Raising Kids Wild Challenge and First Giveaway!

One of the things I love about blogging about our family adventures is the fact that I get to meet people who love the outdoors through Social Media. I’ve come across some amazing families who all spread the same message of getting outside more with their kids. That’s where the idea for our first giveaway formed.

Children & Nature Network is a movement made up of community members and grass-roots campaigns and organizations committed to giving us resources to get kids outside and explore more. It was co-founded by Richard Louv whose 2005 book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”spearheaded a movement to reconnect children with nature. One of the statistics that stood out on their site is from Changes in American Children’s Time, 1997-2003 – International Journal of Time Use Research:

Kids spend over 90% of their time indoors

Fellow blogger Michael Barton whose sign Slow: Children at Nature Play has us encouraged parents and all adults to take notice of our kids exploring outside. It is easy to get lost in daily structure and his sign is the perfect reminder to take it easy and let our kids play. When I saw it (I physically wanted to slow down as it is bright yellow just as a traffic sign is) and I immediately thought to myself how many times as a parent we get distracted by constant “noise” that keeps us from enjoying the wonder kids experience playing outdoors.

I’ve decided that it would be fun to host our first contest in collaboration with Children & Nature Network and Slow: Children at Nature Play. Here’s how it will go:

1. Select three nature activities to do with your kids starting today, July 5th. It could be visiting a new park, geocaching, or making a nature mandala. Here is a list of other ideas that I wrote about in an earlier blog post.
2. Post the photos on Instagram using hashtag #raisingkidswild and tag a friend or two who you think would want to take part. If you don’t have Instagram, feel free to post on our Facebook or Twitter but be sure to use the hashtag #raisingkidswild.
3. Follow Raising Kids Wild, Slow: Children at Nature Play, and Children & Nature Network on the Social Network of your choice. You can find Slow: Children at Nature Play on Facebook and Twitter and Children & Nature Network on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
4. Once you complete the above, you’ll be entered to win Richard Louv’s new book, “Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life: 500 Ways to Enrich Your Family’s Health & Happiness, a Slow: Kids at Nature Play sign, and some brand new Raising Kids Wild swag. You’ll have until Friday, July 22nd to post your photos and winner will be selected by random and announced on Monday, July 25th.

Children & Nature Network invites everyone to take the VitaminN challenge on their website so you can make steps to incorporating more doses of nature into your life. If you know any nature centers or organizations who would benefit from posting a sign like Michael’s, you can direct them to more materials and resources here. He also has a blog that lists a ton of resources for exploring Portland’s natural areas.Good luck and I look forward to seeing all the fun activities you decide to do with your family outside.

Happy exploring!