Outdoor Experiences for the Young and Young at Heart
Abstract
Cheryl Hoogewind is the Ecosystem Preserve Manager at Calvin College. When was the last time you spent an hour or more outdoors enjoying God’s creation? Peop le are spending more and more time indoors keeping busy with computers, televisions, Xboxes, video games, Ipods, and many other kinds of technology. We are over-scheduling our lives with organized sports, music lessons, and school activities of all kind s. Richard Louv poses some interesting questions in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. What is happening to our children and ourselves because we are not spending time in nature? What is capturing our at tention? There are simple ways to give children outdoor experiences in their own backyards and to encourage wonder and creativity. In this seminar, I will share my ideas and give suggestions about how we can avoid 'nature-deficit disorder'.