How to Raise a Wild Child

February 2, 2015
Sampson, a paleontologist and host of PBS’s Dinosaur Train, sounds the clarion call for parents and other adults to help kids connect to nature before it’s too late. He cites research indicating that overscheduling and too much time spent indoors and in front of screens lead to obesity, stress, and other negative consequences for kids and, in general, for the planet’s sustainability. Nature, he claims, is good for the physical and emotional health of all humans, and children have suffered a “progressive alienation” from nature. Sampson explains how parents can become “nature mentors” and make a determined effort to change not only their children’s habits but their own. He offers practical tips (such as to visit local farms and go on hikes) along with 10 “secrets” for making nature an integral part of a child’s life. Boomers, he believes, were the last generation to have been brought up with a strong nature connection, recounting by way of example his own early experience with a pond filled with pollywogs. This timely, significant work carries a far-reaching message for families and the planet. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth.