Nature deficit disorder

Dr. McIntyre, Superintendent of Knox County Schools, discusses Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder by Richard Louv. He is joined by Knox County School’s Aneisa McDonald, Supervisor of Coordinated School Health, and Lisa Wagoner, Supervisor of Health Services.

Louv emphasizes the important role interaction with nature plays in our personal emotional, physical and intellectual health. He contends that connecting education and play to environment raises standardized test scores and grade point averages, improving many skills such as critical thinking and even creativity. Yet sending kids outside to play is increasingly difficult. Homework and electronic entertainments compete for their time, of course, but it's also our fear of traffic, strangers, and even virus-carrying mosquitoes that keep children indoors. (Recorded November 18, 2009)