According to author Richard Louv, children today are suffering from nature deficit disorder, a disconnection with the world beyond the interiors of their homes and classrooms.

In his book, Last Child in the Woods, Louv presents documented and anecdotal evidence of NDD and its consequences.

In the book, a fourth grader in San Francisco said he prefers playing indoors because that's where all the outlets are.

So what are the reasons Louv sets forth for the prevalence of NDD.

Time is a big factor. When two parents are working outside the home, spare time is a precious commodity. In modern urban and suburban families, free time tends to be filled with programmed activities such as the endless rush to soccer practices, piano lessons, martial arts classes and the like.

Studies cited in the book point to the benefit of allowing children not only the time to spend exploring outdoors but also the freedom in deciding how to spend it. Louv says building a tree house in a woodsy area with his boyhood pals was an experience that evoked so many positive feelings, he is sorry more kids do nott have similar opportunities today.

Many parents mistakenly feel that forays into nature must be coupled with expensive, big deal trips such as vacations in Yellowstone National Park. While those trips can be worthwhile, the parks, trails, nature centers and public gardens close to home can also yield memorable adventures at little or no cost.

One of my fondest memories involves searching for acorns with my grandfather in a forested area on the edge of my hometown, St. Louis. As leaves and twigs crunched under our feet, we scouted the ground for the biggest and best acorns we could find.

After we gathered our treasures, we took them back home so he could remove the tops, hollow the centers a bit with his pocket knife and poke little holes in the sides. Then he put a stick in the holes and we all had “acorn pipes,” useless little things that delighted us well beyond their intrinsic worth.

Remembering that time today brings not only a smile to my face, but also the feeling of peace and well being that most us get when we are in a natural place or even thinking about being in one.

Fear is another component. Children are rarely left to their own devices to explore natural areas or even parks the way their parents did. There’s fear of traffic, of crime, of stranger-danger and of nature itself – even though many of the reports of these events have been exaggerated by media reports.

Louv, a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, is a futurist, author of seven books and a journalist who focuses on family, nature and community. You can find out more about him and his work at www.futuresedge.com

Gardeners have many opportunities to teach their children the wonders of nature. What is more impressive than sowing a tiny seed and watching it grow into a big, beautiful plant?

Or how about seeing butterflies, bees and birds fly in and out to feast on plants in the garden. Or digging into the dirt and finding the amazing worms that work hard to aerate the soil for us?

It’s important for us not to lose our sense of wonder and awe in our gardens and let’s remember to pass our feeling along to the young people in our lives.

In his book Louv writes about a discussion with several clergyman including a rabbi who quotes the philosophy of the late Abraham Joshua Heschel:

“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. Heschel would encourage his students to get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.

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