Nature Deficit Disorder
The Critical Role of Environmental Education for your Child’s Future
Nature Deficit Disorder is not a medical condition — it describes our lack of a relationship to the environment. It hurts our children, our families, our communities, and our environment. Luckily, the cure starts in our own backyards.
Spread the Word
- The Ten Actions Parents Can Take to Prevent Nature Deficit Disorder
What is Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD)?
- NDD: A Plague on our House
by Michael Bentley, Ed.D. - Nature Deficit Disorder: What You Need to Know by Johanna Sorrentino
What Should Every Parent Know about Nature Deficit Disorder?
- Reconnecting Children to Nature: A Parent's Priority by Cheryl Charles, Ph.D.
- Nature’s Not a Destination, It’s as Close as Your Backyard by Jane Kirkland
- Does Your Child Have NDD?
by Lucy Rector Filppu - A Walk in the Park Can Improve Reading Comprehension by Debbie Powell, Ed.D and Roberta Aram, Ph.D.
Potential Consequences of NDD
- Improving Your Child’s Mental Health Through Easy Everyday Activities
by Jerry Clemens
School Based Solutions
- A Life-Shaping Week: The Outdoor Education Experience
by Nick Boutis & Beth Krisko - Citizen Science Can Help Renew a Child’s Love of Nature by Mike Mueller, Ph.D.
Community Based Solutions
- An Environmental Education Program that Works in Miami and Around the World by Caroline Lewis
- Outdoor Education: An Entry to Careers in Science and Math for Diverse Populations by Emilian Geczi & Keith Cerk
- Make the Park Fun Again by Lisa M. Cope
- New Legislation Set to Get Kids Outside by Samantha Cleaver
Your Backyard: Remembering How It Used To Be and How To Enjoy It Today
- Easy Activities for Getting Kids Outdoors
by George Ambrose - Nature Activities for Middle School Girls
by Ann Regn - Five Outdoor Activities in Under Five Minutes by Catherine Hagerman Pangan, Ph.D.
- The Importance of Getting Young Children Out in Nature by Darlene Maxwell, Ed.D.
- My Box of Rocks: A Fun Outdoor Activity for Kids and Parents by Carol Price
- Overcome Critter Phobia By Raising Insects at Home by Teresa Auldridge
NDD in a Nutshell - Quick Facts
- What is Nature Deficit Disorder?
- How do we know Nature Deficit Disorder is a problem in today’s society?
- How can I prevent Nature Deficit Disorder in my kids?
- Is NDD linked to obesity?
- Is my child spending an unhealthy amount of time in front of the screen?
- What is Environmental Education?
- Why is Environmental Education important?
- What does Environmental Education do for children?
- What is No Child Left Inside?
- How does being outside help my child stay healthy?
- How do I get my kid to learn about water sources and water conservation issues?
- How do I get my teenager off the phone or IM and outside?
- Am I overscheduling my child?
- Does being outside really help with Attention Deficit?
- How can I help my child grow up to be an environmentalist?
Great Articles From Our Nonprofit Partners
- A Walk in the Park Improves ADHD
by Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois
- Counteracting Sedentary Lives
by Natural Learning Initiative - Greening a K-12 Curriculum
by Center for Ecoliteracy - Nature Deficit Disorder
by Midwest Natural Resources Group
Spirituality and Nature
- Environmental Education Programs Can Help Kids Connect to the Earth by Josephine Borgeson
- A Minister’s Guide to the Spiritual Side of Nature by Reverend Julia Older
The Wilderness: Remembering How It Used To Be and How To Enjoy It Today
- Get Wild With Your Child on a Nature Scavenger Hunt by Gretchen Achenbach, Ph.D.
- Great Field Guides for Young and Old
by Cindi Smith-Walters, Karen Hargrove, Hilary Hargrove & Vera Vollbrecht - Using Field Guides with Your Children
by Cindi Smith-Walters, Karen Hargrove, Hilary Hargrove & Vera Vollbrecht - Let's Go Wading: Taking the Worry Out of Getting Wet by Cindi Smith-Walters & Bonnie Ervin
- Community Resources Teach Kids About Water and the Environment by Paul Bugas
- How to Use GPS Technology to Get Your Kids Outdoors by Rita A. Hagevik, Ph.D.
- Paddling as a Way to Explore Nature for Deaf and Hearing Children Alike by Stephen Magocs
- A Sense of Place: Getting to Know Your Surroundings by Paul E. Knoop, Jr.
Additional Content
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1.
Does Your Child Have Nature Deficit Disorder?
Hauling in your first trout, lying in the tall grass listening to a choir of crickets, tasting snow, roaming amidst the...
Source: Education.com -
2.
Nature Deficit Disorder: What You Need to Know
Kids need nature. According to experts, a lack of routine contact with nature could lead to stunted academic and...
Source: Education.com -
3.
Nature Deficit Disorder
"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are," reports a fourth-grader. Never...
Source: Midwest Natural Resources Group -
4.
Citizen Science Can Renew A Child's Love of Nature
We all know that humans are making a negative impact on the environment. In fact, worldwide, we lose plant and insect...
Source: Nature Deficit Disorder Special Edition Contributor -
5.
Why Nature is Important
The Evidence Academics Physical and psychological health Behavior ...
Source: The Children's Nature Institute
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Guest Editor
Michael Bentley, Ed.D.Michael L. Bentley retired from the Science Teacher Education Program at the University of Tennessee and now serves as Board Co-chair for Community High School, Roanoke, VA. He continues his work in science and environmental education.
Executive Editor:
National Environmental Education Foundation-->
Editors:
Denise Sauerteig, M.A.
Denise Daniels, Ph.D.
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