Nature’s Way embraces the Vitamin N Challenge with passion and purpose

At Nature’s Way, we believe that being outside in nature is an essential component of living your healthiest and happiest life – which is why we’ve harnessed the power of nature through our products to help people lead healthier lives for over fifty years. 

This year, we were elated to be the exclusive sponsor of the Children & Nature Network’s “Vitamin N Challenge”. Vitamin N (for “nature”) was first coined by Children & Nature Network co-founder, Richard Louv, in his book “Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life.” The Vitamin N Challenge invited families to set and commit to a goal of spending more time outside – in whatever capacity best fits their lifestyle and schedule. 

“The times I spent with my children in nature are among my most meaningful memories – and I hope theirs.” Richard Louv.

As a vitamin and supplement company, we were hooked when we discovered Vitamin N! Being an official sponsor of the Vitamin N Challenge is truly an honor, and we’re so grateful to the Children & Nature Network for partnering with us. 

Because of the Vitamin N Challenge, I’ve personally witnessed Nature’s Way employees dive into the Challenge headfirst, get outside and experience the full benefits of Vitamin N. During our partnership with the Children & Nature Network, we’ve truly “walked the walk”. Our employees thought long and hard about how they wanted to participate in the challenge, engaged their families and shared their experiences with us. 

Now, we’re very excited to share a few of these employees’ experiences with you! Read more about the ways that Nature’s Way employees engaged with the Vitamin N Challenge below. 

Getting away from our phones and out into nature

By Luis Luque, Distribution Supervisor  

What is your Family’s Vitamin N Challenge? 

My Vitamin N Challenge was to start getting outside and taking advantage of the beautiful scenery that nature has to offer with my two daughters. We challenged ourselves to get off electronics for a weekend camping trip and truly enjoy the outdoors. We live in an era where all we see ourselves doing is being on our phones and getting caught up in technology, and we forget and don’t take advantage of what is right in front of us – nature.   

Please share a day when you and your family set off to do the challenge. Where did you go? What did you do?  

We recently went camping at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. We decided to go explore Cave Point County Park and took a nice walk. This was our first time visiting the park and the views were breathtaking! 

What cool discoveries did you make or experience that day?  

While walking the trails at Cave Point County Park, we noticed that there was a beach covered with beautiful white-colored rocks instead of sand. We admired how beautiful the cliffs were and the cool sound that they made as the waves crashed against them. My daughters and I had never experienced something like this before and had a great time experiencing it together as a family.   

How did being out in nature make you and your family feel?  

Being out in nature and taking the time to step back, look around and watch my daughters explore, laugh and giggle put things into perspective. It made me realize that this is why I put all my effort into trying to be the best father and person I can be. The best part of the trip was when both my daughters told me that they loved doing this, and suggested exploring other places. They said that we should start making our trip a yearly “daddy-daughter” camping trip.  

Unleashing our imaginations through outdoor play

By Kerri Frake, Senior People Team Manager  

What is your family’s Vitamin N Challenge?  

Instead of focusing on specific activities that are time or rule-bound, I wanted my kids to just be themselves when they were outside. I wanted to increase the amount of time they were able to be outside, playing however they chose to and with whatever they found! Kids know the best ways to enjoy nature, so I wanted to follow their lead! My goal was to make sure this could happen for 30 minutes every day. 

Please share a day when you and your family set off to do the challenge. Where did you go? What did you do?  

We’ve found that any time we try to execute something that is overly orchestrated, our kids push back on it. We wanted this challenge to just be something that could feel natural for them and unfold in an organic way. There wasn’t a big, official kick-off. It was just little moments that happened over time. It was backyard playtime once we all got home from work or camp; it was walking along the water and comparing cool rocks; it was playing tag instead of video games before lunchtime, etc. We just found ways to say “yes” to being outside and “no” to having rules assigned to the activity.  

What cool discoveries did you make or experience that day?  

