After leading my first meetup, I found myself wondering the best ways of supporting these families and children in their experience with nature.

Some of the families are very unfamiliar with the types of activities we are doing; their kids don’t spend much time outside in nature and the families sometimes appear hesitant and uncomfortable. During our meetup, there were seven year old and three year old siblings who asked a few times “what are we doing here” and “when can we go back to the park/home.”

My thoughts having been focusing on what the most gentle, easy-going, and fun ways to provide families with a meaningful nature experience. The biggest struggle I see is maintaining a balance between unstructured time in nature and the fact that some families might feel overwhelmed when they’re essentially thrown out into something different with no idea what to do. While this unfamiliar-ness and new found freedom might be exactly what they need, I don’t want it to be so overwhelming that they don’t return in the future.

My thought was that perhaps I could bring a mix of structure/unstructured and familiar with unfamiliar. The idea of an opening activity might help ease some of the unease of new people and new places. I’ve been considering trying a scavenger hunt or geocaching activity and I know some of the other groups have done outdoor art projects as well.

[Originally written October 7, 2013. It’s been a busy months and we’ve had three other get-togethers since I wrote this, but these are my initial reflections]

So as a new assistant organizer for our family nature club, I'm still learning the ins-and-outs of introducing families to nature. We've had two outings so far and they've been very low key.

For our first adventure, we met went to the lake and did a show walk (meander) and spent some time exploring the waters edge. I met two great moms and four kids. It was fun and easy-going; it was also extremely hot that week. The second time, one other mom showed up with her toddler and newborn Kudos to moms who are confident enough to even leave the house alone with their six week old.

My first two experiences were great, but I'm looking forward to doing something more. I'd like to plan a little activity for the kids (those that want to). Maybe something like a scavenger hunt/geocaching, doing a craft, or having a story sharing . I've been reading the Coyotes Guide to Connecting with Nature, which is an amazing read with lots of insights and ideas for parents, teachers, and other nature-minded groups. I love the balance they strike between mentoring and unstructured time with nature; so important.

This past month I’ve been connecting with the local chapter of the Children and Nature Network to create a nearby nature group in my area.. I’m so excited to be starting the process for so many reasons. The Children and Nature Network already has several of these local nature groups throughout the city, but none in my region.

The model we’re working with comes from the Children and Nature Network’s “Nature Clubs for Families” and the ideas is to help families connect with their ‘nearby nature’ resources and create a community for those families. 

I strongly suggest you check it out and get involved in a group near you or, if there isn’t one, start one. They have so many resources on their website (www.childrenandnature.org), including a Nature Clubs for Families Toolkit! Also, check out Richard Louv’s book - The Last Child in the Woods; his work is the original inspiration for the Children and Nature Network and the Nature Clubs of Families