How are you planning to "Play, Serve, Celebrate"?

[Avery Cleary]

We're hearing about all sorts of events in April that are being organized by C&NN Connect members, regional leaders, family clubs, natural leaders and natural teachers. We'd love to hear what you are thinking about or already have planned - a beach clean-up, a family hike, a week of science classes in a nearby creek? 

 

Let's G.O.! Just click "▶ Reply to This"  below, and post your news here. We'll be letting others know on Twitter, Facebook and in the Let's G.O.! news blasts.

 

Join the FUN and put your city on the map -- share your celebration of nature today!

 

[Tyrell Hughes]

This year marks the 3^rd year that the Natural Leaders Network will be leading the charge to reconnect children and nature for Nature awareness month in April. In the past we have had great success nationwide and with our friends in Canada and Puerto Rico to promote the urgency of youth getting involved and being a part of the entire movement. “Let’s G.O.!” (Let’s Get Outside) encompasses the spirit of what many of us talked about last year in Princeton, NJ at our grassroots gathering. We talked about the importance and added value of making this year’s movement intergenerational  where people of all ages can take part in the Natural Leaders Network’s call to action. The Children and Nature Network has positioned NLN to utilize all of its resources and groups to get the word out and have even more success with this year’s event.

In order to truly be different and bring about the desired change and diversity we envision we have to allow our collaborations to reflect that change.  By bringing together adults and youth of all ages we can add experience and creativity and with those 2 core ingredients we hope to provide activities all throughout the month of April that get people active, allow those to play and to celebrate together in our one commonality “NATURE.”  So , even though we may be millions of miles away from each other or in a different country for some of us, lol!  We all will be ensuring that we do our small part in the larger scheme of things to protect the love of our environment and the healing it provides to us all for years to come. I encourage you to reach out to your Natural Leaders in your area or any other influential organizations you can think of to ask them to be a part with us. Be prepared to post pictures, videos, blogs and podcasts to document your initiative in your area. In Albany, NY, we will be led by our elders on an early morning hike through one of our oldest local nature preserves which will draw the connection for the youth between our history and our present. Just as important as it is to allow the youth to lead today’s movement it is equally important to our history to understand the experiences of our elders and that’s why this intergenerational piece is so huge. After the hike we will move to action by bus to clean-up 3neighborhood parks that we do each year to keep them safe and clean for everyone to use. The PAST, THE PRESENT, and THE FUTURE all coming together at once, I am excited to hear about all the great stories and impact we will bring about.

Let’s G.O.! – Tyrell Hughes

[Larry Volpe]

The best way for kids to learn is from nature. In the fourteen years I have teaching 5^th grade I have taken countless students on hundreds of outdoors adventures during school field trips and on weekend excursions. Of course the school day trips focus on Science Standards, but when we are rafting, backpacking or sea kayaking on the weekends, we leave the books behind (well, maybe not…they must bring their homework with them and spend at least and hour around the campfire doing homework). Whether it’s shooting the rapids or climbing a steep ascent with a full pack that weighs half of the child or quietly paddling alongside a dozen massive California sea lions, the child’s inquisitive mind can never be satiated. These adventures help my students develop a healthy respect for all critters. In their quest for knowledge they learn our place in the natural world and will one day grow up to be advocates for our natural heritage so that one day they will be able to share these special places with kids of their own.

 

Just a short trip to a local park counting flowers is more than enough to light a spark in the young mind. Bring a hand lens and count petals and stamens. Keep a sharp eye out for the smallest of critters. Draw them in a journal and ID them in a field guide. This is how I usually spend a Saturday in April with my students at Henry Coe State Park in California. We identify over fifty flowers in bloom and walk about six miles through beautiful oak woodland and chaparral habitats. As much as they complain about the length of the hike and how exhausted they are at the end of the day, they would not hesitate one minute to sign up for the very same trip next year. And indeed I do have 'repeaters' every year who serve as our experts.

 

I say this is how I usually spend one Saturday in April because this year, this Natural Teacher will be spending two consectutive weekends in April enjoying the Galapagos Islands, courtesy of the Children and Nature Network. So the chances of me being able to take my students out that month have been cut in half. However, I will more than make up for it when I take them camping for a weekend in May and river rafting in June.

