BODY HEALTH
way to describe our alienation from nature,
particularly for kids” in an interview
with CTV news. In his book The Last
Child in the Woods, Louv argues that
the more time humans spend with
technology, the more time we require
in nature to outweigh the negative
effects the overuse of technology has
on our brains and bodies.
“I n
waste acnaynth ot endure to
as autumn ing as precious
s
staying in thunshine by
e house."”
-Na ie
Hawtthannel
hor
UK film-maker and concerned parent,
David Bond founded Project Wild Thing in
an attempt to market nature and spending time
outdoors to children, including his own, in an effort to encourage
them to spend as much time in nature as they do with screens. His
documentary film, Project Wild Thing takes you on the journey he
embarked on to achieve just this.
Health Effects on Canadians:
According to a report by the House of Commons Standing
Committee on Health (2007), Canada has one of the highest rates
of childhood obesity in the developed world, ranking fifth out of 34
OECD countries. In addition, 26% of young Canadians aged 2 to 17
years are overweight or obese (Leo, 2007, pp. 1-2). These rates were
alarming in 2007 and have continued to increase today. Although
various factors play a part in the obesity epidemic we are currently
experiencing in Canada, lack of physical activity is a major player.
Investing in Outdoor Play
Recently the City of Richmond in B.C. invested $1 million in building
the Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment which involved
children in the design process while planning the park. The outdoor
nature park features a timber swing, aerial rope walkway, a meadow
maze and a stainless steel rolling hill and much more.
Get
Outside,
Stay
Outside
Ontario has a wide variety of hiking trails, municipal and provincial
parks, conservation areas, camp grounds, farms and beaches that
invite children and families to be active, explore nature and spend
time together outdoors. Like the Ontario license plates says, Ontario
is Yours to Discover. This fall I challenge you to put the screens
down, get outside, stay outside and explore nature in Ontario.
Stefanie Morra, Registered Early Childhood Educator
Every year the summer comes
and goes in what is seemingly
the blink of an eye. If any
season to take advantage
of outdoor activities the
summer is it as children are
off school. However, in the
ongoing battle of nature
versus screens, screens
continue to have the strong hold on how
children choose to use their free time regardless of
season or weather. The truth is adults and children
alike spend far too much time sitting indoors
viewing screens.
As a response to this increasingly alarming
epidemic, journalist Richard Louv coined the phrase
‘nature-deficit- disorder’, which he defined as “a
14 I
Living Well Naturally with Nature’s Emporium
I
fall issue 2014
Authour’s Biography:
Stefanie Morra is a registered Early Childhood Educator who loves spending
time exploring nat