Abstract

Children need contact with nature for their proper development. This one sentence can summarize the 434-page book by Richard Louv 'The Last Child in the Woods' (Louv, 2014). The phrase 'nature-deficit disorder' that he has proposed is not an official medical term, but it became an object of discussion at conferences and in publications around the world. Based on the results of research, Louv has proved that without being in nature children show symptoms of physical and mental disorders. Simultaneously, one may observe that their opportunities to play in nature are continuously decreasing. For various reasons, parents and teachers forgo to organize trips to the forest or other wild nature places. Richard Louv and his followers have not only defined the theory of this phenomenon but also try to find adequate solutions to this escalating problem.

References

• Children & Nature Network (2014). Nature Clubs for Families Tool Kit. Retrieved from https://www.childrenandnature.org
• Honoré, C. (2011). Pod presją. Dajmy dzieciom święty spokój! Warszawa: Drzewo Babel.
• Louv, R. (2014). Ostatnie dziecko lasu. Jak uchronić nasze dzieci przed zespołem deficytu natury. Warszawa: Mamania.
• Sampson, S. D. (2016). Kalosze pełne kijanek. Jak dzięki rozwijaniu miłości do przyrody wychować kreatywne, odważne i odpowiedzialne dziecko. (original title: How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature). Bialystok: Vivante.