Think back to your childhood. Remember your favorite place to play outside? Was it the forest behind your house, or a fort beneath the corn stalks out in the fields? Mine was the woods next to Keller Lake, a swamp of a lake in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. It was just two streets away from my house, but a world away from the every day pressures of my adolescent life. I owned those woods, or so I thought. And when I go “home” now, and see the McMansions built where the woods used to stand, I think “Stupid people. That was a swamp!” But deep inside I’m sad that my children didn’t have an opportunity to live the adventures that I had there.

 These thoughts were awakened again last week when I heard Richard Louv speak. His understated delivery of his very passionate plea to get kids back outside rekindled the many fond memories of “my” swampy fortress. Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, and a passionate advocate for children in nature, was in Phoenix for Valley Forward Association, our city’s environmental advocacy organization. The two are well matched. Valley Forward’s mission is to protect the lands that Louv wishes kids would play in.

 Louv links the lack of nature in our modern lives to some disturbing childhood trends, among them obesity, depression and attention deficit disorder. His life quest is spelled out in the subhead of his book, “Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.” As mother of a child diagnosed with ADD, I felt like he was speaking directly to me; my teenage son is more attracted to electronics and fast moving video games than the tranquility of the outdoors. He craves the stimulation that electronics readily provide.

 In researching his book, Louv focused significant time on studying ADD/ADHD kids. He found that even a little contact with nature calmed them and lengthened their attention span upon returning to the classroom. He cited an example out east where 30% of the boys in one school are on some form of Ritalin. Recess had been eliminated in that same school, taking away what little exposure to nature they’d had. A few teachers began holding their classes outside and began remarking at the calming influence it had on their unfocused students. Louv gobbled this up as fodder for his philosophy.

 A school in Sedona knows this already, and works nature and adventure into nearly every class on campus. Oak Creek Ranch School is a boarding school for ADD/ADHD and undermotivated teenagers. Its curriculum is experiential, both inside and outdoors. Rock climbing, nature hikes, horseback rides, and river rafting are offered for everyone, supplementing math, English, science, etc. Teachers link the learning outdoors with the teachings of the classroom, connecting a real life application to what the students experience in nature. More importantly, the kids are calm, focused and ready to learn, most all of the time. Parents give testimony to the remarkable turnaround their kids make while attending Oak Creek. Formerly failing academically and with low self esteem, they emerge successful, calm and fully aware of their importance in the world. I contend that the nature-based curriculum has much to do with the school’s success.

Louv seems to agree, saying, “If you want your kids to go to Harvard, get them outside.” It expands their views of the world, focuses their energy, promotes humility and amplifies time. I couldn’t agree more. Watch out, wilderness. This city slicker family is headed your way.