How Connecting with Animals Transforms Lives: A Conversation with Author Richard Louv, a Founder of the Children & Nature Network

In 2005, author Richard Louv published a groundbreaking book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. That book resonated with people around the world, inspired what has been called “the new nature movement” and led to the founding of the Children & Nature Network, an international nonprofit linking children of all ages to nature and spurring research to documents the impact of nature experience on children’s health, learning and well-being.   Now, after four years of research, Rich has released his most recent book, Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives – and Save Theirs. This book digs deeply into the importance of our connections to other species, from household pets, service animals, and horses to the bees in our gardens and the bears we may encounter in the woods and mountains. Tune in as Rich joins Marti & Erin, his good friends and fellow children and nature advocates, for a quiet, reflective glimpse into this just-released book. We suggest you find a quiet place outdoors -- or by a window with a view of nature – to listen to Rich Louv’s stories and insights and to reflect on what animals bring to your life and your children’s.   What have your own experiences with animals been over the course of your life? Think about pets and also animals in the wild. What have you learned from those experiences? What have those experiences meant to you? What opportunities do your children have to develop those connections with animals, and how do you support those connections?   Related Resources: To listen to the Practical Ideas to Connect Children and Nature podcast with Richard Louv, click here. To listen to Marti interview Richard Louv on MPR, click here. For Our Wild Calling book, click here. To read Animals Are Messengers In Richard Louv's Latest, click here. To read Connect your Grandkids to Nature, click here. To read Animals Are the Cure for Loneliness, click here.