We know that playing outside has always been one of the most important and fun parts of growing up. This generation of kids, however, is spending less time outdoors than ever even though research indicates that children who play in nature are happier, healthier and smarter. 90% of Americans believe that children should spend more time outside – this is by far the broadest point of consensus among Americans about nature and the environment. We are bridging that gap through Nature Rocks, launched nationally May 26, 2009.
Nature Rocks is not only about improving the lives of families by getting them outside more, it is also about getting parents engaged. If we can inspire them to reconnect with and prioritize nature play for their families, then we can also build support for healthy, natural ecosystems by showing that nature is an essential ingredient for happy families and successful children.
We developed Nature Rocks with the guidance of ecoAmerica Director Richard Louv, acclaimed author 
of the NY Times best-seller “Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” and the organization he co-founded, the Children & Nature Network. As with all of our programs, Nature Rocks is designed to complement our partners’ organizational goals. By leveraging the marketing of these and additional partners we aim at reaching 20+ million American families. Nature Rocks anchor partners include The Nature Conservancy and REI who will extend the reach of the program through their networks and supported by our marketing initiatives. Further support is provided by The Flora Family Foundation and the American Camp Association. If you are interested in partnering with us, please email partnerships@naturerocks.org.
The campaign builds on the momentum of the burgeoning grass roots movement, and was created to inspire and empower parents to take their families to play, explore and enjoy quality time in nature for happier, healthier and smarter children.
Nature Rocks combines the expertise of the nation’s leaders in bringing families and nature together into a program that offers parents all of the information, inspiration and tools they need to take their families into and enjoy nature.
All of this expertise has been harnessed to create the Nature Rocks website, which provides inspiring messages, information on benefits, 100+ easy to use tips for connecting with nature in and near the home, and great tools to find nature and connect with other parents in their community. Plus, Nature Rocks includes a terrific downloadable 2009 Summer Nature Staycation Planning Guide to help them plan affordable fun family vacations closer to home.
The website is complemented by the Nature Rocks Facebook Page and twitter. These social media tools provide parents with additional inspiration and Nature Rocks resources.
ecoAmerica and the Children & Nature Network co-authored the report “Children and Nature 2008: A Report on the Movement to Reconnect Children to the Natural World” a definitive analysis of current best practices in this emerging movement.
For more information, or if you are interested in supporting Nature Rocks, feel free to email me at Rafael@ecoamerica.org.
Some great resources on this site, thanks for posting! There is a nice bird tracking site thatn is linked to from my name, free to use as well.
Posted by: Birding News | October 05, 2009 at 05:13 PM