Receive email when this page changes by clicking the icon below:
Your contributions make a huge difference,
please help.
February 2010 Get Outdoors Florida! is working with Children's
Week to have a variety of events around the state in April 2010 that promote
not only Children's Week, but
also Free Freshwater Fishing Weekend, and the
Week of Young Children.
Welcome to the Get Outdoors Florida! Links Site.
Here you will find numerous links related to the importance of
getting Outdoors--from just goofing off and having fun, to improving
your health, benefiting conservation efforts, and enhancing your local
community.
External Links (open in new windows) to sites dedicated to
the Back to Nature concept of reconnecting youth and families with
nature for fun, health and societal benefits. See the
Partner page for links to partner Web sites
and programs, and the Activity Tips page
for how to and where to information.
Get Outdoors USA! is a driving force behind a national movement to
help our children seek out healthy, active outdoor lives and to embrace
America's Great Outdoors - our parks, our forests, our refuges and other
public lands and waters.
Diverse public and private leaders—including four governors, three
mayors, corporate CEOs, parks officials and others—have joined together
as the National Forum on Children and Nature. The 54-member Forum,
hosted by
The Conservation Fund, a leading environmental nonprofit, is
dedicated to reconnecting kids with nature. By doing so, the Forum seeks
to improve children’s health and overall well-being, while encouraging
them to rediscover America’s landscape.
The Conservation Fund is the nation’s foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America’s most important landscapes and waterways for future generations.
Recognition of the value of recreation and the importance of June as
a time of recreation activity prompted Presidential designation of June
as Great Outdoors Month for the first time in 2004.
There is a national wildlife refuge just an hour’s drive from most
major metropolitan areas. This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site is
filled with fact sheets, recommendations on wildlife books and info for
youth, parents and educators.
To work with purpose and passion on behalf of wildlife and habitats worldwide, encouraging sustainable solutions through support of species research, animal rescue and rehabilitation and conservation education.
The recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, Richard Louv identified a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn't quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. Since its initial publication, his book Last Child in the Woods has created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement.
This site will help you find all sorts of nature activities, plus
tools to help guide and plan your adventures. You’ll also find useful
tips and information to help you get into nature without getting over
your head.
EcoAmerica is an environmental non-profit that uses psychographic
research, strategic partnerships and engagement marketing to shift
personal and civic choices of environmentally agnostic Americans.
A monthly column about with your child that is published in Florida
Monthly and written by a series of FWC authors including Judy Gillan,
Ann Morrow, Janise Ray and Jerrie Lindsey. Tips cover what to do
with your child in the outdoors.
Families are discovering that having fun outdoors doesn’t
require waiting for a special event or program. Instead, they
are taking the initiative and creating their own local nature
clubs for families. This tool kit helps them provide accessible, easy,
low- (or no-) cost fun, family-oriented activities outdoors.
The Mission of the National Recreation and Park Association is "To
advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that
enhance the quality of life for all people."
Take A Child Outside Week is a
program designed to help break down obstacles that keep
children from discovering the natural world. By arming
parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources on
outdoor activities, our goal is to help children across the
country develop a better understanding and appreciation of
the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning
enthusiasm for its exploration.
A national clearing house for statistics and credible
health information including research on Obesity, healthy
living and environmental health, including
tips for parents about helping children maintain a
healthy weight.
The Federal Government has issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. They describe the types and amounts of physical activity that offer substantial health benefits to Americans.
The Lagoon offers many ways to explore and enjoy nature. We hope you'll use this site to find great family outings and then come back and share your experiences with others.
The NEEF work with a network of health professionals,
weathercasters, land managers and teachers, to create and leverage
public-private partnerships to promote daily actions for helping people
live well while protecting and enjoying nature. They also promote
National Environmental Education Week and Public Lands Day.
To give parents and caregivers the information, tools, and inspiration to get their kids -- and themselves -- outside,
the National Wildlife Federation created this Web site that is rich in family-friendly content and which hosts a supportive virtual community where families can learn, explore, and share their outdoor experiences and backyard adventures.
Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors works to find mentors for children who
want to experience the great outdoors we all know and love. Teaming with
youth mentoring organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, who have
over 100 years of mentoring experience, we can make a difference in the
lives of children across the country.
Teens Outside™, a partnership initiative of The Outdoor Foundation
and NRPA, as an endorsed project of the National Forum on Children and
Nature, is one of 30 projects nationwide that demonstrate new and
creative ways to reconnect kids with the outdoors.
The Maryland Executive Order tasked this group with finding creative
ways to enable children throughout our State to get outside and learn
about nature and make environmental literacy a part of every curriculum.
