Connect with Nature
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Are Your Children Nature Smart?
Outdoor Family Fun
Last Child in the Woods
Richard Louv’s book, “Last Child in the Woods,” stresses the importance of outdoor play. He thinks that children are less connected with nature than past generations. Louv believes that “children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and, therefore, for learning and creativity…The most important goal is for our children, in their everyday lives, to experience joy and wonder, sometimes in solitude – for them to create their own nature experiences and, as they grow up, to expand the boundaries of their exploration.”Are Your Children Nature Smart?
Louv’s book also mentions Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Being “nature smart” refers to a child’s relationship with nature and their “ability to recognize plants, animals, and other parts of the natural environment.” More…Outdoor Family Fun
“Last Child in the Woods” book provides a great reference section including 100 Actions We Can Take. Here are 10 fantastic ways to engage your children in activities that will provide educational entertainment for the whole family.1. Invent your own nature game. For example, find ten critters such as mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, snails and other creatures.
2. Keep a “wonder bowl.” Collect natural wonders such as acorns, rocks and mushrooms.
3. Take a hike. Map out an easy, short hiking route or be a stroller explorer. www.americanhiking.org
4. Plant a garden. Grow vegetables and feed the family, sell them at the farmers’ market, share them with neighbors, or donate them to a food bank.
5. Encourage your kids to go camping in the backyard. www.greatoutdoorsmonth.org
6. Be a cloudspotter. Buy a guidebook and identify cloud types in the sky.
7. Make the “green hour” a new family tradition. Make time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. www.greenhour.org
8. Adopt the “sunny day rule.” If it’s a beautiful day, there’s no excuse for growing roots on the sofas. www.familyeducation.com & Sunny Day Activities
9. Go harvesting. Visit a farm or orchard and pick berries or other fruits or vegetables.
2. Keep a “wonder bowl.” Collect natural wonders such as acorns, rocks and mushrooms.
3. Take a hike. Map out an easy, short hiking route or be a stroller explorer. www.americanhiking.org
4. Plant a garden. Grow vegetables and feed the family, sell them at the farmers’ market, share them with neighbors, or donate them to a food bank.
5. Encourage your kids to go camping in the backyard. www.greatoutdoorsmonth.org
6. Be a cloudspotter. Buy a guidebook and identify cloud types in the sky.
7. Make the “green hour” a new family tradition. Make time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. www.greenhour.org
8. Adopt the “sunny day rule.” If it’s a beautiful day, there’s no excuse for growing roots on the sofas. www.familyeducation.com & Sunny Day Activities
9. Go harvesting. Visit a farm or orchard and pick berries or other fruits or vegetables.
10. Invite native flora and fauna into your life. Maintain a birdbath or grow native plants in your backyard. www.nwf.org/backyard
More information about the value of outdoor play.
More information about the value of outdoor play.
