National Recreation and Park Association - Helping Get 10 Million Kids Outdoors

National Recreation and Park Association is asking its members to sign on and support National Wildlife Federation’s three-year goal to get 10 million more kids outside, reconnecting with nature and reaping the many benefits to their health and happiness.

10 Million Kids Webinar

View the National Wildlife Federation and National Recreation and Parks Assocation recently recorded a webinar to introduce the 10 Million Kids goal and objective to the NRPA members.  The webinar highlights include:

• Discussion of the research with Dr. Mark Fly (How much time and what activities are youth engaged in when outdoors)
• Highlight of events and opportunities which Parks and Recs can use to connect children in the outdoors
• Discuss on how various Park and Recreation system are utilizing NWF programs as part of the goal
• Much more including summary of discussion with online resource highlights

Reports and Resources

National Wildlife Federation has released various reports about the importance of children spending time outdoors and its effect on their overall well being, school readiness, performance at school and more.

Coming soon - Gardening with Families and Kids

Recently Released

• Your Weather Report

  Get the Dirt on Dirt

  Green Time - Sleep Time

Upcoming Activities

Garden for Wildlife Month Facebook Chat - We’re hosting our “Gardening With Kids—How To for Beginners” Facebook Chat on May 8^th! We have great experts lined up to answer all of your burning questions. Check out our event page for more details!

Webinar Series for Gardeners (All webinars are from 7:00-8:30 pm Eastern Time Zone)

Getting Started:  Gardening with Wildlife In Mind (May 8^th) -

• Reviewing your garden and accessing your yard
• Providing the basics for wildlife and people - food, water, cover and places to raise young

 Designing for beauty, food and wildlife (May 15^th)

• Landscape ideas for shade, sun and part-shade gardens
• Combining food based garden and wildlife garden together
• Ideas for year-round beauty

 Sustainable Gardening:  Gardening Ideas for Improving your Garden (May 22^nd)

• Climate smart gardening – what every gardener should consider
• Dealing with “pests” in a positive way
• Reduce, reuse and Compost – some ways to making in your yard for the planet

 Gardening as Family Time: Exploring your garden with your children (May 29^th)

• Ideas for adding Kid Fun elements to your garden
• Gardens design by kids for kids
• 30 fun fill activities to explore your garden throughout the seasons

Great American Backyard Campout, June 22, 2013

Kick-Off summer by hosting a campout at your Park or a Recreation facility for family to introduce them to camping.  Register your campout events with NWF and recieve free ideas and materials to help make your day a success.

Special Campout Webinar

Ready to Camp – learn tips and trick to make your campout a success including fantastic recipes for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner, activities and crafts to do including making a sit upon or flag for your campsite, learn songs (taught live) to sing around the campfire and learn basic safety considerations for a successful adventure.  Sign up now!  Space limited to first 250 people.  This is a great webinar for Adults and Children alike

 How Can I Participate?

 
1. Sign Up Your Agency or Organization

Register your agency or organization to participate. We’ll keep you informed on upcoming webinars for staff and volunteers, training opportunities, resources for leaders, and new information about the initiative as it unfolds.

Join this effort by registering your agency or organization to participate in helping NWF get kids back outside >>

2. Make Your Participation Count

Help us track progress towards this important goal. Starting in 2013, updates of the number of children will be requested quarterly and a report back form will be available in early 2013.

 
3. Get Kids (and Parents) Engaged! 

Partner with NWF to start new--or grow existing--programs that get kids outside in nature. Here are some great ideas for programs, events and activities from NWF to get you started:

• Advertise your park and get family events listed with NWF's Nature Find tool

• Start a Ranger Rick’s Geocache Trail for a new (high-tech) kind of adventure

• Host a Great American Backyard Campout and foster fun and connection to nature

• Inspire children with NWF's award-winning Ranger Rick magazine

• Participate in NWF's Wildlife Watch citizen science project by submitting wildlife sightings and photos

• Find tons of activities for families and children of all ages in Activity Finder

• Create wildlife-friendly gardens for learning and playing through NWF's Certified Wildlife Habitat program

• Take part in a local nature program offered by one of NWF’s 48 affiliate organizations

• Browse NWF's library of nature-related lesson plans for educators

 
4. Spread the Word

As you are networking with fellow professionals, talking with leadership, working with other departments, invite them to join the cause.

• Connect with NWF on social media and join the effort in spreading the word using #10MKids in your outreach
   
• Integrate talking points around the goal (pdf) into your websites and community outreach

Thank for supporting this important cause and contributing to getting 10 million kids from their indoor habitats back to the outdoors!

 
Questions? Contact:

• Rich Dolesh
  Vice President of Conservation and Park, NRPA
  rdolesh@npra.org
   
• Jimmy O'Connor
  Sr. Manager of  Grants and Partnership, NRPA
  joconnor@nrpa.org  
• Eliza Russell
  Director of Education, NWF
  russell@nwf.org