An indoor (or backseat) childhood does reduce some dangers to children; but other risks are heightened, including risks to physical and psychological… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
If a child never sees the stars, never has meaningful encounters with other species, never experiences the richness of nature, what happens… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
As a species, we are most animated when our days and nights on Earth are touched by the natural world. We can… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Each of us-adult or child-must earn nature's gift by knowing nature directly, however difficult it may be to glean that knowledge in… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
To take nature and natural play away from children may be tantamount to withholding oxygen. — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
“In an agricultural society, or during a time of exploration and settlement, or hunting and fathering--which is to say, most of mankind's… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
A widening circle of researchers believes that the loss of natural habitat, or the disconnection from nature even when it is available,… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Leave part of the yard rough. Don't manicure everything. Small children in particular love to turn over rocks and find bugs, and… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Today's children are living a childhood of firsts. They are the first daycare generation; the first truly multicultural generation; the first generation… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories.… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
As the nature deficit grows, another emerging body of scientific evidence indicates that direct exposure to nature is essential for physical and… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
If getting our kids out into nature is a search for perfection, or is one more chore, then the belief in perfection… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Every child needs nature. Not just the ones with parents who appreciate nature. Not only those of a certain economic class or… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
What happens when all the parts of childhood are soldered down, when the young no longer have the time or space to… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Here is the beginning of understanding: most parents are doing their best, and most children are doing their best, and they're doing… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Nature introduces children to the idea—to the knowing—that they are not alone in this world, and that realities and dimensions exist alongside… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
The children and nature movement is fueled by this fundamental idea: the child in nature is an endangered species, and the health… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Some kids don't want to be organized all the time. They want to let their imaginations run; they want to see where… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Natural play strengthens children's self-confidence and arouses their senses-their awareness of the world and all that moves in it, seen and unseen. — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
“As a powerful deterrent to natural play, fear of liability ranks right behind the bogeyman. One goal in the fourth frontier should… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Being close to nature, in general, helps boost a child's attention span. — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
By letting our children lead us to their own special places we can rediscover the joy and wonder of nature. — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
If we desire a kinder nation, seeing it through the eyes of children is an eminently sensible endeavor: A city that is… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
“She was one of those exceptional children who do still spend time outside, in solitude. In her case nature represented beauty - and refuge.… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and therefore, for learning and creativity. — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
As the young spend less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically and this reduces the richness of human… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
No other youth group like the Scouts has trained so many future leaders while at the same time being a nature organization with its… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
In medieval times, if someone displayed the symptoms we now identify as boredom, that person was thought to be committing something called acedia, a… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Rather than accepting the drifting separation of the generations, we might begin to define a more complex and interesting set of life stages and… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
This seems clear enough: When truly present in nature, we do use all our senses at the same time, which is the optimum state… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
Reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit, and survival. — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
“Most scientists who study human perception no longer assume that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. The current number ranges… — Richard Louv Copy Share Image
