I've been wondering lately if TV and it's constant jumping from picture to picture is a cause of attention loss (especially in kids) and even perhaps exacerbating the symptoms of people with AD(H)D. What do you all think? Especially those who know about the physiological aspects of ADD.
Also, wanted to point out a really good book called "Last Child in the Woods". The basic premise is that the loss of time in nature and unstructured play are causing a problem that the author with tongue-in-cheek calls "nature deficit disorder". He points to many studies showing that nature calms people down, increases concentration, and increases creativity.
Unstructured play is when a kid goes out to the playground or an empty lot or out in the woods and just does whatever comes naturally- make up stories and games, run around, whatever. This is not to say that structured activities are bad. They're great! However, unstructured play is also necessary to a child's development and it very rarely happens anymore.
Another issue is that kids are allowed so much less space to roam now than in the past. Most kids don't have a big open space, a forest behind their house anymore. And parents are afraid to let them go farther afield than their own front yard.
There's a lot more in there too. Highly reccommended. The author's name is Richard Louv.
"Healing the broken bond between our young and nature is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depend upon it."
--from "Last Child in the Woods,"
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I've been wondering lately if TV and it's constant jumping from picture to picture is a cause of attention loss (especially in kids) and even perhaps exacerbating the symptoms of people with AD(H)D. What do you all think? Especially those who know about the physiological aspects of ADD. Also, wanted to point out a really good book called "Last Child in the Woods". The basic premise is that the loss of time in nature and unstructured play are causing a problem that the author with tongue-in-cheek calls "nature deficit disorder". He points to many studies showing that nature calms people down, increases concentration, and increases creativity. Unstructured play is when a kid goes out to the playground or an empty lot or out in the woods and just does whatever comes naturally- make up stories and games, run around, whatever. This is not to say that structured activities are bad. They're great! However, unstructured play is also necessary to a child's development and it very rarely happens anymore. Another issue is that kids are allowed so much less space to roam now than in the past. Most kids don't have a big open space, a forest behind their house anymore. And parents are afraid to let them go farther afield than their own front yard. There's a lot more in there too. Highly reccommended. The author's name is Richard Louv. "Healing the broken bond between our young and nature is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depend upon it." --from "Last Child in the Woods,"
"History is written by the victors." -Gowron