Book Analysis Of Last Child In The Woods

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The book I chose to read is called, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by: Richard Louv. I chose this book for a few different reasons. One reason I chose this book was because I’ m highly interested in the whole concept of the book and feel very passionate about its reasoning. I also thought it would be a great read to guide me towards a topic for my main project at the end of the Lemelson program. On the plus side, I “read” this book through audible, which enabled me to listed to the book on my drive to and from work everyday. I commonly do this because of my forty-five minute commute from Truckee to Spanish Springs. The main point of this book it to express the importance of outdoor play and …show more content…

Gardner’s 8 intelligences, with the 8th one just recently being added to the intelligences, stated as “nature smart’. The core of this intelligence is the ability to recognize parts of the natural world such as plants, animals, clouds and rocks. He believes that this is not an intelligence that only certain nature girls or nature boys can achieve. This is an intelligence that all humans innately have. Although is hikjacked by the need to deal with the world of man-made objects. In the first chapter of this book this theory is supported by a statement from a research project that was conducted by the author in the 1980s; the author interviewed over three thousand children and parents throughout the country in urban, suburban and rural areas. One of the comments that stuck out to him the most was from a fourth grade boy that stated, “I like to play indoors better, ‘cause that’s where all of the electrical outlets …show more content…

Silicon faith is a term defining that public education is completely immersed and mesmerized by the focus on high technology (Electronics & Computers). The importance of electronics and computers, aka:technology in the classroom has created an overdependence on them and displaces other resources in the classroom such as arts and science/nature. (pg. 137) Ecophobia is described as teachers not taking advantage of the environment that surrounds the classroom but instead teaching the class about a far off ecosystem such as the rainforest. How to conserve the rainforest and how they can prevent the world’s problems. It is good to talk about this and educate them but, with this being the only form of science education, students then make the connection. That the natural world is only connected to fear of the apocalypse, not joy and wonder. With this form off teaching the students are lacking direct experience with nature and the ability to explore nature’s beauty. Teacher’s can influence a love for nature and the natural wonder and curiosity to nature’s beauty and through the natural world and

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