Last Child in the Woods... a half-way done commentary

I'll probably make some future posts on the subject as time goes on, as I'm only about a third of the way into the book.

Last Child in the Woods is a book about what the author calls "Nature Deficit Disorder", which he feels is the situation among modern kids of less and less free form outdoor play.  He cites quite a few studies linking this type of free form outdoor play (What as a child I called, "Hey, I'm going outside") to lower stress, higher creativity, better mood, and better physical aptitude.  This type of play is opposed to "modern" play, such as computer and video games, internet, blacktop playground structures, and organized sports. 

I've had several light-bulb-clicking-on-in-my-head moments while reading this.

- Ecstatic moments are most often found in nature.  Ecstatic defined as marvelous, extra-ordinary moments.  Yes.  I totally agree.  When I think of my childhood, my memories are almost without exception, centered around playing in a semi-unsupervised way around the neighborhood with neighborhood kids, camping and fishing, and observation of wildlife.  Sitting on rocks or by streams for HOURS and just daydreaming.  Collecting frogs.  Planting seeds and growing them on my windowsill in old margarine tubs. 

So what happens when childhood is filled with TV, video games, and other screen time?  Are any of those memories worth remembering ten or twenty years... or minutes.. .later? 

The over-valuing of processed information, aka, if it can't be googled, it isn't important. Processed information is information received from a secondary source, like a book or the internet.  Example given:  Reading about the inherent strength of right triangles in architecture.  Primary information is that which is gained by experience- building a tree house and learning by trial and error to add supports.  My immediate connection when reading this chapter was to think of analogy to processed food.  It's calorie dense, it's fast, it's easy to aquire, but fundamentally, it is less nourishing to the body, or mind in the case of information, than first-hand experience. 

As a culture, however, the emphasis is on classroom skills, standardized testing, and computer skill, and less importance, almost no importance, is placed on a child's ability to build a sturdy fort from found ingredients, grow a garden, cook from scratch, or follow a bird through the woods using multiple senses.

Computer learning is bi-sensory- sight and sound only.  Primary information gathering requires all senses.

Secondary information is overly-simplified.  Not only does it reduce our sensory imputs to only visual-auditory, but the information is further simplified in order to facilitate communication.  TV shows are a big culprit, but it's true for all media.  With primary information, the information available in infinite, and although oru brains cannot recieve an infirinte amout of informaiton at once, the information is there and we can choose what to process, rather than have it chosen for us.
 
We no longer, as a society, have any connection to our world, even those processes or objects which we go through or use daily.  I have only the vaguest idea how a computer works.  I have no idea how this apartment was constructed, how particle board furniture is made, or how our building supplies our hot and cold water.  If anything in this house breaks, I would just buy a new one.  And I have a degree in physics! 

The information we have at our disposal has grown exponentially, to the point where it is possible for a very smart person to know absolutely nothing of any value to basic human survival.  And not to get on my soapbox or anything, but even BIRTH is almost a forgotten skill in our society. 

I conjecture that a bright child, born in a non-technological, nomadic tribe, could, within his or her lifetime, learn the entire wisdom of his tribe.  What to eat, where to find it, how to create shelter and where best to place it, how to perform basic first aid, how to make tools and art... 

I don't propose that such a way of life is of higher value than our own, but I think it is clear that such a child would have a much better appreciation for where things come from than we do.  If you know how many trees you must cut down and how many hides you must tan in order to build your house, you probably also know whether or not you can find the appropriate number of animals in the nearby territory, whether or not cutting the wood will impact the forest's ability to recover, and if you can gather and complete your tasks before winter.  And in case of problems, you probably know which neighbor can take you in without straining their household, who might be able to barter with you for materials, and who is likely to help or hinder your work. 

Compare this to... say... me.  I have NO IDEA what the raw materials of a computer are, where they come from, how hard it is to gather them, who gathers them, whether or not they are paid a fair wage, who manufactures them, how they fit together what to do if one breaks...  you get the picture.  If this machine breaks down tomorrow, I will just go buy a new one.  And THAT is disconnection from the world, and from the environment. 

And let's not even get started on the fact that a significant majority of teens report that they prefer texting their friends to talking face to face. 

.....................................
Ok, I have to get to bed.  But I leave you with this: 

How much did she learn that day?  Could she have learned it from a DVD of "On the Beach with Elmo"?