 

If you are a teacher and want to do these kinds of things with your own students just look for a local Sierra Club Inner City Outings group near you http://www.sierraclub.org/ico/.  They have the resources and trained volunteers to make dreams come true for your students. See you on the trail. Larry...The Natural Teacher!

[Avery Cleary]

Tyrell,  thanks for bringing the spirit of Let's G.O.! to life. Love the past, present and future all coming together.

By combining the hike with service everyone gets to give and receive -a beautiful way to honor all generations and serve the natural world.   From the photo it looks like you all cleanup up last year! Can't wait to see this year's!

Tyrell Hughes said:

This year marks the 3^rd year that the Natural Leaders Network will be leading the charge to reconnect children and nature for Nature awareness month in April. In the past we have had great success nationwide and with our friends in Canada and Puerto Rico to promote the urgency of youth getting involved and being a part of the entire movement. “Let’s G.O.!” (Let’s Get Outside) encompasses the spirit of what many of us talked about last year in Princeton, NJ at our grassroots gathering. We talked about the importance and added value of making this year’s movement intergenerational  where people of all ages can take part in the Natural Leaders Network’s call to action. The Children and Nature Network has positioned NLN to utilize all of its resources and groups to get the word out and have even more success with this year’s event.

In order to truly be different and bring about the desired change and diversity we envision we have to allow our collaborations to reflect that change.  By bringing together adults and youth of all ages we can add experience and creativity and with those 2 core ingredients we hope to provide activities all throughout the month of April that get people active, allow those to play and to celebrate together in our one commonality “NATURE.”  So , even though we may be millions of miles away from each other or in a different country for some of us, lol!  We all will be ensuring that we do our small part in the larger scheme of things to protect the love of our environment and the healing it provides to us all for years to come. I encourage you to reach out to your Natural Leaders in your area or any other influential organizations you can think of to ask them to be a part with us. Be prepared to post pictures, videos, blogs and podcasts to document your initiative in your area. In Albany, NY, we will be led by our elders on an early morning hike through one of our oldest local nature preserves which will draw the connection for the youth between our history and our present. Just as important as it is to allow the youth to lead today’s movement it is equally important to our history to understand the experiences of our elders and that’s why this intergenerational piece is so huge. After the hike we will move to action by bus to clean-up 3neighborhood parks that we do each year to keep them safe and clean for everyone to use. The PAST, THE PRESENT, and THE FUTURE all coming together at once, I am excited to hear about all the great stories and impact we will bring about.

Let’s G.O.! – Tyrell Hughes

[Janice Swaisgood]

Do you believe that everyday should be “get outside and play day”? 

So do I! In fact, I see the chance to participate in the Natural Leaders Network’s “Let’s G.O.!” as an opportunity, a call to action for family nature clubs. In San Diego, Family Adventures in Nature (www.familyadventuresinnature.org) will be collaborating with a variety of nature providers, like our local city and county parks as well as Cabrillo National Monument and others, to give families across our county a wide variety of opportunities to connect their kids with nature. We’re hosting “adventures” every weekend and during the week, in nearby nature too. Activities will include exploration and discovery, observation and learning, and stewardship opportunities in collaboration with the San Diego Children and Nature Collaborative (www.sdchildrenandnature.org), all designed to get generations of people moving outdoors. There will be beach and bay clean-ups, hikes, wildlife experiences and “think outside the park” days. With the nature experiences we’ve lined up, I’m hoping to walk away with yet more inspiring testimonials from even more participants. I know you all want to get out there and create your own memories in the outdoors too, while supporting our Natural Leaders and Children and Nature Awareness Month. So let’s go family nature clubs, Let’s G.O.!

All the best,

Janice Swaisgood

[Kristy Clougherty]

This past week I worked with teachers at Longfellow Elementary School  in Pasadena, CA leading the children on a bird watching event. The students participated in Audubon/Cornell's Great Backyard Bird Count and enjoyed it so much they begged for more. Enough so that the teachers decided to continue allowing the students to identify bird species throughout the weeks and months to come. The children learned that there's so much more going on in their play yard when taking time to look. I think the teachers were just as thrilled to see the positive energy evoked by nature. I know I sure marveled in watching children comb the campus with binoculars and bird books in hand.

