Chapter 4: Climbing the Tree of Health
This Chapter explains how the health of children, as well as adults, in plummeting due to the lack of people being outdoors. A professor at Harvard University teaches her students about “biophilia”. This term is defined as “the urge to affiliate with other forms of life”. It goes on to explain the humans have a natural desire to connect with nature and the outdoors. This chapter also addresses different forms of therapy using nature. There is pet therapy and plant therapy. Both of these tend to calm people down in times of great stress. There is also a link between child obesity and the Nature-Deficit disorder because of the increase of electronics, which requires sitting a majority of the time. Another reason that everyone needs nature is it helps emotion health. Depression medication is being prescribed more and more and also to younger children.
Chapter 5: A Life of the Senses: Nature vs. the Know-It-All State of Mind
This chapter talks a lot about how our sensory world has shrunk. Electronics are taking the place of our senses. Another big topic in this chapter is the rise of cultural autism. People are so concerned with technology that communication with nature let alone, other humans, as becoming less and less.
Chapter 6: The “Eighth Intelligence”
In this chapter, there is a lot discussed about the term, “nature smart”, which was developed by Howard Gardner who originally developed the seven intelligences and now has added this eighth one. Knowing about this eighth intelligence, this chapter then goes on to talk about the importance of teaching with this concept in mind. There is a list of things that can be learned from working outside, in this case, building a tree house. The biggest thing is that people learn from their mistakes.
Chapter 7: The Genius of Childhood: How Nature Nurtures Creativity
The title pretty much explains this chapter. Nature is important to children’s creativity. It stimulates imagination by giving children free space and materials. The end of the chapter says, “Nature presents the young with something so much greater than they are; it offers an environment where they can easily contemplate infinity and eternity.”
Chapter 8: Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment
In the beginning of this chapter, it discusses that nature is a good therapy for kids with ADHD. Later, the chapter explains two different kind of attention, directed and fascination. Too much directed attention leads to “directed-attention fatigue”. Fascination factor relieves people from directed-attention fatigue.
I agree with all that this part of the book has to say but I feel like it is not a new concept. My parents were, and are, always telling me to play outside more and stop watching so much TV. I definitely appreciate the outdoors more now than when I was younger. I think we take them for granted when we are kids. Children today are just afraid to be bored, so they get all these little electronic toys to keep them occupied. Sometimes I just like to sit in my favorite spot outside and stare, and think, and breathe. In regards to utilizing this in a classroom, I think the best thing a teacher could do is to take his or her class outside once in a while. I remember in school, if it was a really nice day out, us students, would ask to go outside for class. The teacher rarely said yes. Being outside would keep the students focused and happy. Why wouldn’t a teacher want to do what is most beneficial for the students?
(Macaulley)
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