The Indoor Epidemic: How Parents, Teachers, and Kids Can Start an Outdoor Revolution PDF
Preview The Indoor Epidemic: How Parents, Teachers, and Kids Can Start an Outdoor Revolution
The Indoor Epidemic Praise for The Indoor Epidemic In The Indoor Epidemic, Erik Shonstrom has reminded us of a basic truth that every traveler knows: learning occurs through experience, and the best experiences are those that happen when we venture out into the wide world.” —Rolf Potts, travel writer; author of Vagabonding and Marco Polo Didn’t Go There “In an era of standards-based education within a technology-obsessed cul- ture, Shonstrom reminds us of the educational value that lies just beyond our classroom cages, in our own backyards and beyond. This rich research-based text will inspire any thoughtful educator or parent to empower young people to move and engage with the natural world around them.” —Donna Terrell, educator, Hillsborough County, Florida “Inactivity is killing Americans. Humans weren’t designed to sit at desks all day, and most of us started sitting at a desk in kindergarten. Shonstrom tackles not only the health consequences of our ‘indoor epidemic,’ but also its effects on our intellectual ability and spiritual well-being. He uses science, literature, and personal experience to argue that it all begins with an institu- tionalized educational system in need of change. I didn’t agree with every opinion in the book, but The Indoor Epidemic definitely challenged my ideas of traditional education and made me rethink my beliefs.” —Paul W. Slavik, MD; hospitalist, internal medicine; assistant professor, University of Vermont College of Medicine The Indoor Epidemic How Parents, Teachers, and Kids Can Start an Outdoor Revolution Erik Shonstrom ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Published by Rowman & Littlefield A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26–34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB Copyright © 2017 by Erik Shonstrom All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available ISBN: 978-1-4758-2590-9 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN: 978-1-4758-2592-3 (electronic) The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992. Printed in the United States of America This book is dedicated with love and gratitude to my kids, Vivien and Finn— there’s no mountain I wouldn’t climb for you. Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii 1 The Curse of the Corner Office 1 2 Paleoeducation 15 3 Feral Psychology 31 4 The Outdoor Body 49 5 Reading the Wild 63 6 Outside the Inbox 77 7 Humanimal 97 8 Are You Experienced? 105 9 The Right to Outdoor Play 117 10 Enkidu’s Lament 127 Conclusion: The Outdoor Nation Proclamation 147 Works Cited 149 About the Author 157 ix
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