There is a growing body of research in the U.S. that has found homework isn't all it's cracked up to be, and a growing number of parents who say because of homework and other demands, children have no downtime; one writer has even gone so far as to say today's children have a "nature deficit disorder." Some American elementary schools have cut back or entirely banned homework.I don't recall doing much homework in the early grades, but my daughter had it piled on from fourth grade forward, taking up a lot of time.
It would be interesting to get a wider view of this issue, across cultural lines, to see if this really is a factor. But based on the reasoning in this article, it sure seems like elementary school homework is a contributing factor to nature deficit.
