Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2017 | Page 36

Nature Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in
the Woods, spawned an international
movement to reconnect kids and na-
ture. He coined the term “nature-defi-
cit disorder” to describe the human
costs of alienation from nature listing:
diminished use of senses, attention
difficulties and higher rates of physical
and emotional illness. His new book,
The Nature Principle, delivers another
powerful call to action, this time for
families. “The future will belong to the
nature smart, those individuals, fam-
ilies, businesses and political leaders
who develop a deeper understanding of
the transformative power of the natural
world and who balance the virtual
with the real. The more high-tech we
become, the more nature we need.”
Students of all ages are at risk; digital
learning, social networking, digital
gaming and general fascination with
technology need balance. Architects
and designers can help provide oppor-
tunities in school design for “natural”
alternatives.
36 essentials | fall 2017
Environmental Advocacy
In nurturing the naturalistic intelli-
gence and creating more opportunities
for outdoor learning, we are effecting
change directly and indirectly. Enhancing
learning and retention is the direct bene-
fit to the students, creating advocates for
the environment is the indirect benefit to
our world. Armed with a more intimate
knowledge of the environment and ap-
preciation for its value, students are more
likely to feel the urgency to change, take
action and find solutions. Move forward
with optimism, creating learning environ-
ments that teach environmental advocacy
through thoughtful design.
Designed Environment
There are few places untouched by
some form of design. Even what is con-
sidered “natural” has been rehabilitated,
intentionally designed to look natural.
Thoughtful placement of stimuli, a
riot of colors and textures, can create
a nurturing environment for learning.
These stimuli include: plant life, scale
of learning, sense of enclosure, music of
nature, linguistic reflections, and change
in elevation, edible landscape and
therapeutic qualities. Strengthening all
intelligences through the environment is
the goal of the “Outdoor Classroom.”
Plant Life
The natural patterns, colors and
textures of plant life stimulate the Nat-
uralistic Learner. Education comparing
proportions, variety, pollination, native
and regional adaption employ plants as
primary educators. In the book, Biomim-
icry; Innovation Inspired by Nature,
Janine Benyus describes how nature is a
model, measure and mentor. By exam-
ining the systems of nature students
discover processes to solve human prob-
lems, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf’s
photosynthesis.
Scale of learning
Absorption and retention of infor-
mation can depend on the venue of
delivery and whether the experience is
individual or shared. Variety of scales
and proportions offers both intentional