Campaigns/Initiatives

Includes web links about national and local campaigns and initiatives that strive to get more kids outdoors.

Be Out There: The National Wildlife Federation’s movement to return to the nation’s children what they don’t even know they’ve lost: their connection to the natural world. Be Out There provides tools for families, schools, and communities to make being outdoors a fun, healthy, and automatic part of everyday life. One component of this is Green Hour, a website that provides a weekly parenting publication that is rich in family-friendly content and hosts a virtual community where families can learn, explore, and share their outdoor experiences and backyard adventures. read more...

Children and Nature Initiative: The National Environmental Education Foundation’s initiative to reconnect children to nature and prevent serious health conditions like obesity and diabetes. read more...

Get Outdoors USA: Get Outdoors USA encourages Americans to spend time outside, especially at their local public lands and waters. The program’s website includes resources, children’s activities, and information about the annual National Get Outdoors Day. read more...

More Kids in the Woods: A U.S. Forest Service initiative that provides funding and resources to organizations that promote outdoor activity for America’s youth. read more...

Let’s Go Outside: The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s campaign to get kids outdoors. The website includes activities for children and resources for parents and teachers. read more...

Let’s Move: First Lady Michelle Obama launched this campaign to address childhood obesity, a risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea. read more...

Take it Outside: The U.S. Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management’s campaign to encourage kids to explore public lands and get outdoors. The website includes tips for spending time outdoors, ways to get involved, and resources for families and schools. read more...

Green Hour: A Green Hour is time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. In 2007, the National Wildlife Federation launched GreenHour.org, an online resource providing parents the inspiration and tools to make the outdoors a part of daily life. read more...

A Forest for Every Classrom: A Forest for Every Classroom (FFEC) is a year-long professional development program for educators focused on place-based education. Teachers who participate in FFEC develop curricula that foster student understanding of and appreciation for the public lands in their communities. The teacher-developed curricula integrate hands-on, natural and cultural explorations that address concepts in ecology, sense of place, stewardship, and civics. At the heart of the FFEC program is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of “place” are more eager to learn and be involved in the stewardship of their communities and public lands. The FFEC program began in the northeast, and includes the following partners: Green Mountain National Forest, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, National Park Service Conservation Study Institute, Northeast Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Northern Forest Center, and Shelburne Farms. In 2009, the FFEC program will be replicated on the Helena National Forest in Montana. read more...

A Forest for Every Classrom: A Forest for Every Classroom (FFEC) is a year-long professional development program for educators focused on place-based education. Teachers who participate in FFEC develop curricula that foster student understanding of and appreciation for the public lands in their communities. The teacher-developed curricula integrate hands-on, natural and cultural explorations that address concepts in ecology, sense of place, stewardship, and civics. At the heart of the FFEC program is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of “place” are more eager to learn and be involved in the stewardship of their communities and public lands. The FFEC program began in the northeast, and includes the following partners: Green Mountain National Forest, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, National Park Service Conservation Study Institute, Northeast Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Northern Forest Center, and Shelburne Farms. In 2009, the FFEC program will be replicated on the Helena National Forest in Montana. read more...

Children's Contact WIth the Outdoors and Nature: A Focus on Educators and Educational Settings: This section reviews research focused on the physical, mental, and social benefits that contact with the outdoors and nature provides to children. Research is grouped into several main focal areas. These articles and documents synthesize the literature related to children’s contact with the outdoors and nature and, in many cases, highlight children’s contact as it relates to educational settings. read more...

Making the Shade Program: The Making the Shade Program, created by the Georgia Forestry Commission in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, is designed to create healthier, shaded playground areas on elementary school campuses throughout Georgia. Traditional elementary school campus designs often eliminate the health benefits provided by shade trees. The Georgia Forestry Commission encourages communities to maximize the benefits of trees, while minimizing any relevant risks. Technical and financial assistance, up to $5,000, is available to plant trees on school grounds. A dollar for dollar match is required. read more...

More Kids in the Woods reaches Louisville Life on KET: Louisville ECHO (Engaging Children Outdoors) is an environmental education program for 4th graders sponsored by the Louisville Metro Parks Department; the Louisville Equestrian Center, the vision of horsewoman Betsy Webb, provides equestrian instruction and training; an interview with Anthony Smith, director for Safe Neighborhoods; and for almost 50 years, Joe Ley has been providing antiques on Market Street. read more...