Friday, January 4, 2013

Resources for Getting Outdoors

Happy New Year!

In case you're making new year's resolutions to get outside more, I thought I'd share some links that might be useful to you. This list focuses on website/blogs that offer ideas for getting in nature with your kids.

Go Explore Nature
This month features "31 Days of Backyard Fun" Debi Huang offers one activity per day to get outside with your kids. Each activity can be completed in 15 minutes or less in your back yard, neighborhood or local park. Poke around her blog while you're there- lots of great info.

Nature Rocks 
This site shares nature activities for families and provides tools to help users plan outdoor adventures. It also offers tips for staying safe in nature and has great FREE downloadable activity guides.

Children and Nature Network
An organization dedicated to creating "a world where every child can play, grow, and learn in nature." This website is a store house of amazing resources. If you're an educator looking for research to back up your efforts to get more "Vitamin N" (nature) in your students' lives, this is the place for you. Also check out the drop down tab called "C&NN Initiatives" for Natural Leaders, Natural Families, Educators, and Natural Service.

AMC's Great Kids, Great Outdoors 
An Appalachian Mountain Club blog that offers tips for getting outdoors in Northeastern USA. Most of the ideas suggested will work in other locations, though posts are seasonal.

Do you know of other great resources you can share? I'm particularly interested in hearing about regional blogs, etc. that might suit readers who live in or travel to other regions. I'll copy useful links from the comments into the post.

UPDATE 1/6/13: A reader in Michiana shared her blog, Inside Outside Michiana. It's loaded with great resources, including lists of outdoor spaces and natural resources in the area.

Related Posts
Play Outside
Help Build Children's Connections to Nature
Reading the Land


6 comments:

  1. I like what you are doing! I recently started a local nature blog . . . this last week, we visited almost all of the nature centers within a 1 hour radius of our house. I've been reviewing each as we go and hope to be doing follow up posts on the topic for a more general audience as well!
    http://insideoutsidemichiana.blogspot.com/

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  2. BTW--love all the resources you shared! I've been following them for quite some time!

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    1. I'm glad. I hope other readers find them useful, too.

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  3. Such a great list of resources - I am so honored to be included. Thank you!

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    1. You're welcome, Debi! I've been meaning to let you know I shared your blog here. I'm glad you found it!

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