Being Close To Nature, In

Use All Of Your Senses.

Leave Part Of The Yard Rough. Don't Manicure Everything. Small Children In Particular Love To Turn Over Rocks And Find Bugs, And Give Them Some Space To Do That. Take Your Child Fishing. Take Your Child On Hikes.

Our Kids Are Actually Doing What We Told Them To Do When They Sit In Front Of That Tv All Day Or In Front Of That Computer Game All Day. The Society Is Telling Kids Unconsciously That Nature's In The Past. It Really Doesn't Count Anymore, That The Future Is In Electronics, And Besides, The Bogeyman Is In The Woods.

We Attempt To Remember Our Collective American Childhood, The Way It Was, But What We Often Remember Is A Combination Of Real Past, Pieces Reshaped By Bitterness And Love, And, Of Course, The Video Past--the Portrayals Of Family Life On Such Television Programs As "leave It To Beaver" And "father Knows Best" And All The Rest.

A Widening Circle Of Researchers Believes That The Loss Of Natural Habitat, Or The Disconnection From Nature Even When It Is Available, Has Enormous Implications For Human Health And Child Development. They Say The Quality Of Exposure To Nature Affects Our Health At An Almost Cellular Level.