Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life

From the bestselling authority on connecting children with nature, a one-of-a-kind guide chock-full of practical ideas, advice, and inspiration for creating a nature-rich life--for kids and grown-ups.

In his groundbreaking international bestseller Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv spotlighted the alienation of children from the natural world, coining the term nature-deficit disorder and outlining the benefits of a strong nature connection--from boosting mental acuity and creativity to reducing obesity and depression, from promoting health and wellness to simply having fun. Vitamin N is the comprehensive practical handbook, a companion to both Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle, that readers have been craving, a complete prescription for enjoying the natural world right now, with

• five hundred activities,
• scores of informational websites,
• an abundance of down-to-earth advice,
• and dozens of thought-provoking essays.

Unlike other guidebooks, Vitamin N (for “nature”) addresses the whole family and the wider community, including tips not only for parents eager to share nature with their kids but also for finding nature-centered schools, medical professionals, and even careers; suggestions for calming infants through nature, building a nature vocabulary with toddlers, and measuring weather with elementary school children, as well as helping tweens become citizen scientists and exploring geocaching with older kids; plus information on how the whole family can join nature clubs, volunteer to restore damaged habitats, or play outdoor games from all over the world.
 
Vitamin N is a dose of pure inspiration, reminding us that looking up at the stars or taking a walk in the woods is as joyful as it is essential, at any age.

"Balancing the needs of time-stressed families with activities that appeal to different cultural backgrounds, and those that require organization as well as encourage independence, Louv strikes gold again… Louv has become a national leader in advocating for kids to connect with nature. His macrovision of ecological health speaks beyond the benefits of youngsters getting dirty. Essential for all collections." Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Vitamin N (‘N’ is for nature) is everything the worried parent needs...The accessibility of Louv’s writing is what truly shines, and his enthusiasm, so evident in earlier works, is on overdrive here. Anyone who works with children will embrace this title; families will be thrilled by its offerings. This is, without question, another shot out of the park for nature-advocate Louv." Colleen Mondor for Booklist (Starred Review)

"Richard Louv's Vitamin N should find its place in the list of essential vitamins! If we stress a connection to the natural environment . . . we can lessen the lifelong effects of a stressful childhood, including depression, obesity, behavior problems, drug use, and risk-taking behavior." Mary Brown, MD, past board member of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Richard Louv is a journalist and author of nine books about the connections between family, nature and community. His book The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age(Algonquin Books, ) offers a new vision of the future, in which our lives are as immersed in nature as they are in technology. This future, available to all of us right now, offers better psychological, physical and spiritual health for people of every age.

Can you imagine sending your child to a public school where students invest a third of their day outdoors — and a lot of that time in the surrounding woods?...

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