“Time in nature is ... an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own),” writes Richard Louv in his landmark book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.” According to Louv, a lack of contact with the natural world negatively affects a child’s physical, emotional, and mental health—and generally impoverishes their experience of the world.
One simple way that you and your child can engage more deeply with the natural world is by conducting an outdoor scavenger hunt. Many benefits flow from this goal-oriented outdoor activity.
