Children & Nature News and Commentary
May 2008
Are We Entering a New Stage of Cultural Change?
During the past three years, the Children & Nature Network and its members have reached an astounding number of individuals and organizations through speeches, conferences, publications, the Internet, radio, television and other media outlets. As the movement gains visibility nationwide, many grassroots leaders and network members are looking for ways to ensure that their campaigns and initiatives will bring about real and enduring change—a shift in values and behavior.
We believe this shift will occur in four overlapping stages, or concentric circles: the growth of public awareness; the creation of a movement; concrete actions on all levels including regional, state, and national; and, ultimately, lasting cultural change. Today, we see signs of progress in all of these arenas, including early indications of cultural change, as individuals and families begin to make very different choices.
 In his new C&NN online column, Field Notes from the Future, Richard Louv writes of a one such example: Chip Donahue, a father of three and a second-grade teacher in Roanoke, Va., who helped launch a free outdoor adventure network for families -- an idea that could spread quickly and "help transform our culture, in much the same way that Neighborhood Watch programs changed our communities in prior decades.” Yes, we need more support for organized programs that get kids outside. But Donahue represents an emerging corps of pioneers – people who aren’t waiting for programs, funding or policy changes, to create ways to change their own lives and the lives of other families right now.
We’ll be expanding on this theme in future commentaries and C&NN reports. Meanwhile, here are a few recently posted stories showing the cultural shifts – and challenges – of the children and nature movement:
Sierra Club Program Supports Military Kids
“We are proud to serve military families thanks to the support of donors to The Sierra Club Foundation who are profoundly motivated to ensure that those protecting our country get to enjoy its natural wonders,” stated Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. “This project will connect a new generation of American servicemen and women and their children to the mental and physical benefits of our natural heritage.”
The Military Family Outdoor (MFO) Initiative, a joint project of the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation, announced last week a three-year grant of up to $23 million, provided by generous donors to support three organizations that provide returning veterans and their families with healing, life-affirming outdoor experiences in the natural world.
[+] read the full press release
[>] view Seattle PI's Operation Purple Slide Show
BassPro Video Game Trade-in; 15% off to Get Kids Out
 BassPro announces one of the most innovative strategies we've seen to date for getting kids outdoors. This week, all around the country, kids and adults will be turning in their video games for a 15% discount off fishing gear, watersports items, tents, sleeping bags and footwear.
"One of the most exciting and invigorating places to go this summer is just beyond your front door," said Larry Whiteley, Bass Pro Shops manager of communications. "Bass Pro Shops is committed to helping adults and children across the nation put away their laptops, video games, PDAs and cell phones this summer and head outdoors.
[+] visit the BassPro Go Outdoors site
Free-range kids
 Journalist Lenore Skenazy has sparked a dialogue that's touching a nerve in the national psyche. Are American parents raising children who are never allowed to take risks, or are they simply protecting them? For a complicated mix of reasons there is an urgent and growing desire among families to reassess their lifestyles and consider a more balanced form of parenting, one that allows for more independence and risk-taking.
[+] Read the full article on The Christian Science Monitor website
[+] visit Skenazy's new BLOG "FreeRangeKids"
KQED series Quest explores 'Cures' for Nature Deficit Disorder: Urban Camping, Nature Play, Nearby Nature, and Nature Circles
Related Links:
[+] KQED series QUEST
[+] Camping at the Presidio (CAP) Program
[+] Claude Arnett and Vaya Mental Health Resources
[+] Hooked on Nature's Nature Circles
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NEWS IN REVIEW
C&NN's New BLOG
 Read Field Notes from the Future, C&NN's new online column featuring recent writings and selected articles by author and C&NN Chairman Richard Louv.
[+] read the BLOG
REGIONAL NEWS
BioBlitz Takes Aim at Los Angeles Children
Denver Post Reports on Progress in Colorado Efforts
No Child Left Inside Debuts in South Carolina
Iowa’s Taproot Program a Source of Inspiration
NATIONAL NEWS
Why Do Child-Care Centers Keep Kids Inside?
Why Are Schools Designed Like Prisons?
Governor Testifies in Support of No Child Left Inside Act
INTERNATIONAL
The Scotsman: Are Children Too Clean?
ALLIES
REI Promotes Outdoor Activities for Kids
Travelocity to Promote Children and Nature Connection
MEDIA
Independent Film to Examine Nature-Deficit Disorder
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