Bokrecension – Vitamin N

av Richard Louv (2016)

Om boken
From the bestselling authority on connecting children with nature, a one-of-a-kind guide chock-full of practical ideas, advice and inspiration for creating a nature-rich life – for kids and grown-ups.In his groundbreaking international bestseller Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv spotlighted the alienation of children from the natural world, coining the term ‘nature-deficit disorder’. Vitamin N is the comprehensive practical handbook, a complete prescription for enjoying the natural world.Includes:Five hundred activitiesScores of informational websitesAn abundance of down-to-earth adviceDozens of thought-provoking essays.Unlike other guidebooks, Vitamin N (for ‘nature’) addresses the whole family and the wider community, encouraging parents eager to share nature with their kids. It is a dose of pure inspiration, reminding us that looking up at the stars or taking a walk in the woods is as joyful as it is essential, at any age.

Min kommentar
Efter den intressanta boken Last child in the woods var jag väldigt nyfiken på vilka konkreta aktiviteter som författaren egentligen tipsar om. Denna kändes som en guldgruva till uppslagsverk.

Dock vet jag inte om det var för att det fanns för mycket som jag upplevde den tråkig och tradig. Mängder med ”självklara” tips, även om de var bra. Mycket gick också i stil med det som var på sluttampen i den tidigare boken, sådan som jag upplever inte hör till ”vardagssysslor”, utan mer organisationsnivå.

Å andra sidan öppnar boken upp för all naturkontakt som finns att tillgå och till viss del inspirerar den.

Betyg: 2+ av 5

Bokrecension – Last child in the woods

av Richard Louv (2008)

Om boken
”I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” reports a fourth grader. But it’s not only computers, television, and video games that are keeping kids inside. It’s also their parents’ fears of traffic, strangers, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus; their schools’ emphasis on more and more homework; their structured schedules; and their lack of access to natural areas. Local governments, neighborhood associations, and even organizations devoted to the outdoors are placing legal and regulatory constraints on many wild spaces, sometimes making natural play a crime.

As children’s connections to nature diminish and the social, psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent, new research shows that nature can offer powerful therapy for such maladies as depression, obesity, and attention deficit disorder. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade-point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that childhood experiences in nature stimulate creativity.

In Last Child in the Woods, Louv talks with parents, children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, child-development researchers, and environmentalists who recognize the threat and offer solutions. Louv shows us an alternative future, one in which parents help their kids experience the natural world more deeply–and find the joy of family connectedness in the process.
Now includes

Min kommentar
Författaren sätter starka ord på den problematik som i skymundan växer fram, det hur vi för varje generation kommer allt längre ifrån naturen. Det är skrämmande, på det sätt han beskriver, och det finns många exempel som får det att både knyta sig i magen och låta skämskudden dyka fram. Väldigt tänkvärt, innehållsrikt och berättat med så mycket kärlek till naturen.

Betyg: 4 av 5