It takes time--loose, unstructured dreamtime-- to experience nature in a meaningful way. Unless parents are vigilant, such time becomes a scarce resource, not because we intend it to shrink, but because time is consumed by multiple, invisible forces; because our culture currently places so little value on natural play.
Richard LouvWe tend to block off many of our senses when we're staring at a screen. Nature time can literally bring us to our senses.
Richard LouvWhat would our lives be like if our days and nights were as immersed in nature as they are in technology?
Richard LouvWe are telling our kids that nature is in the past and it probably doesn't count anymore, the future is in electronics, the boogeyman is in the woods, and playing outdoors is probably illicit and possibly illegal.
Richard LouvChildren need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and therefore, for learning and creativity.
Richard LouvWe cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. Or hear. Or sense.
Richard LouvWhen you're sitting in front of a screen, you're not using all of your senses at the same time. Nowhere than in nature do kids use their senses in such a stimulated way.
Richard LouvThe pleasure of being alive is brought into sharper focus when you need to pay attention to staying alive.
Richard LouvMost people are either awakened to or are strengthened in their spiritual journey by experiences in the natural world.
Richard LouvThe physical exercise and emotional stretching that children enjoy in unorganized play is more varied and less time-bound than is found in organized sports. Playtime—especially unstructured, imaginative, exploratory play—is increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child development.
Richard Louv