Thursday, September 17, 2009
Opinion on Speech by Richard Louv
I agree with Mr. Richard Louv that kids do not go out often enough which may cause them to be anti-social or obese and may have a significant impact on todays childrens. Mr. Louv makes a point that kids are losing the benefits of nature and tells many stories about how playgrounds are prohibiting running, and drawing chalk on the sidewalks, which are old childhood games that children engage in. Its completely ridiculous that people would deprive children of their fun! Although I am not a parent I do think that kids should get at least an hour of platime outside to just run around and have fun in nature. They will never be able to go out and see the world if they can't even go outside and play in plagrounds or neighborhood parks! Playing would also help reduce obesity especially in the U.S. The only exscuse parents could possible have of not letting their kids play outside in nature and not indoors is safety! Even that isn't a valid exscuse because they should find time to watch their children as they engage with others and the nature/parks that sorround them.
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I agree with this post. Playgrounds should allow kids to have a lot of fun. Without fun, children would get board from just sitting on the couch all day. Children should be able to explore nature and it would be unfair if playground rules prohibit that in any way.
ReplyDeleteSam B.
Senior
I agree with this because it seems that children now a days sit around and play videogames for fun instead of going outside. Kids aren't going to go to the gym and work out or take a jog, so the only way for them to get exercise is by playing a sport or just playing outside with friends. instead of kids going to other kids' house to play a video game and watch a movie, they should play a game of basketball, tag, or even jump rope. And parents should encourage this and find time for a trip to the park with their kids.
ReplyDeleteYes I also agree with Mr. Richard Louv Children in the United States are getting fat. That's why America is the fattest country. We need to reduce obesity by making kids go outside, play with them, explore the nature. Parents shouldn't carry them around let them walk, let them be independent for 1 or 2 hours watch them play. However parent need to be careful that some random bad can take them so watch out. And this exploring the nature it's not only good for the children but the people it can help's takes away stress, fatigue, and feels good.
ReplyDeleteJunior,
Senior
I agree with all that Richard said. The reason is because kids that are kept home or indoors for safety reasons, end up becoming ignorant of what is going on in the outside world(socializing).Also,kids in the United States become fat due to lack of exercise.Parents should let their children out because when they play,it helps prevent heart diseases and helps strengthen their respiratory system.
ReplyDeleteEmilie A.
Senior
I agree with Richard Louv as well as my classmates, that the lack of nature settings and being outdoors can results to obesity in the world, especially the U.S. As a student apart of the journalism class, interviewing Mr.Smith the director of ISS, and a personal trainer explain that excerise and eating right is the key to staying in shape.
ReplyDeleteI loved going to the park when I was little. That was apart of my childhood. Children in this generation are missing out, and may face the repercussions of diseases.
Temperance M.
I agree with Richard Louv to a certain extent, but this is an issue outside of children themselves. The reason I believe there is a lack of physical activity is because there are so many other distractions like videogames, computers, cell phones, etc, which may seem more interesting. We live in a time of technology and laziness. For example, instead of going grocery shopping people shop online, and instead of talking on the phone, they text. So it is hard for most children to just get up and do activities on their own, they have to be motivated some way. Not knowing that all of these technological advancements are crippling us as human beings because we do not get to live our lives, technology is living it for us.
ReplyDeleteAlicia Hall
Senior
Last Child in the Woods ––
ReplyDeleteSaving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,
by Richard Louv
Michael J. Vandeman, Ph.D.
November 16, 2006
In this eloquent and comprehensive work, Louv makes a convincing case for ensuring that children (and adults) maintain access to pristine natural areas, and even, when those are not available, any bit of nature that we can preserve, such as vacant lots. I agree with him 100%. Just as we never really outgrow our need for our parents (and grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.), humanity has never outgrown, and can never outgrow, our need for the companionship and mutual benefits of other species.
But what strikes me most about this book is how Louv is able, in spite of 310 pages of text, to completely ignore the two most obvious problems with his thesis: (1) We want and need to have contact with other species, but neither we nor Louv bother to ask whether they want to have contact with us! In fact, most species of wildlife obviously do not like having humans around, and can thrive only if we leave them alone! Or they are able tolerate our presence, but only within certain limits. (2) We and Louv never ask what type of contact is appropriate! He includes fishing, hunting, building "forts", farming, ranching, and all other manner of recreation. Clearly, not all contact with nature leads to someone becoming an advocate and protector of wildlife. While one kid may see a beautiful area and decide to protect it, what's to stop another from seeing it and thinking of it as a great place to build a house or create a ski resort? Developers and industrialists must come from somewhere, and they no doubt played in the woods with the future environmentalists!
It is obvious, and not a particularly new idea, that we must experience wilderness in order to appreciate it. But it is equally true, though ("conveniently") never mentioned, that we need to stay out of nature, if the wildlife that live there are to survive. I discuss this issue thoroughly in the essay, "Wildlife Need Habitat Off-Limits to Humans!", at home.pacbell.net/mjvande/india3.
It should also be obvious (but apparently isn't) that how we interact with nature determines how we think about it and how we learn to treat it. Remember, children don't learn so much what we tell them, but they learn very well what they see us do. Fishing, building "forts", mountain biking, and even berry-picking teach us that nature exists for us to exploit. Luckily, my fort-building career was cut short by a bee-sting! As I was about to cut down a tree to lay a third layer of logs on my little log cabin in the woods, I took one swing at the trunk with my axe, and immediately got a painful sting (there must have been a bee-hive in the tree) and ran away as fast as I could.
On page 144 Louv quotes Rasheed Salahuddin: "Nature has been taken over by thugs who care absolutely nothing about it. We need to take nature back." Then he titles his next chapter "Where Will Future Stewards of Nature Come From?" Where indeed? While fishing may bring one into contact with natural beauty, that message can be eclipsed by the more salient one that the fish exist to pleasure and feed humans (even if we release them after we catch them). (My fishing career was also short-lived, perhaps because I spent most of the time either waiting for fish that never came, or untangling fishing line.) Mountain bikers claim that they are "nature-lovers" and are "just hikers on wheels". But if you watch one of their helmet-camera videos, it is easy to see that 99.44% of their attention must be devoted to controlling their bike, or they will crash. Children initiated into mountain biking may learn to identify a plant or two, but by far the strongest message they will receive is that the rough treatment of nature is acceptable. It's not!
For the rest of the article: home.pacbell.net/mjvande/louv
I agree with what Emilie said because children need exercise to stay healthy and keep the blood pumping effectively. Fat could cause heart attacks because it clogs the arteries. That is why children should be able to play outside. They need to exercise. It helps increase their stamina. They could also build more muscles.
ReplyDeleteSam B.
Senior