| NH Children In Nature Coalition
The New Hampshire Children In Nature Coalition is dedicated to fostering experiences in nature that:
- Improve physical and emotional health and well-being
- Increase understanding of and care for the natural world
- Promote stronger connections to community and landscape
...and to providing a forum for continued collaboration.
This site is in update mode...watch for lots of new stuff in spring/summer 2010.
| GREAT WEBSITE for kids and parents! Reconnecting Kids With Nature: The Other You CHECK IT OUT! at www.discovertheforest.org |
 New from the US Fish & Wildlife Service - Check out the interactive Neighborhood Explorers website - an online video game aimed to encourage kids to go outside and learn about the environment! (Click to launch in a new window.) |
The "Building Nature Based Communities" Conference took place October 1, 2009, at Camp Yavneh in Northwood, NH.
Chip and Ashley Donahue presented the keynote on Family Nature Clubs. We will post their presentation soon.
 About the presenters: In 2008, after reading Richard Louv's Last Child In the Woods, Chip and Ashley Donahue started a free nature club for families, Kids In the Valley, Adventuring! The Donahues and their three children host 2 events per month, showcasing local parks and emphasizing free range play, nature education and volunteerism. Chip and Ashley also travel nationally to share techniques to avoid barriers that keep families from enjoying the great outdoors and show how Nature Clubs For Families can empower families to regain their connection to the natural world and help build stronger family bonds. Their motto is simple, KIVA: Play, Learn, Volunteer.
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Get Out and Play Weekend!
coming to your town in fall of 2010...
Organizations across New Hampshire will be hosting walks, hikes, bikes, picnics, and paddles for this event. Click here for the 2009 event listing.
"This first annual Get Out and Play Weekend was a great opportunity for children, youth and families to get out and reconnect with nature," said Scott Fitzpatrick of PlusTime NH. "Around the state, people joined in planned programs or gathered friends, family and neighbors for a visit to a favorite natural place - like a walk on town conservation land, a ramble in one of our great state parks, a bike ride on a rail trail, a nature play hour or an evening building fairy houses in a local woodland. Join us - let's get out and play!"
For a second year, we’re taking our message to the broader public, inviting any and all interested groups and individuals across the state to get children, youth and families outside. You could plan a hike, bike ride or paddle in your area, a nature play hour or perhaps an evening building fairy houses in a local woodland. Nature is all around you, and the possibilities are vast, so be creative. Events can be 1 hour or day-long, daytime or evening. Whether or not you or your organization can host an activity, we encourage you to participate – by letting people know your organization’s doors are open or simply urging friends and family to go for or walk or share a picnic lunch.
Working together, we can take an important step toward developing a strong network of communities and local leaders who value the connection between people and place.
We’ll post your activities right here. And, we’ll provide promotional flyers to help you reach new audiences for your event. Join us – let’s get out and play!
Watch this site for details. |
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NEWS: N.H. Children and Nature Initiative Receives Two Major Grants: The New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition has received a $50,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and a $10,000 donation from The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation in support of statewide efforts to reconnect children and families with nature. Click here for press release.
Founding Documents Developed: Over the past year, Coalition partners and working groups have established the Coalition's structure and drafted founding documents that detail timelines, strategies and goals for the effort, including the following:
- New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition - Communication Plan - DRAFT (pdf): Many New Hampshire organizations, individuals, and agencies are already working on issues related to children in nature; the Coalition seeks to connect them with each other and help them bring their work into communities where children and families will directly benefit. Coalition partners have committed time and resources to the effort, and have expressed a desire to work together, build the network, and make use of any tools and opportunities the coalition can offer. This plan outlines the first steps in creating those tools and facilitating needed connections. Click here to view the draft plan.
- Organizational Development and Statewide Program Coordination Work Plan - DRAFT (pdf) - Large numbers of individuals in New Hampshire have expressed interest in developing the NHCINC to promote and coordinate activity around increasing the amount of outdoor free and creative play in the natural environment, to help to reduce childhood obesity and to increase children’s use of all their senses. A work plan charts out a timeline for working toward these goals and objectives. Click to view.
- New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition - Mission, Goals, Objectives and Activities - DRAFT (pdf): Dozens of suggested activities for communities, educators and others.
New Hampshire Leave No Child Inside Forum:
A Community Conversation about Connecting Children and Nature, co-sponsored by the Children and Nature Network, Sierra Club and the N.H. Children in Nature Initiative
In November 2007, more than 600 people gathered at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H., for the N.H. Leav e No Child Inside Forum. A public forum featured Richard Louv, author of the seminal book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, followed by a panel discussion with guests representing the environment, education, health, recreation, the built environment and culture, including David Sobel, Jan McLaughlin, Martin LeBlanc, Steve Whitman, and Dr. Jose Montero. During the afternoon, participants gathered in five strategic planning sessions.
Following the public forum, a new initiative to reconnect children and nature in New Hampshire has emerged, called the N.H. Children in Nature Coalition. Get involved and share ideas by joining the N.H. Children in Nature Coalition listserv -- contact Marilyn Wyzga at NH Fish and Game at marilyn.c.wyzga@wildlife.nh.gov
A Message From NH First Lady, Dr. Susan Lynch:
I am pleased to see this initiative moving forward in New Hampshire, following on the success of the first Leave No Child Inside Summit held here in May. New Hampshire is taking a leading role in this nationwide effort to make a difference in the lives of children, families and communities by reconnecting them with nature. From my own work with child health issues, I know how important it is for children and their families to get outside, get moving and learn about the natural world, to lay a foundation for healthy, active lives. We all hold a stake in our children’s future. I am committed to supporting creative solutions for connecting children to New Hampshire’s great outdoors, and I encourage you to join me.
Sincerely,
Susan Lynch, MD
Honorary Chairperson |
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RESOURCES
Join the N.H. Children in Nature Coalition listserv! Contact Marilyn Wyzga at NH Fish and Game at marilyn.c.wyzga@wildlife.nh.gov.
Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, appeared on NHPR's The Exchange. Click here to listen to a recording or add your comments. |
Children & Nature Network: Building a movement to reconnect Children & Nature
Leave No Child Inside (PDF): To create a better future for our children, let's help them connect with their wild roots - Article from NH Wildlife Journal by Marilyn Wyzga
Click here to download the report from the Leave No Child Inside Public Forum, November 2007 (PDF, 108 KB).
Click here to download the full report from the Leave No Child Inside Summit, May 2007 (PDF, 219 KB).
KidPower! Seasonal newsletter for kids and their caregivers - from DHHS
The N.H. Initiative Takes Off
The NH Children In Nature Coalition began in January 2007 when a group of 20 people from health, education, community planning and environmental areas came together to talk about starting a N.H. initiative to reconnect children with nature.
The next step was a Leave No Child Inside Summit at the Public Service of New Hampshire Five Rivers Auditorium in Manchester in May 2007, where nearly 100 participants met to discuss the issue of children and families getting out into nature. Participants brainstormed about existing programs and activities to get children and families into nature; barriers to increasing these activities and encouraging children to have free play outside in nature; and strategies to address these barriers and issues.
Click here to download the full summit report (PDF, 219 KB). |
IN OTHER NEWS...
The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess (PDF. New York Times, Feb. 2009)
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