Kids Found In The Woods!
The mental health of 21st-century children is at risk because they are missing out on the exposure to the natural world enjoyed by past generations.
Dr William Bird, the health adviser to Natural England, has compiled evidence that people are healthier and better adjusted if they get out into the countryside, parks or gardens.
Stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces, he says. Even filling a home with flowers and plants can improve concentration and lower stress.
“If children haven’t had contact with nature, they never develop a relationship with natural environment and they are unable to use it to cope with stress,” he said.
[via Daily Mail]
I think this is sooo true. Kids are freakier and more high strung today by all the indoor activities (gaming, myspace, texting, etc.) I think growing up with a free reign to explore the outdoors in Wyoming, made me who I am today! Let’s all go outside for a bit.
Comment by Gwen — June 29, 2007 @ 9:57 am
WY rocks, Gwen. You’re a lucky one.
Some of my fondest memories of childhood include exploring for fossils and beer cans for my collection–something I did on a regular basis around the neighborhood. Also, I was lucky in that my grandfathers were both avid sportsmen, so I spent alot of time walking frozen fields looking for quail and pheasant. I also fished the many man-made lakes of eastern Nebraska for bluegill and croppie throughout my upbringing. Good eatin’.
I know parents today are frightened by pedophiles and whatever else Fox Noise is blasting, but there are other monsters lurking. Like inactivity.
Comment by dB — June 29, 2007 @ 10:42 am