Their mission is to inspire children, families and educators to
connect more deeply with the world around them. This link leads to
their research and early education programs.
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national, nonprofit, land
conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as
parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural
places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come.
We Can!™ or "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition" is a
national program designed for families and communities to help children
maintain a healthy weight. The program focuses on three important
behaviors: improved food choices, increased physical activity and
reduced screen time.
Among their diverse programs is Corporate Lands for Learning, which
fosters in learners, both children and adults, a clear understanding of
the interdependence of ecology, economics and social structures in both
urban and rural areas.
The National Wildlife Federation inspires Americans to protect
wildlife for our children's future. They also are sponsoring the Great
American Backyard Campout on Saturday, June 27, 2009.
Florida's Children's Week strengthens Florida’s families by sharing a commitment to improve our communities through events and outreach efforts aimed at promoting the health, safety and well-being of our children.
Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more
livable. By deepening the connection between people and nature, and
empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban
environments, Evergreen is improving the health of our cities - now and
for the future.
No Child Left Inside focuses on ecological, environmental,
educational and recreation programs. Any public or private program that
meets the following goals of No Child Left Inside is encouraged to apply
for a grant.
Requires Federal agencies to support health impact assessments and
take other actions to improve health and the environmental quality of
communities, and for other purposes.
The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) advocates
national policies and programs to promote healthy eating and physical
activity to help reduce the illnesses, disabilities, premature deaths,
and costs caused by diet- and inactivity-related diseases such as heart
disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
We believe that play environments should be beautiful, individually
designed, should please and stimulate the senses, and be sources of
delight and surprise. Nothing less will do.
The North American Association for Environmental Education plan
helps develop the knowledge and skills necessary to address complex
environmental issues, it also contributes to academic achievement.
Even if you don't live in the "country" or have a big wild area
close to you, you can still benefit from nature. The key is to have
natural spaces integrated into built spaces where children live and
play. This Act acknowledges the importance of careful planning for the
environment and human health.
The
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) launched Rediscover Florida -
100 ways in 100 days, to encourage all Floridians to explore the natural, cultural and historic treasures that exist
throughout the state. Florida has 160
state parks, hundreds of miles of
trails and numerous
coastal and aquatic areas with activities to meet every visitor's need and budget.
A national organization formed to support the development and maintenance
of adult- natural resource education and stewardship programs such as Master
Naturalists- Watershed Stewards- and Conservation Stewards.
Governor Charlie Crist, together with the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Education, is
recognizing the environmental achievements of students, teachers,
classrooms, schools and school districts through the Governor’s Serve to
Preserve: Green Schools Awards.
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor
Ethics is an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to
the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors
by all people, worldwide.
This biomimicry association site provides a culture of
ideas—biological blueprints and strategies, bio-inspired products and
design sketches, and biomimics you can talk to and collaborate with.
The Center for Ecoliteracy’s initiative, Smart by Nature: Schooling
for Sustainability, provides information, inspiration, and support to
the vital movement of K-12 educators, parents, and others who are
helping young people gain the knowledge, skills, and values essential to
sustainable living.
Show kids how rewarding it can be to spend time in the outdoors.
That's what the Passport to Adventure program is all about. Designed for
kids aged 5-12, it's a fun way to connect them to the natural world and
start them on a lifetime of outdoor recreation and stewardship.
An interactive website, where you can find ideas for outdoor
activities, as well as educational and conservation information.
Families can also access a nature finder tool through which a zip code
search allows them to find local forests and parks.
This cite helps with planning family vacations across the country by
highlighting cities with plenty of outdoor recreation, environmental
education opportunities, and other factors associated with the
municipality (crime rates, education, health scores, etc.).
This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web site is designed for 8-11
year olds, to reach those children not currently participating in
outdoor programs and activities. It is a fun game where users can
seek and identify birds by silhouette, learn about endangered and
invasive species, find Sam the praying mantis, take “Lucy’s NX
Challenge” and more.
From the Ground Up is a Florida-based partner of Get Outdoors
Florida involved in planning, designing and installing enriching outdoor
environments, particularly for children. They create landscape projects
that incorporate nature with elements for physical activity and play.
Outdoors Gulf Coast is an online community and web
site where they believe the outdoors is for everyone
to learn to enjoy. It can be a place for families to
learn to connect with each other as well as a place
for times of reflection and personal growth. Their
aim is to help move you from just thinking about
taking your friends and family members out for a
nature adventure and into actually having a great
time with them exploring the outdoors.
Children and Nature Network News
