Vitamin N (the book)

Many of us could use more vitamins, especially Vitamin Nature. I recently heard about Richard Louv’s 2016 book entitled “Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life.” The title was intriguing and I wondered what practical advice he’d offer for people to get more nature into their life. You may recognize his name from the press about his book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.”

From the beginning, I particularly like his statement of benefits to getting more nature: “The evidence indicates that experiences in the natural world may reduce the symptoms of ADHD, serve as a buffer to depression and anxiety, help prevent or reduce obesity and myopia, boost the immune system, and offer many other psychological and physical health benefits. Time spent in nature may also improve social bonding and reduce social violence, stimulate learning and creativity, strengthen the conservation ethic, and even help raise standardized test scores.”

Now I think we can agree that sounds like a bunch of good benefits! If only we had some help figuring out creative ways to get that dose of Vitamin N. The author describes this book as a handbook offering ‘over five hundred practical actions’ that can help do just that. The actions included are for children, for adults, for people with different abilities, in both urban nature and wilderness environments, and composed of both organized activities and independent play.

An anole in my garden

The book is divided into chapters but I’ll admit that I have a hard time describing the logic of what goes into each chapter. However, it doesn’t really matter as you can just dive right in. Each section contains ideas and most of them are great; they resonate with me because they are things I’ve done or considered myself. I am especially fond of chapter 3: the nature-rich home and garden. I have always espoused the idea that you can have lots of nature at home if you plan for it.

Inside each chapter, there are subsections (like “Explore Nearby Nature”) and a related group of suggestions. You can really open the book to any section and find ideas. The ideas can be as simple as going on a backyard bug hunt or plant safari which includes learning about which plants are native and which are not (that one is in chapter 3). I really appreciate his emphasis on learning and using native plants throughout the book.

The unexpected combinations of nature are an everyday delight in the garden;
false foxglove (Agalinis purpurea) and small aster yesterday

As the book continues, the ideas get bigger. They’re about involving the community, teachers, libraries, even considering nature-smart careers. It’s a handbook that you can grow with as well as one that helps grow you and yours into people that see nature, appreciate it, and learn to cherish it. A nine-page bibliography gives you plenty of other books to explore.

This is a great, practical book for everyone who wants to be more active in nature and encourage it with their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or any child that you have the opportunity to coach. I’m definitely saving this one. We all could use more Vitamin N.