Local News
Built Environment
(Cleveland) Plain Dealer – June 05, 2008
Ohio Arboretum Offers Wild Child Wonders
By Roxanne Washington
Holden Arboretum near Cleveland has created a special Wild Child Wonders program to inspire children to play in nature. The summer program, which traces its roots to Last Child in the Woods, features a series of Wonder Stations, including Forest Wonders, where kids can navigate a tree obstacle course and build a shelter with sticks, and Meadow Wonders, adventures that kids can transfer to their own backyards.
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Event
Marketwire – May 16, 2008
BioBlitz Takes Aim at Los Angeles Children
The National Park Service and the National Geographic Society are joining forces to host the Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz the last weekend in May. Part scientific endeavor, part festival, and part outdoor classroom, the BioBlitz will draw together scientists, naturalists, community leaders, and more than 1,400 Los Angeles schoolchildren for a 24-hour race to discover and record as many plant and animal species as possible. [+]
Education | Campaign/Initiative
Boston Globe – December 31, 2007
Boston Globe Focuses on Children and Nature Movement
By Peter Dizikes
A recent front-page article in the Boston Globe provides an overview of the children and nature movement at the local and national levels. Entitled “Nature Nurtures Learning,” the article examines the efforts of one Boston elementary school to integrate nature studies into its curriculum, and quotes a noted pediatrician, the biologist E.O. Wilson, author Richard Louv, and others on the benefits of such a curriculum.
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Access | Education
KQED Radio – November 20, 2007
KQED Radio Features a Local Cure for Nature-Deficit Disorder
By Gabriella Quiros
A new program in San Francisco is introducing the city’s low-income youth to the pleasures of camping outdoors—without leaving the city itself. Developed by a collection of nonprofits, Camping at the Presidio aims to overcome the barriers that traditionally keep urban youth from visiting national parks: costs and a lack of exposure to camping. Eligible groups sleep overnight in a grove of eucalyptus trees, right within the city limits.
Quest is a TV, radio, Web, and education series by KQED that explores science, the environment, and nature in Northern California.
Campaign/Initiative
The Greeley Tribune – October 14, 2007
Losing ground: More people means more houses, leaving fewer places to explore
By Dan England,
While there's a growing urgency to address kids losing touch with the outdoors, "most still have never heard of the idea," said Zoe Whyman, community relations manager for the Fort Collins Natural Areas Program. "Just making people aware of the problem is our main goal." Whyman's group is among organizations in the Fort Collins area dedicated to helping kids get in touch with nature and the outdoors. These include the Boy Scouts of America -- Longs Peak Council, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado Youth Outdoors, Kids in the Woods, the Poudre Education Center, and the Fort Collins Aububon Society.
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Access | Campaign/Initiative
Orion Online – May 01, 2007
Working to Build Bridges in Greater Cincinnati
By Betsy Townsend
Betsy Townsend of Leave No Child Inside – Greater Cincinnati describes her group’s efforts to form alliances with local organizations already involved in health and education. Thus far response to these efforts has been overwhelmingly positive.
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Campaign/Initiative | Event
Standing-Room-Only Spells Success
By Mary Roscoe
How did a team of six spread the word to draw a standing-room-only crowd of 800+ to the launch of their local Leave No Child Inside initiative? What can we borrow from their success as we reach out and engage our community on this issue?
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Health
The Daily Green – February 08, 2008
Good Government Helps Create Nation’s “Fittest City”
By Dan Shapley
When Men’s Fitness magazine named Colorado Springs “the fittest city in the country,” some attributed the designation, at least in part, to a key open-spaces tax and years of savvy planning. In the words of one observer, “Setting development rules, or setting aside cash, to make walkable communities keeps people on their feet (if there’s a sidewalk to the corner store or the elementary school, you’re more apt to use it).”
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Campaign/Initiative
Connecticut Hunting Today – January 07, 2008
Winter Festival Showcases Cold-Weather Fun for Families
In an effort to keep children connected to nature even during the coldest months, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection is hosting its second annual Winter Festival to showcase outdoor activities for the whole family. The event, scheduled for February 2, will feature hiking, snowshoeing, bird-watching, and other activities. [+]
Access
Sacramento Bee – January 02, 2008
Citizens Organize State-Funded Nature Walks in Sacramento
By Blair Anthony Robertson
A former city dump, now a regional park, has become the site of nature walks for Sacramento schoolchildren. The field trips, funded in part by a California state grant, are the brainchild of area residents who believe that children today need more contact with nature.
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Campaign/Initiative
The Times (of Munster, Indiana) – January 09, 2008
Chicago Groups Join Forces to Launch Regional Initiative
The Lake County Parks and Recreation Department and Chicago Wilderness have joined forces to launch the regional Leave No Child Inside initiative. It will include workshops for educators, opportunities for partnerships among local organizations, and efforts at the state and national levels to support outdoor programming for children. [+]
Commentary | Access
Star Tribune (of Minneapolis-St. Paul) – January 02, 2008
Bloomington Parks Adapt to Today’s Needs
By Mary Jane Smetanka
Randy Quale, manager of the Parks and Recreation Division in Bloomington, Minnesota, has a unique perspective on children and their connection, or lack thereof, with nature. “You start to wonder how many kids have the chance for unstructured play outside,” he says. Thus one of his priorities is for the city’s parks is to provide a place where parents feel secure letting their children engage in unattended outdoor play.
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Built Environment | Education
Akron Beacon Journal – December 28, 2007
Last Child in the Woods Inspires Interactive Exhibit
By Dottie Shin
Inspired by the children and nature movement, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio, has commissioned an artist to create a series of interactive outdoor sculptures for children. P.R. Miller, who uses mostly recycled materials, will build hundreds of giant flowers and other pieces for the grounds. A previous exhibit convinced the garden’s programmers that what visitors like best, more than any specific events, is the chance for their children to play outdoors.
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C&NN has designated April "Children & Nature Awareness Month." As part of this effort, we invited network members (like you) to list their April programs and share their strategies for building public awareness. Find out what's happening in your community on the C&NN Movement Map.
As part of our ongoing efforts to build the movement, the Children & Nature Network has published two new resources for leaders, organizers, and participants at the local, national, and international levels:
An annotated bibliography of 20 premier studies focusing on the children and nature connection.
