Research suggests that exposure to the natural world – including nearby nature in cities – helps improve human health, well-being, and intellectual capacity in ways that science is only recently beginning to understand. People need nature for healthy development. We know that.

- Richard Louv, Dec. 9, 2013

Children investigate a stream as part of a program at Sky Meadows State Park

Richard Louv is one of my heroes. His books The Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle have brought the need for children to connect with nature to the forefront of public discussion. The allure of electronic gadgets - first television and now video games and social media - occupy a big chunk of the average child's day. Even more well rounded children that have outside activities often miss the opportunity for creative play and direct contact with the natural world. Worse still, those of us in natural resource management are concerned that if children do not learn to love the outdoors and nature they will not see the value of supporting public lands, outdoor recreation, and the environment as adults.

Fortunately there is a plethora of resources to help parents get children connected with nature. 

Parks: From the local neighborhood park (if you are lucky to have one) to State Parks across the country to our National Parks, check nearby public lands for programs and events that the whole family can enjoy. Studies show that parents that are well connected with the natural world are more likely to introduce their children to nature so if you need some help feeling comfortable outside, take advantage of these programs. Virginia State Parks has a searchable database of programs and events many of which are perfect to introduce the novice to the natural world or hone outdoor skills. Our database can be searched by type of program, park or date range. Many of our parks have back packs with guide books, binoculars and other supplies and tools that families can check out for free to use in the park.

A nature program at Bear Creek Lake State Park

Online resources: I got the idea to write this article when I was pinning one of our articles to a board on Pinterest. Not familiar with Pinterest? Picture an electronic version of that bulletin board or scrap book (or junk drawer like we had) you might have kept at one time where you clipped articles of interest and saved them for future reference. I find that Pinterest is more helpful in finding good articles on outdoor play than a typical web search. For example, this board called Children's Nature Project offers links to a number of projects and ideas. Our board Fun Activities is where we repin articles we find with these kinds of resources in addition to our own activities. The best way to find more resources on Pinterest is to click to the source of the pins. You will find more boards on the subject as you click back to the source and you will find some great blogs to follow.

Children and Nature Network: After the publication of his first book on Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv and others formed the Children and Nature Network. There are tons of resources on this website and the Network has done a great job of creating local grassroots efforts to get families more involved in the natural world.

Students from King and Queen Middle School compare their fossil finds
during their field trip to York River State Park

Look for National Events that are themed to help get children and adults outdoors. All of our Virginia State Parks participate by holding programs or events in tandem with these events. In our database, these are classified as "National Events." Here is a list with the sponsors. The sponsoring entities listed here are all good resources as well.

Earth Day, Earth Week, Arbor Day, various

National Kids to Parks Day, National Parks Trust

Great Outdoors Month (PDF), various partners

National Trails Day, American Hiking Society

National Get Outdoors Day, Get Outdoors USA

Great American Backyard Campout, National Wildlife Federation

National Public Lands Day, National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)