The Indoor Epidemic

December 18, 2017
Former teacher Shonstrom (Wild Curiosity) goes on a wilderness-enshrining, anti-technology rant against the American educational system, blaming it for the rise of mental health disorders and behavioral issues in children. He minces no words as he calls for a “radical rejection of the very tools that screwed us up in the first place.” Shonstrom’s message that “learning occurs most readily, authentically, and deeply when we’re moving our bodies” is straightforward, and he begins by sharing biological research about exercise and brain boosting and the health hazards of a sedentary lifestyle, though he also includes discredited claims such as time in the woods being a cure for clinical depression. As he continues, his proofs lean mostly toward admiration of mid-20th-century environmental romanticism, stories about his own parenting, and vehement dismissals of 21st-century social media culture. Shonstrom’s plan is basically to provide unstructured time to kids outdoors while taking away their electronic devices, though he brings in none of the tools or philosophy of the unschooling community, which could have helped support his message. Shonstrom’s overreaching call for a revolutionary change in childcare, though heartfelt, is ineffective, as he provides little guidance beyond asking people to realize how terrible the current system is and just walk out the door.

November 15, 2017
Educator Shonstrom (Wild Curiosity: How to Unleash Creativity and Encourage Lifelong Wonderings, 2015) draws on his own outdoor learning experiences in this look at how our indoor-based education system lessens children's capacity for abstract thought and damages their physical and mental health, self-worth, and emotional maturity. By going outside Shonstrom means heading off into nature to explore in order to help elevate students' inquisitiveness, mindfulness, and playfulness. He is intrigued by the egalitarian spirit of outdoor learning and how it levels barriers such as gender, race, and economics. There's a change in the relationship between student and teacher when the class is outside, which can be empowering to the child. A school without walls is also an excellent place for environmental studies, making the lessons more concrete. A former Outward Bound instructor, Shonstrom is inspired by his youthful readings of adventure stories, Walt Whitman, nature writers, and environmental philosophers, and he also cites leading researchers in cognitive development. For all who care about and are involved with children and their education.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)