Resources

Family-based nature engagement – when children and their parents or caregivers experience a nature-based activity together – can take place everywhere from the backyard to parks and wilderness and even in women’s shelters and prisons. As this Research Digest shows, spending time in nature as a family is good for the whole family.

In this three-part series, Rosalind Allen, Education and Families Development Officer for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of...

During a hike with her family, mother Katy-Robin Garton asked her children if they would like to take on the Vitamin N...

Heather Kuhlken can inspire a child to start loving nature with just a headlamp and a few minutes. Her trick is to go outside on a...

In this three-part series, Rosalind Allen, Education and Families Development Officer for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of...

After reading Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods, Jason Sperling was eager to start a family nature club. But the thought was overwhelming so he decided to start small.

Once a month, a group of Prescott, Arizona, residents receive an email with detailed instructions on where to meet, how to get there and what to bring....

Tiffany Xiong is mom to three young children and External Engagement Manager for the Constellation Fund, a philanthropic organization that uses an evidence-driven approach to end poverty in...

If the coronavirus spreads at the rate that experts believe it will, schools, workplaces and businesses will...

In Sweden, parents bring their babies outside to nap in the open air, all year round. In Norway, Sundays are reserved for family time outdoors: hiking, cross-country skiing or...

The Children & Nature Network has launched a new Health & Nature Fellowship program, designed to tap into the power of local partnerships and knowledge to "make more progress, more quickly."

Richard Louv suggests that we think about our daily routines to look for opportunities to #OptOutside — not just for a day, but all year and for years to come.

My family had fallen into a rut. More time indoors was equating to more time on screens. Gaming with screen names, avatars and portals in a dynamic online world captivated my son, Max, and his imagination for hours on end. We were, and are not, alone in this indoor state of inertia. 

The greatest gift we can give is the gift of time. What better way to grow closer to a child, spouse, friend or potential friend, than

In a world filled with dismal news, 2015 was a banner year for the new nature movement. Here’s a sampling of some of the inspiring trends and stories from the past...

During a family vacation to the Grand Canyon, I purchased a National Park Annual Pass. For one fee, the pass would allow our family to visit all 58 National Parks over the next year. Great deal, I thought. So much nature for the kids. Surely, in a year’s time, we would be able to see a few parks, especially those in my home state of Texas.

Watch the recording of our Family Time in Nature event featuring Denice Rochelle, Founder and Director of The Bronze Chapter and Heather Kuhlken, Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Families in Nature.

“We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us.” — Pope Francis My youngest son once asked me...

During this time of global health crisis, Families in Nature is offering families resources and ideas to get out into nature in your own backyard, to encourage siblings to play and learn together at home and to support or supplement a family’s science education. These resources are suitable for older school-aged children.

This beautiful downloadable guide is filled with information, strategies and practical ideas to help children and families adapt to social distancing and self-isolation measures.

Short on Vitamin N? Here's a brief list of nature activities to help you connect your kids, and yourself, to the health, cognitive and creative benefits of nature...

Young citizen naturalists are bound to have a different attitude about technology than many older people do—and for them, that could be an advantage. A few years ago, in...

Comedian, writer and cultural critic Baratunde Thurston wants Black families to know that nature is a sanctuary all around us — whether you live in a city, the country, or somewhere in-between. In this story, Thurston offers practical tips to make nature accessible for all families, shares a bit about his PBS show, America Outdoors, and offers his philosophy on the relationship that Black people have with the outdoors. “I think about what this land has meant for us. For many, it’s complicated,” he says.”Our blood is in this soil. But all life needs to heal, including Black people as well as the land—because it didn’t ask for this.” Parents.

The FINCH (Families Into Nature Connecting and Helping) resource is a practical guide packed with helpful information and guidance for community groups. It’s designed to help your group choose and offer nature-based activities for families, helping them to connect with nature and encourage action to help it. The guide is also packed full of self-led games, crafts and activities that a family can do independent of a community group or organization.

Learn about the importance of free play in nature, especially for families. This webinar offers valuable content for family, school-aged and early childhood program providers, as well as parents and caregivers.

How do you (and your family) spend time outdoors? Use this resource to explore the types of nature activities you are participating in, and to reflect on your experiences. This is also a great tool for setting new nature experience goals.