Discussion questions for Last Child in the Woods

We’re sure that Last Child in the Woods has given you a lot to ponder! (By a pond, perhaps?!) But in case not, here are some questions to think about, wherever you may be.
Please share your comments!

Can you compare your own childhood interactions with nature to those of a contemporary child? What are the similarities? Differences?

Can a child in an intensely urban setting easily find “a piece of nature” (without going to a park)? Where might they find it?

What’s more real for today’s children, technology or nature? Or is there a balance?

What experience in nature have you had that you wish every child could have? Why?

About Richard Louv

Richard Louv is an American journalist credited with identifying the phenomenon and coining the now-common phrase known as “nature deficit disorder.” He has written for major American newpapers like The New York Times and Washington Post and was a columnist for the San Diego Union–Tribune from 1984 – 1987. He is the author of seven books, arguably the most famous being Last Child in the Woods.

To review recent columns and commentaries, visit Mr. Louv’s blog, Fieldnotes from the Future, a component of the Children’s Nature Network of which he is chairman and co-founder. And be sure to check out Louv’s official website for information about his books and the latest news in the Children and Nature movement.

Louv is married to Kathy Frederick Louv and is father to Jason, 28 and Matthew, 22.

About Last Child in the Woods

Find your favorite tree stump and pull out your copy of June's Featured Book of the Month, Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder.

The author contends that today's children, unlike children a mere thirty years ago, are dangerously deprived of exposure to nature, the thing that inspires, teaches and gives us comfort. Gated communities, obsession with electronic technology, and changing standards in education are just some things that distract our children from their "eighth intelligence" and creativity.

Louv includes some great quotes and stories from the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, and Thomas Edison that credit their early curiosities to time spent in wood and field. And it’s certainly interesting to ponder what role the natural world played in our own childhoods and how it shaped our adult pursuits.

Is nature inaccessible to today’s children?
Can we go back to nature? How?
Or is nature even important anymore?

The author, a former journalist, offers up research from environmentalists and educators that lays bare the reasons for reconnecting, rebuilding, rethinking, and redesigning our relationships with the outdoors.

There are suggested actions to take and activities to pursue with kids. Who knows, maybe we can go back to Walden! What do you think?

Written by Bob