Richard Louv’s recent book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder” has generated a lot of buzz about the need for children to explore and participate in the outdoors. By linking some of the most serious childhood trends, among them obesity, attention-deficit disorder, and depression to the absence of exposure to nature, Louv has sounded the alarm to parents of today’s wired generation.
Luckily, it’s not hard to overcome nature-deficit disorder. One of the best options is sending your children to camp. “We can provide an antidote,” says Keith Thomajan, CEO and president, Camp Fire USA Portland Metro Council, who oversees the agency’s numerous camp offerings at nearby Camp Namanu. “Today, there are fewer and fewer grand old wilderness places. Namanu represents a pristine place where kids can explore at their pace, sit under towering old-growth trees… no tv, no music, no Internet. The kids we serve really need those experiences.”
What are the actual benefits of being out in nature? “For kids who are increasingly tapped in and who see the world in 30-second soundbites in HTML, being out in Namanu creates certain simplicity in life.”
According to Thomajan, nature awareness helps kids attain some of the most fundamental skills in life, such as interacting with peers, acting as a leader to support others, as well as raising awareness of key concepts about our roles in society. Camp helps children take a step outside their comfort zone, raising the questions: Do you owe the environment anything? What is your role as an environmental steward?
Thomajan recommends parents start introducing camp experiences as early as possible. For summer camp, kids aged six are a little ahead of the curve in terms of preventing nature-deficit disorder. The older kids get and the more plugged in their social lives become, the harder it is to make that connection. “The young ones who start camp [before getting acclimated to gadgetry] are the kids who are psyched to come back year over year,” says Thomajan. “Once they do, it’s liberating and cathartic.”
ABOUT CAMP NAMANU
A northwest tradition since 1924, Camp Namanu is a 552-acre property located one hour east of Portland, on the shoulder of majestic Mt. Hood in the Sandy River Valley, ten minutes outside the town of Sandy. It's a gem of land right where the Sandy and Bull Run Rivers converge.
Websites for Camp Namanu:
HTTP://208.112.18.154/
WWW.PORTLANDCAMPFIRE.ORG/
Camp Namanu, run by Camp Fire USA, reintroduced its family camp program two and half years ago, providing a unique nature experience to local families.
“One of the great assets that we have with Namanu is 90 years of rich traditions. Family Camp is one of those,” says Keith Thomajan, CEO. He describes it as the ideal stepping stone for families that want to make their kids more comfortable going to camp.
The days at family camp are structured so that parents spend part of the day on their own, hiking, rock-climbing, boating, or napping in the sun, while children (ages 3 and up) engage in age-appropriate activities with camp counselors. The other part of the day is spent with the entire family participating in structured activities for the entire family. These include arts and crafts, noncompetitive games in the meadow, river hikes and so on.
Sleeping occurs in cabins ranging from most enclosed (with heat) to the most rustic (treehouses atop the Sandy River or pioneer houses). Most families have their own private space and groups can stay together. All ages welcome.
Camp Namanu Family Weekend
When: Memorial Day
Costs: $130 per adult, $100 per child,
Children under 3 are free. For more info: Contact the Camp Fire Office at 503.224.7800 or email campnamanu@portlandcampfire.org.