, Mark J. Stevens unfolds a playful and purposeful chronicle of a child's first year.
Following Luisa as she discovers the natural world around her will inspire parents to find new ways of using nature to nurture their own children. Readers of all ages will appreciate nature as an essential contributor to the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being of family life.