Book Review: Last Child In The Woods

Since we are now in the full swing of summer, I have been trying to find more ways to get my son outside with me. He is just a year old, so sometimes I have to be a bit creative in my efforts. But, during these summer evenings, my husband and I are often talking about how we want to raise our son. Both of us were raised outside - him farming, me as an outdoors-woman. When we think back to our childhoods, our best memories are outside. We can both identify ways in with nature has shaped our lives and our character. We want to provide this same experience for our son. But times are different now, even in our little rural community.

I saw this book and immediately thought I needed to read it. And I am so glad I did. While I'll admit that I started it for personal reasons, I can see how this information can change me as an educator/therapist. "Last Child In the Woods" by Richard Louv (affiliate link) dives into the research correlating nature to positive outcomes in children and lack of nature to negative outcomes. This information is startling. It is definitely in the back of my mind as a parent, but also as a therapist. How can I use this information to better educate parents and other educators? How can I incorporate nature into therapy? How does nature fit into school curriculums? How can I get kids more hands - on in nature?

Mr. Louv continues by talking about some great ideas for achieving these goals. As the book goes on, he begins discussing urban/city planning, nature preservation organizations, religion's role in nature, etc. These things don't apply as therapists, but they do as parents and humans on this Earth. And, while we aren't city planning, we may find ourselves on a playground planning committee or a curriculum planning committee. The information in this book would definitely help in those situations.

As for me, I'll be using the information to make sure my son has access to nature in his childhood, to help him foster a sense of love and amazement for nature. And I will be much more intentional about opening the door to nature for my patients.

While the book definitely isn't geared towards speech pathology (and that was never the intention), it's a great read. It can help us understand the link between nature/play and student behavior, among other things. If you are a nature lover and are wondering how you can facilitate that with your students, this book is for you.