[Stuart Pendleton]

This year the Science teacher and I have agreed to host several outside nights.  In April and May we are planning moonrise hikes at a nearby natural area.  We hope families will come and explore, look for wildlife, watch the moon rise and finish our hike by the light of the moon.  In Santa Fe we are so lucky to have beautiful natural areas and hiking trails very close to town and our school.  The students are always begging us "take us to the Arroyo."  We hope that seeing that a family evening outside with classmates and parents will inspire them to connect with nature and make it a part of their lives.

[Holly Brouker]

As a brand new initiative to the Wellness Program and Community Outreach I am happy to apply our new affiliation as Trail Maintenence Volunteer with two well establish organizations for our young adults at the College Internship Program.  Those organizations who will support our students to G.O. are the DCR and the AMC here in the Berkshire

Hills of Massachusetts.  We have already been trained by DCR and adopted a trail to be maintain.  The work is being put into place for us to adopt a portion of the Appilachian Trail locally.  CIP offers students a individualized support program for learning different young adults including Aspergers and high functioning Autism, with the goal of  learning to lead puposeful and independant lifes.  We look forward to April and involving many students to G.O. as well as reaching out to the Community of Lee and collaborating in various other outdoor activities, ex. a Hula Hooping Festival and other fun family games in the park.  We are looking forward to experiencing the benefits of being together and interacting with Nature and each other  and how this helps our overall health and wellness.

[Mike Raczyla]

Located in Illinois, Fox River Country Day School's 75 year old, 53 acre campus, hosts 23 acres of rare Forested Fen and also Oak Woodland that was designated as a Natural Heritage Landmark in 1983.

Many rare and state endangered plant species can be found on our campus, and within the groundwater discharge zones that flow to the Fox River, a federally listed planarian worm thrives in the cold, clean, mineralized waters. 

Our site is host to the oldest and largest stand of native White Cedar trees in the entire state of Illinois.

The wetlands on our campus are of highest priority for protection for the state due to the unique habitiat they present and benefits in water purification for the Fox River.

We work hard to preserve and care for this unique example of a pre-settlement landscape. Indeed, FRCDS has a full time naturalist who teaches all grades (preschool through 8th) hands-on environmental education while incorporating stewardship efforts including invasive species removal, collecting and sowing seeds, transplanting, and controlled burns.

Each month we host "Fen Days", a volunteer day where students, families, faculty, and members of the community come together for the purpose of restoration and stewardship, to get outdoors and become more familiar with our natural world.  Our next Fen Day will be on March 5th and will be spent cutting and removing Buckthorn, an invasive shrub that prevents a lot of our rare and native plants from thriving. Our April event will be weather dependent as it is the season for burning! April 9th is the tentative date for our big controlled burn. Other volunteer days are devoted to collecting and spreading native seeds, clearing trails and also removing garlic mustard! All these efforts and more contribute to restoring the natural environment of our school’s Forested Fen Sanctuary.

[Caitlin Bouse]

Our school recently recived a grant from the Illinois  Department of Natural Resources to build a rain garden on our grounds.  Our students will break ground on April 13th  and begin planting the native plants to help reabsorb storm run off and reclaim an area of unused garden space. 

 

The children at Elmhurst Academy already spend a great deal of time in and around nature within their EEK! (Environmental Education for Kids) curriculum.    By providing outdoor time and materials that are natural and open-ended the children can explore, investigate and experiment  in the natural world using all of their senses.  Our goal is that they learn to love and appreciate all of the beauty and wonder surrounding them in their own communities.

 

In addition, our teachers will participate in a workshop toting the benefits of unstructered as well as planned time outdoors exploring all of the ways that they can incorporate more outdoor time all year round. 

[Dennison Webb]

Let me begin by saying how grateful I am to have found your organization, website and services.  I think this is a great way to create community for a common cause!

Now for a little background and info on how we are going to "play, serve and celebrate"....

I moved to North Idaho over 5 years ago. Being an outdoor educator and avid outdoor enthusiast, like many of us, I have continued to choose to live in areas where I can directly experience nature and areas of wilderness fairly quickly. Fortunately, North Idaho (and the surrounding states and provinces) have just this setting. Unfortunately, also like other "special places" these areas are in jeopardy of/and are receiving significant impact from various sources. What some folks don't realize is that this region hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna that are either considered endangered or threatened. The animal species include of the more "treasured" -- wolves, grizzly, wolverine and caribou. Obviously, these species need critical habitat to survive and thrive.  