My kids started getting so creative! Fiona liked to pretend she was a wilderness explorer, and Sully liked to pretend he was a stuntman. They used their imaginations and the things around them to have fun! I also noticed that my kids asked for screen time less and it was a lot easier to put them down for bed at night.  

How did being out in nature make you and your family feel?  

I loved that whenever we had a couple minutes of downtime throughout the day, my kids were more likely to want to go outside, rather than to seek some other form of entertainment! I loved that I found myself having to play referee less, too. This has helped all of us have fun together and play in new, creative ways! Playing outside regularly has also helped our family meet neighbors and feel better connected to our community.

Walking the trails in rain, snow or shine

By Chris Fredrick, Director of Plant Operations

What is your family’s Vitamin N Challenge? 

My family’s Vitamin N Challenge is to commit to being out on the hiking trails of Wisconsin, no less than 10 miles per month between August and December. Come rain, snow or shine, we are going to lace up our boots and take in what our state has to offer.   

Please share a day when you and your family set off to do the challenge.  Where did you go?  What did you do?  

Recently, my family and I set off on one of our hiking adventures around the Waupaca area, in Hartman Creek State Park. After a slight wardrobe malfunction – I left my wife’s socks in the vehicle we dropped off at the end of our hike – I handed over my own socks and we began our 10-mile journey, meandering through farmer’s fields, grass meadows and pine forests. 

What cool discoveries did you make or experience that day?    

When I was young, my grandparents had a cabin on Thunder Lake in the Crivitz area of Wisconsin. I remember running through the pine forest, and the smell is unmistakable of pine needles and sandy soil. In those moments in Hartman Creek State Park, walking through the pine forests, I reminisced about my grandparents, long since passed, and how much I enjoyed that time with them on their property. I was also able to share with my family my joy for wild berries, in the form of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, all in varying stages of being ready.   

How did being out in nature make you and your family feel?    

The longer I have been in Wisconsin and the more time I have spent in Northeastern Wisconsin, the more I have grown fatigued with the landscape and the vast swaths of flatness. As my family and I have adventured outside, I have found a renewed love for our state, which has so many different types of landscapes and topography. In these moments, renewed love is something that keeps me energized and has also allowed me to share with my girls how much our home has to offer.   

Embracing nature in our family’s backyard playground

By Priya Backos, Senior Brand Manager 

My family loves spending time outside. Whether we’re hiking through the woods, biking in the city or picking fruit from a farm, we’re always seeking ways to enjoy the great outdoors and connect with nature. We find that we are all our best selves when we have spent more time outside!   

About two years after moving into our house, we were finally ready to turn our attention to our backyard. The yard was full of divots, there weren’t any vegetable or flower gardens, and there wasn’t a play structure for our kids. Because of our love of nature, we wanted a backyard retreat we could enjoy during the weekdays and that could grow with us. Mandatories were pollinator-friendly native plants, a vegetable garden and a special place for our kids. We debated if we wanted to purchase a playset or a playhouse, but ultimately decided to try a natural playground.    

The play structure is an edible garden. The kids play in the mint, rosemary, chives, lavender, potato plants and pumpkins that have spilled over from the raised beds into their natural playground. The best part is every year we can plant more herbs and vegetables to change the look and feel of the playground.   

We got the logs for the steps from a tree that was being taken down on our boulevard and the slide was repurposed from a neighbor whose kids had outgrown their play structure.   

Our Vitamin N Challenge was to play in our backyard and on our play structure four days a week. We’ve made a fairy garden, written with chalk in the tunnel, sent trucks down the slide, made a waterslide and played a lot of tag.  15-20 minutes of playtime together in our yard gives us a chance to connect without phones or to-do lists. We have fun, feel grounded, discover and eat the cool things growing on our natural playground!  

We hope that our employees’ stories inspired you to get outside with your loved ones, and maybe even adopt a Vitamin N Challenge of your own! Although we’re wrapping up the official Challenge, Vitamin N isn’t just important in the summer – it can benefit us year-round. We at Nature’s Way will certainly be taking the lessons that we learned into the next season and spending more quality time with our families in nature!

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