it’s only natural

1、<p>　　It’s Only Natural</p><p>　　In 2005， American writer Richard Louv first introduced the concept of “naturedeficit disorder” in his book Last Child in the Woods. Sufferers of the disorder are not phy

2、siologically ill， but are so far removed from nature that they develop behavioral and psychological problems. As Louv proposed， natural education has emerged to fix the problem. </p><p>　　In recent years， Ch

3、ina’s natural education has prospered. In its early days， it drew heavily on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept of “natural man，” which focuses largely on freedom from restraint. But nowadays， as environmental problems wors

4、en， natural education has shifted focus to coexisting as part of nature and aims to improve the ecology. Contemporary natural education promotes not only education “in” nature and“about” nature but also “for” nature. <

5、;/p><p>　　“Firefly lanterns light my way to the moon，” wrote Li Muhe， a 10-year-old girl at Fongaia School. “Muhe used to just like to stay home and read，” reveals her mother.“Now， she likes to experience natur

6、e and finds beauty in everything she sees.” Gaia， the personification of earth in Greek myth， inspired the name of the school， Fongaia. Founded in 2014， the school of natural education is a subsidiary of Friends of Natur

7、e， an environmental NGO. Vice principal of Fongaia School， Zhang Meng， or “Winte</p><p>　　China Pictorial （CP）： As a founder of Fongaia School， what made you decide to launch a school for natural education？

8、</p><p>　　Zhang： I was volunteering for Friends of Nature to work on projects related to natural education. But without consistent funding， we couldn’t keep things going for long. In 2013， I had a chance to

9、visit some of Japan’s schools of natural education. Japan has more than 30 years of experience in natural education and about 4，000 nature schools. Compared to us， they have a more mature and sustainable system. </p&g

10、t;<p>　　I used to teach at a college. I have always believed education can make people change and grow. I have been volunteering for four years， in which time I participated in many activities and got more connect

11、ed to nature， which changed me a lot and elevated my life. I knew I could do this well. In 2014， I decided to establish Fongaia School. </p><p>　　CP： Do you think many Chinese children suffer from “nature-de

12、ficit disorder”？ 　　Zhang： I think it’s painfully obvious and not confined to urban children. Several days ago， a teacher from a village came to our school. She told us that when her son saw flourishing winter wheat， he

13、said“Chinese chives grow so well.” But “nature deficit” is about more than a lack of knowledge about nature； it’s more about the ability to feel nature. When we were children， we spent a lot of time in nature and establ&

14、lt;/p><p>　　CP： What are the reasons for the disconnection？ </p><p>　　Zhang： Firstly， we only experience fragmented nature. When we see a table， we know it is made of wood， but we do not necessaril

15、y know where the wood comes from； we turn on the tap and see water flowing out， but we do not care where it comes from； we throw out garbage and it’s gone， but we don’t know where it goes； we don’t know where food comes

16、from. Our attitudes toward nature become fragmented. Secondly， children lack freedom. Their schedules are arranged by their parents and crammed with all </p><p>　　CP： What is the status of natural education

17、in China？ What does it need to overcome？ </p><p>　　Zhang： In recent years， China’s natural education has developed rapidly. Many organizations involved in natural education have emerged in first- and second-

18、tier cities. A lot of people have become interested in this field， evidenced by the growth in enrollment in our training classes to become a nature guide. At first， it was hard to find students， but now it is so popular

19、that people are fighting to get a spot. Working as a nature guide is not even a high-salary profession. But the practitioner</p><p>　　When natural education is mentioned， most people think of it for children

20、. But adults need it more. We emphasize “parentchild-together education” because children are more perceptive and sensitive to nature than adults. However， when the kids get home， influenced by their parents， they quickl