Cure for Nature Deficit Disorder

Nature Deficit Disorder is a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, refers to the alleged trend that children are spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems. Louv claims that causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the lure of the screen.

It appears that these capped crusaders are thoroughly enjoying the freedom they've been granted to explore the natural surroundings in the Mount Pisgah Arboretum, with family and friends nearby learning about hunting and cooking wild mushrooms and sampling the fare at the Mushroom Festival village.

I came upon these two lads playing together under the woodland canopy, leaping and flying about in what appears to be a dry streambed layered in fallen leaves, which softened their repeated and otherwise hard rocky landings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events of their lives. - Thomas Berry

Playful Teasing with Food

This is a really fascinating phenomenon to observe. Starting anywhere from five months of age on, babies discover on their own how to tease an adult by offering a toy or some kind of food, only to pull it away to make a teasing game out of it. Playful teasing. It becomes increasingly amusing for the baby as he or she repeats the gesture, especially if the adult’s reaction is amusing. Watch as our granddaughter Sephira, the day before she turns 13-months old, discovers that she can tease her grandpa as she offers him goldfish crackers from her cup.

Fishin' for Papas