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Richard Louv

Children & Nature Network

Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was founded in 2006 to address the Nature Deficit Disorder issue raised by Richard Louv's book Last Child in the Woods. Richard and five other leaders in diverse fields created the nonprofit Children & Nature Network with the initiative to “Leave No Child Inside.”1

1. “Children and Nature 2009: A Report on the Movement to Reconnect Children to the Natural World.” Children & Nature Network.

Last Child in the Woods

Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, brought the need to reconnect children with nature to the forefront of childhood issues. The book describes the current status of children and nature play, noting the growing divide between the two. In coining the layman's phrase “nature-deficit disorder,” Richard has assisted in naming the problem and its consequences, and identifying solutions.

Louv, Richard

Richard Louv (1949) is an American journalist and author of eight books about the connections between family, nature, and community. Coining the term Nature-Deficit Disorder, his highly-acclaimed book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, was first published in 2005 and has since been translated into ten languages and published in fifteen countries. The book sparked an international dialogue about the declining relationship between children and nature.1

1. “About Richard Louv.” Richard Louv. < http://richardlouv.com/about/ > 28 July 2011.

Nature-Deficit Disorder

Nature-Deficit Disorder is a phrase coined by Richard Louv in his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, published in 2005. Having spent ten years traveling around the country, in both rural and urban areas, asking parents and children alike about their experiences in nature, he discovered that in the last two generations there has been a significant decline in time spent enjoying nature.1

1. Karnasiewicz, Sarah. “Do today’s kids have ‘nature-deficit disorder’?” Salon.com. < http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/06/02/Louv/index.html > 13 July 2011.

The Nature Principle

Published in 2011 by Algonquin Books,The Nature Principle, Richard Louv's follow up book to Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, expands the focus beyond children to our society's needs for nature. He maintains that “reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit, and survival.”1 Richard sees seven integrated concepts of nature's “restorative and productive powers:”2

1. Louv, Richard. The Nature Principle. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books, 2011. p. 3.
2. Op.cit., Louv., p.

The Playwork Primer

Professional playworker Penny Wilson has communicated the essence of the British playwork movement through The Playwork Primer, a 40 page booklet published by the Alliance for Childhood in 2010. Through a clear overview, a concise history, and definitions of terms she has endeavored to introduce playwork and the adventure playground concepts to the American play industry.