Seeing this conflict has allowed me and my colleagues to visualize both the need and one possible solution for this issue -- education.  By immersing our residents and visitors in our local and regional natural environments we can provide an opportunity to create a sense of belonging through establishing a direct connection to the natural world. This vision initiated the creation of a new local non-profit in Sandpoint, Idaho known as Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education, or SOLE.

While there are other non-profits in our area that serve to support the protection of key wilderness areas, there was not one particular organization whose mission was primarily founded on the principles of experiential/outdoor education, and that offers these types of experiences for individuals, groups, schools, and agencies.

Currently, SOLE is in its second year of development. Like most non-profits we are eager to support our immediate and global community. As such we consistently offer free workshops with other organizations to support the overarching theme -- creating stewards of the environment and lifelong learners!

To celebrate this commitment on April 22nd SOLE will facilitate free Leave No Trace Activities for kids. More information can be found at our website at www.soleexperiences.org or our facebook fan page.

We look forward to continuing the journey -- to share and educate!

Cheers,
Dennison Webb, Executive Director

[Avery Cleary]

Dennison,  thanks for joining the discussion and for offering these wonderful experiences for kids and adults!  Avery

Dennison Webb said:

Let me begin by saying how grateful I am to have found your organization, website and services.  I think this is a great way to create community for a common cause!

Now for a little background and info on how we are going to "play, serve and celebrate"....

I moved to North Idaho over 5 years ago. Being an outdoor educator and avid outdoor enthusiast, like many of us, I have continued to choose to live in areas where I can directly experience nature and areas of wilderness fairly quickly. Fortunately, North Idaho (and the surrounding states and provinces) have just this setting. Unfortunately, also like other "special places" these areas are in jeopardy of/and are receiving significant impact from various sources. What some folks don't realize is that this region hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna that are either considered endangered or threatened. The animal species include of the more "treasured" -- wolves, grizzly, wolverine and caribou. Obviously, these species need critical habitat to survive and thrive.  

Seeing this conflict has allowed me and my colleagues to visualize both the need and one possible solution for this issue -- education.  By immersing our residents and visitors in our local and regional natural environments we can provide an opportunity to create a sense of belonging through establishing a direct connection to the natural world. This vision initiated the creation of a new local non-profit in Sandpoint, Idaho known as Selkirk Outdoor Leadership & Education, or SOLE.

While there are other non-profits in our area that serve to support the protection of key wilderness areas, there was not one particular organization whose mission was primarily founded on the principles of experiential/outdoor education, and that offers these types of experiences for individuals, groups, schools, and agencies.

Currently, SOLE is in its second year of development. Like most non-profits we are eager to support our immediate and global community. As such we consistently offer free workshops with other organizations to support the overarching theme -- creating stewards of the environment and lifelong learners!

To celebrate this commitment on April 22nd SOLE will facilitate free Leave No Trace Activities for kids. More information can be found at our website at www.soleexperiences.org or our facebook fan page.

We look forward to continuing the journey -- to share and educate!

Cheers,
Dennison Webb, Executive Director

[Avery Cleary]

Hi Caitlin,  How exciting!  The photos show how engaged the children are and it sounds like lots more fun to come.

Wonderful that the teachers will have a workshop on the benefits of unstructured time outdoors.  Look forward to seeing photos as the rain garden develops.

Caitlin Bouse said:

Our school recently recived a grant from the Illinois  Department of Natural Resources to build a rain garden on our grounds.  Our students will break ground on April 13th  and begin planting the native plants to help reabsorb storm run off and reclaim an area of unused garden space. 

 

The children at Elmhurst Academy already spend a great deal of time in and around nature within their EEK! (Environmental Education for Kids) curriculum.    By providing outdoor time and materials that are natural and open-ended the children can explore, investigate and experiment  in the natural world using all of their senses.  Our goal is that they learn to love and appreciate all of the beauty and wonder surrounding them in their own communities.

 

In addition, our teachers will participate in a workshop toting the benefits of unstructered as well as planned time outdoors exploring all of the ways that they can incorporate more outdoor time all year round.