(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, May 07, 2013 ) Middlesex, UK -- Many individuals, when they plan to have children, imagine giving their children the experience of nature through amazing getaways to fun and wonderful parts of the world. However, in reality, it is difficult to accomplish, given the number of hours the average American works, not to mention the total cost of getting out to nature and getting away from it all. Too often parents settle for in-city 'camps' as they continue working, and it causes a lack of interaction with nature.
In 2005, author Richard Louv coined a phrase of “nature-deficit disorder” and now it appears that the phrase may have some grounding in real medical terminology, as children without any connectivity with nature to possess some of the symptoms Louv described. The symptoms for the break, as described by Louv was tech-dependency, over scheduling, and a fear of deviation from scheduling. Nearly 80% of the world's population live in urban surroundings, and nature is hardly visible or in any way experienced in many of these areas. As Louv stated “Kids today can tell you lots of things about the Amazon rain forest; they can’t usually tell you the last time they lay out in the woods and watched the leaves move.”
There are also possible health problems that arise from the lack of nature. A new study from the University of Illinois noted that children with ADHD were able to focus more of their attention following walks through natural settings. The Japanese Government spent over $4 million for “forest-bathing” research to investigate if the exposure to nature was truly there. Researchers at Chiba University noted that those who took slow walks through woods had a 12.4% decreased stress hormone production. They also had a reduction of blood pressure by 1.4% during these short walks. Anxiety in Canadian youth was also found to drop, simply by being in proximity to greenery backdrops.
Becs Hoskins of the Child & Nature Alliance of Canada stated that she had noticed a groundswell of interest from parents following the continued studies that elicited positive effects on children. “We’re starting to get to people who are outside the choir. Our mandate is that all Canadians should be connected to nature in some meaningful way, whether it’s a plant on a patio or hiking a pass in Banff.”
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Outdoor And Camping (http://www.outdoorandcamping.co.uk/) provides a wide array materials for outdoor activities and adventures. From personal items for travel, to festival and event material, the site holds all things centered around nature and the outdoors.
