What is Nature Deficit Disorder?

Families Active in Nature found a videoclip from the Today Show with Richard Louv. This video explains a little about what nature deficit disorder is and what we can do to help. It can be as simple as inviting friends and family to go on a nature hike. Here is some more Education concerning Nature Deficit Disorder.

There is a Family...

I am looking for families that would like to guest host on this site. I would love to learn how you and your family specifically works at getting out in nature, or you could show us how you creatively incorporate nature into your lives. This could include topics such as gardening, animals/creatures, green living, healthy activities, or even a nature club! The possibilities are endless! Leave a comment or E-mail me at natureinthefamily@gmail.com if you are interested!

Family Picnic

My husband and I love going to the park for picnics, we always have a great, relaxing time and really enjoy being active in nature together. We always come home feeling peaceful and refreshed, as if we didn't have a care in the world! Going on a picnic is definately a Tried and True activity for your family to do! The important thing is that you are together as a family enjoying the outdoors! Here are some where, what, when, and how ideas.

Where - there are so many places you can go to enjoy a family picnic. Some of the places I have heard, seen, and done before are:

• Playground or park
• Beach
• Mountains-or even at the very top of a mountain
• Water park
• Island- a deserted island would be so intriguing if you could find one!
• In a cave
• Nature observatory-such as a zoo, aquarium, insect observatory, etc.
• Bridge
• Near or on a lake
• Botanical gardens- Beautiful areas for learning about nature!
• State or National parks- another great treasure trove for nature!
• Festival/Carnival
• Your own backyard- yes, this can still be fun! Look at themed ideas!
• Meadow- try to find one with wild flowers or long grasses to romp and play around in.
• River side- eat on the banks with your feet dangling in the water, so refreshing!
• Top of a skyscraper that has a beautiful garden or view
• End of a pier

What to bring- a basket or container of food-sometimes the most simple or easiest food to prepare is best! Watermelon is my absolute favorite food at a picnic! Also bring any activity materials or games, a blanket to sit on, and you will want to bring the family of course!

When - Anytime! During the middle of the day or in the evening is the most common. I think having one at night under the full moon would be fun, or when the sun is setting or rising.

How - Themes are great fun for a picnic! I found some great sites to give you some ideas for picnic themes. Check out these sites that are all about Dinner Parties,  how to have a picnic, and Healthy Picnics for some great theme ideas at your picnic.

Games are another fun thing to have planned for your picnic. Try to involve the nature around you and integrate it into your picnic fun. Do a treasure hunt for animals or insects or even for the food! Go on a hike or walk into nature. Try to discover things you have never noticed in nature before. I did a search for picnic games and found Fun Attic, Basket 4 Picnic, Healthy Picnics, and Picnic Fun all had some great game ideas for a picnic.

I hope you are all enjoying this day together in nature! If not...then get out there! Picnics are always great whether they are spontaneous or planned.

Great Nature Resources

Families Active in Nature has been searching a lot of sites concerning nature and the family and came up with a great list that you can go to look for ideas. We will continue to add to this as we see more, if you happen upon a great site, note it down and let us know. We are always looking for new resources and information.

First and foremost are the sites that inspired me to start this blog. When I read Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods, for a college course - it really got me thinking and wondering what I could do. In his book, he coins the phrase "Nature Deficit Disorder" as a lack of connection to the natural world. An epidemic really, that is affecting our children, families, communities and enviornment. The following site has a mountainload of information to gain knowledge and insight concerning "Nature Deficit Disorder".
Then when I came accross the Children and Nature website, it showed me how I could help others become involved in nature. This site helped me to learn about what I could do to start a grassroots movement in my own community.

National

This is the National Park Trust website which helps your family to learn more about our national parks. They have a program called, "Youth to Parks", which helps children to become involved. You can also learn about Buddy Bison and see where he has been.

The National Wildlife Federation is also another great site that helps you know what you and your family can do to help our enviornment. They have a great section for Kids which helps to get them involved in nature. They have activities online and resources for you to facilitate your family's education in nature.

The Arbor Day Foundation also has a great site. Their Nature Explore section has great resources for educators and teachers to facilitate learning about nature.

Another site to look at is the great outdoor recreation pages (GORP). This site is actually a worldwide source for parks and recreational information and planning. It is "your complete online resource to the outside world".

Utah State

This is the Utah State Parks website for bringing families closer to nature.  They have activities planned throughout the year at certain parks in Utah that you can attend with your family for a small fee.

This is another great site that provides the information on activities found in the Southwest states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and of course, Utah. They have a great resource of information on state and national parks, fun things to do with the family and even shopping/restaurants.

This is the Utah State website for outdoor fun and entertainment. Another great site for utah fun which allows you to plan out your vacation, find lodging, resaurants, events, check weather stats and more!

I also ran a search for my city's website as well as those in the Utah County area and found that most of them have links or pages of things you can do in the area. Try it for your own city/state, I found out that all of them are similar excepting their name. Example http://www.provo.org/ is one site I looked at, another was http://www.spanishfork.org/.

Rocky Mountain Wonders - Coming Soon!

Please bear with me as I struggle to bring the Families Active in Nature site up to my liking and hopefully yours. So far, I have not been able to even bring up this site from a search engine, as I am not so technologically inclined, it will be a learning process that may take some time. I am planning an activity for the families of Rocky Mountain Wonders soon! Hopefully by the end of the month, stay tuned and I will notify you! I might be just writing to thin air...who knows how many people have even seen this....

Comical Wit and Wisdom

I think that we all sometimes need a little comical relief and inspirational fun, who better to bring it than Calvin & Hobbs?

Calvin & Hobbes will always make me laugh, no matter how many times I have read them! I will be posting comics of all kinds related to nature. I hope you find some enjoyment and a little inspiration through these strips. In the same token, if you find a comic relating to nature and family in the great outdoors, by all means email me or make a comment and I will post it on Families Active in Nature!

About

My name is Carie, I am married to a great guy (Kevin), and have recently had the opportunity to become a mother. I love the new dynamics of my family life and look forward to learning more from these new experiances.
Families Active in Nature is dedicated to bringing the family back to natural roots. I hope that you will gain something from this site even if you only stay for a visit. I will be posting subjects and activities that will help from where ever you live. My grassroots movement, Rocky Mountain Wonders is a nature club that will be focused on activities within the Utah county area, however. I look forward to meeting some of you and/or hearing from you!
As a heads up, this blog/club might prove to be a very difficult task for me, I am still learning how to use such technology as blogging. I am by no means an expert in the world of green either, I simply have wanted a way to involve my family in the world around us, it will be a great learning experience for my family and I hope that it is for you as well. I would love any advice or suggestions as to what you would like to see on this site.

If you would like to contact me with suggestions or questions, please e-mail me at:
Natureinthefamily@gmail.com