How to Start a Nature Club

Outdoor enthusiasts and parents who grew up hiking, fishing and camping are looking for ways to help future generations learn more about nature. One great way to help reconnect children to nature is to start a nature club.

What is a Nature Club?

According to the Children and Nature Network, a Nature Club typically involves a group of individuals dedicated to helping children connect with nature. No two nature clubs are alike. Some may involve families with young children and others are comprised of parents and their tweens and teens. Others may involve all age groups and extended family members who take pride in sharing their knowledge with children.

Regardless of the age of the nature club participants, a nature club shares the basic goals of getting outside to explore nature frequently, involvement with the community to participate in outdoor activities together and the joy of experiencing nature together.

A nature club doesn't have to be created within a park or large green space. In fact, nature clubs can be started in the inner city, rural town or even the suburbs. Regardless, the focus is to help families embrace the outdoors more often.

Benefits of a Nature Club

Children who are connected with nature have been linked to better performance in school. A study completed by the American Institutes for Research in 2005 revealed that students who were involved in outdoor science programs improved their science testing scores by 27 percent.

Spending time outdoors has also been shown to reduce stress, help children become more focused, enhance creativity, problem solving and social development. Not to mention, more time outdoors often means children get more exercise, therefore reducing their risk for obesity.

Tools for Starting a Nature Club

An enthusiasm for the outdoors, organizational skills and a passion for sharing nature with families are ideal traits for becoming a group leader of a nature club. Start in local neighborhood parks or a nearby hiking trail. Or consider hosting your first meeting at an outdoor interpretive center that often has naturalists on site to provide information to you and other club members. As you research potential meeting sites, you may be surprised at how many hidden nature gems exist in your area.

Developing a nature club plan can help you get your thoughts organized. Determine where, when and how often you'd like your nature club to meet. Take the time to outline who you'd like to invite to join your nature club. You can start small, just with your family or close friends or think big by inviting all members of your church or community. Either way, just make a plan to get your group outdoors frequently to explore nature.

Additional tools and inspiration can be found on the Children and Nature Network web site. They have a complete tool kit available for download to help get you started.

Sources:

Children and Nature 2008, A Report on the Movement to Reconnect Children to the Natural World, Children and Nature Network

The Children and Nature Network Community Action Guide: Building the Children and Nature Movement from the Ground Up