Desperately Seeking Nature

DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE NDD?


What is NDD? Nature Deficit Disorder. Nature Deficit Disorder may be one of the causes of ADD, ADHD, SPD etc. 21st Century kids don't get out in nature anymore; they don't go hiking, camping, canoing, collecting seashells by the seashore...

WHY?

1. Nature has been replaced with condos and parking lots/garages and Wal-Mart in many cities.
2. Nature is so poulluted that it isn't safe to go to the river, ocean and/or lake anymore...sewage spills cause bacterial infections and oil spills cause cancer (Something to think about when you think that it might be a good idea to vote YES for offshore drilling...thousands of children will be affected by that vote directly and indirectly)
3. Parents are too busy working overtime and more than one job to make outings in nature a priority.
4. Video games and TV.
5. Apathy

This has caused a major disconnect within the souls of children. They have no sense of how they fit into the Universe and the world around them, they have no appreciation, wonderment and awe. They have nothing to illustrate that there is something bigger than themselves. This has caused an imbalance within the core of children and humanity. This is something that I had always known deep inside but it was confirmed when I read about it recently in a book called "Last Child in the Woods; Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder".

Click HERE to view it and/or buy it. It is written by Richard Louv
Click HERE to listen to an interview with Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods; Saving Our children from nature deficit disorder"

We have always been a nature loving family, but we have made even more of an effort to ensure that we don't succomb to Nature Deficit Disorder by making sure that we do something each day in Nature. When the rest of the United States thinks of L.A., they think of a sprawling concrete jungle twisting and spiraling out of control. Well, we're here to tell you that there is nature all around us...it might not be in our backyard; but it IS all around us. We have mountains on three sides and the ocean on the other side. We go to the beach every weekend, but last weekend we also made it out to the mountains to take a hike.

Here are some pictures of our 1.7 mile hike in the Santa Monica Moutains. FYI, California brought his magnifying glass and Tennessee brought his digital camera and sketchbook.

Hiking...






















Getting a closer look...













Posing...























Along the way, we saw three horses in a stable and pet another horse on the trail named "Baggo". We also had the pleasure of meeting two cute Beagles on a walk with their owners. As we were leaving we saw three of these by the side of the road:

For those in L.A. who are desperately seeking nature to avoid NDD...go to Will Rogers State Park and take a hike. You will not be disappointed!

If you live in the L.A. area go to LAMountains.com to plan your next hiking adventure...

OR

Click HERE and enter your zip code to find a great hike near you :)This is a national database of hiking trails! So it doesn't matter if you are in L.A. or not...happy trails!