I thought I'd mention to you that I found a book at the library. It is called, "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv. Subtitle: "Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder." ISBN-13: 978-1-56512-522-3. I haven't started reading it yet. I'll let you know what I think.
Back cover says, "In his groundbreaking work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, journalist and child advocate Richard Louv directly links the absence of nature in the lives of today's wired generation to some of the most disturbing childhood trends: the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. This is the first book to bring together a body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions to heal the broken bond."
Inside cover leaf gives a Walt Whitman quote and then a quote from a kid:
"There was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became,
And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day,
Or for many years or stretching cycles of years.
"The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass and white and red morning glories, and white and red clover,
and the song of the phoebe-bird,
And the Third-month lambs and the sow's pink-faint litter,
and the mare's foal and the cow's calf..."
-- Walt Whitman
"I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are."
-- A fourth-grader in San Diego.