Hey there parents! Yeah, I know this says kids only but.... Research shows that most children do not get outdoors nearly as often as they need to. Aside from the overall health benefits of nature, recent research has found that being in nature is even beneficial in ameliorating symptoms of ADHD! Check out The Children & Nature Network which is working to educate, collaborate, and mostly just to get children everywhere out into the great outdoors. And check out this wonderful blog for ideas to connect as a family with nature. 

100 Ways to Connect with Nature!
How many have you done?

  1. Swimming
  2. Outdoor sports
  3. Bike riding
  4. Skate boarding
  5. Bird watching
  6. Hiking
  7. Wilderness school
  8. Gardening
  9. Scavenger hunts
  10. Family walks
  11. Picnics and barbeque's
  12. Exploring along a waterway
  13. Watching squirrels (do you know what their nests or babies are called?
  14. Playing outside (or in) with your dog
  15. Horse-back riding
  16. Eating fresh, whole foods
  17. Going to the farmer's market
  18. Running
  19. Visiting national parks
  20. Building sand castles
  21. Blowing bubbles
  22. Building a fort
  23. Swinging
  24. Climbing trees
  25. Making mud pies
  26. Making and using herbal "potions"
  27. Playing frisbee
  28. Hide n Seek in the dark
  29. Catching fireflies
  30. Keeping honey bees
  31. Going to a maple sugaring event
  32. Visiting a farm
  33. Pick-your-own apples, berries, or other goodies
  34. Nature photography
  35. Writing poetry 
  36. Dancing your heart out
  37. Paintings or other nature-inspired art
  38. Singing
  39. Learning to whistle the bird's calls
  40. Feeding chickadees in your hands
  41. Sledding
  42. Building a snow creature
  43. Skiing, snow-shoing, or snow-boarding
  44. Camping and backpacking
  45. Astronomy
  46. Going barefoot
  47. Navigating by the stars; watching the phases of the moon
  48. Making wildflower bouquets
  49. Tracking
  50. Watching butterflies or other insects
  51. Getting a good night's sleep
  52. Letting dandelions and other "weeds" grown on your lawn
  53. Make a bonfire (with adult permission/supervision)
  54. Make fire with a flintstone
  55. Make a snow kingdom
  56. Finding a quiet "sit spot" to watch, meditate, and be
  57. Wood carving
  58. Skipping rocks
  59. Tracking the phases of the moon
  60. Predicting the weather from the sky color and clouds
  61. Dancing in the rain
  62. Walking barefoot in the snow
  63. Ice skating
  64. Fishing or hunting for your food
  65. Learning wilderness survival skills
  66. Getting plenty of fresh air and exercise
  67. Using natural bath & beauty products (and researching the toxic ingredients in most bath/beauty/cleaning products)
  68. Cleaning your house with things that won't hurt you or the earth
  69. Animal rescue and/or wildlife rescue
  70. Raising money for an environmental cause you believe in
  71. Spending more time active than sitting each day
  72. Using technology when needed; not addicted to it
  73. Finding your natural talents and passions; pursuing them as a gift to the world
  74. Keeping backyard chickens 
  75. Learning to cook delicious, healthy meals
  76. Discovering what foods your great-great-grandparents would recognize and how they would have been produced - and eating those sorts of things
  77. Making your own yogurt, saurkraut, kimchi, kefir, or kombucha
  78. Baking your own bread
  79. Putting out bits of wool yarn and such for the birds to build their nests
  80. Watching where birds build their nests, what kind of bird builds what type of nest, observing what eggs look like, what parents feed their young etc. 
  81. Planting bulbs in the fall
  82. Eating meals outside
  83. Doing homework in the fresh air
  84. Bringing nature inside with a nature table or using feathers (google how to clean them), stones, branches, etc as part of your decorating
  85. Growing houseplants 
  86. Observing the same tree or meadow or water everyday on the way to school. How does it change in each season? What does it look like at different times of day? How does the light hit it? 
  87. Join a lake instead of a pool in the summer
  88. Go on a guided foraging walk to find wild foods to enjoy
  89. Make solar prints
  90. Reduce, reuse, and recycle  - especially try to eliminate use of plastics
  91. Press flowers and leaves; use to make art, bookmarks, or cards
  92. Preserve leaves by dipping in beeswax (ask an adult for help!!)
  93. Make a log balance beam
  94. Explore life underneath logs and rocks
  95. Make crayon rubbings of leaves and flowers
  96. Have a snowball fight
  97. Plant flowers that butterflies and bees like; learn the role of bees
  98. Find a tree to sit beneath and observe in all seasons; hug it! 
  99. Learn what kind of trees, plants, animals, and insects live in your backyard; learn to identify them in all seasons
  100. HAVE FUN; LOVE THE EARTH: REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A PART OF NATURE!!! See how many things you can check off on this list!!

All photos and information on this website copyrighted by Rebecca Andrews. Please do not use or share photos, information, or papers without references.

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