Kids Unplugged: Wacky Wednesday Woods Wander

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wacky Wednesday Woods Wander

Our walk in the woods just west of the small lake. Nice crowd today. 10 families, 20-odd kids, lots of off trail exploring and adventuring. I'll let the pictures say it this time.

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Rockefeller Fridays!

Some Kids Unplugged Protocol

*All hikes will leave 10 minutes after designated meeting time and are a suggested donation of $5 per family.

*A question about the weather: Kids Unplugged will always be at the trail head for a hike unless it's a complete deluge, in which case the cancellation will be posted here.

*Parents are responsible for their children during all of our hikes. These are opportunities to be fully present with our kids in the midst of our busy world (which we'd all like to have more often!). Let's go at their pace for a while...

*Always check yourself and your children for ticks after our hikes, especially when the kids are bushwhacking around in the brush, leaf-litter, or tall grasses. Long pants tucked into socks are always a good idea. For more information about "tick checks" visit the Center for Disease Control's website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/stopticks/
Scroll down the page for the "tick check" section.

*And finally, on all our hikes, be sure to dress for the weather. Solid shoes, boots or sneakers are best. No flip flops or crocs please!

About Kids Unplugged

The mission of Kids Unplugged is to work towards moving kids outdoors, away from the pull of screens and other electronic media to commune with nature and engage with local, natural and community resources.

Kids Unplugged strives to foster within children a stronger sense of caring for and ownership of the community and planet while nurturing an intrinsic love for nature and the arts through developmentally appropriate exploration and adventure.

It is the hope of Kids Unplugged that children who grow up deeply rooted in this philosophy will become adults with a greater sense of respect and responsibility for our fragile planet and with more meaningful connections to other human beings.

Folks Who Share Our Vision

The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working nationally and internationally to reconnect children with nature.

The No Child Left Inside Coalition represents more than 1500 organizations and supports federal legislation to expand and improve environmental education in our public schools--the No Child Left Inside Act of 2009. Check them out and jump on the bandwagon!

Fishkill Farms' official site. Visit soon. You'll love Josh and Hannah and the farm.

Something Good in the World at Hilltop Hanover Farm. You must check out their wonderful programs and mission for children and families.

Westchester County's Parks, Recreation & Conservation Site. Learn more about all the county has to offer. Also visit: http://www.co.westchester.ny.us/parks/NatureCenters.htm

Kids In the Valley, Adventuring! Great Nature Club in the Roanoke Valley, VA. Very inspiring!

National Wildlife Federation's Green Hour--Check out their great ideas for getting the kids OUT!

National Get Outdoors Day, Official Site

Founded by the Children & Nature Network, Nature Rocks seeks to "inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature."

An organization committed to restoring the connection between humanity and the Earth.

The mission of the Farm Based Education Association is to inspire, nurture and promote farm based education.

Visit the Farm Based Education Association for more information about their important work.

Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vermont

Shelburne Farms seeks to cultivate a conservation ethic in students, educators and families. Visit their website to learn more about their amazing programs.

Gina DeCaprio Vercesi

Gina is a NY State Certified teacher with an MA in secondary social studies education. After teaching and working in staff development for several years in the NYC public schools, Gina left in 2002 to have her three daughters. Presently on hiatus from teaching to raise the girls (ages 7, 5, &3), Gina has been eager for a project that doesn't involve teaching a small human being how to use the potty.
Add to that a desire to bring about a cultural shift, a passion for the outdoors, a concern for our nations' children and a tendency to stay up way too late and you get Kids Unplugged.

When not in her kitchen or riding the laundry carousel, Gina can be found digging in the garden, swinging on the swings or out hiking with her kids.

Great Resources for Parents

GOOD READS
I found this very comprehensive book list on amazon.com. I don't mean to plug Amazon (and support purchasing books from independent booksellers where possible), but this list has many important books all in one place. So take a look, find them at your local library and maybe purchase a few of your favorites.
http://www.amazon.com/quot-No-Child-Left-Inside/lm/REKQ5JP3V5CSD/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_2_rsrsrs0

A couple of others that aren't on that list but should not be overlooked are:
Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, Jerry Mander
The Plug-In Drug, Marie Winn
Endangered Minds, Jane Healy

Looking at any of the above titles on amazon will also put you in touch with several other important texts in this field of research.

Happy Reading!

LINKS

http://www.childrenandnature.org/
The Children and Nature Network homepage. This site is chock-full of information including links to myriad current articles relating to Nature Deficit Disorder.

http://kidsadventuring.org/blog/
Kids in the Valley, Adventuring! KIVA is a family nature club in the Roanoke Valley, VA. Check out their great blog for inspiration.

http://richardlouv.com/children-nature-resources
Again with Richard Louv! A direct link to the resources page on his site. Great book list, great links.

http://westchester.nynjtc.org/
The link to Walt and Jane Daniels new book, Walkable Westchester. This book is a true gift to the walkers and hikers in our community. You must see it to believe it! Check out the author's hike with Kids Unplugged: http://kidsunpluggedny.blogspot.com/2009/04/wacky-wednesday-with-walkable.html

http://westmorelandsanctuary.blogspot.com/
Westmoreland Sanctuary is a wonderful nature preserve in Mount Kisco, NY. Naturalist Adam Zorn started this fantastic blog, with many beautiful pictures, about his work and sightings at the Sanctuary. A must read!

http://friendsofdouglaspark.wordpress.com/
Kids Unplugged enthusiasts David Bedell and Karin Lane started this blog to promote the improvement of a local park in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Lots of good information of the unplugged sort in their very readable blog bits.

http://52waystolovetheearth.org/

http://hookedonnature.org/

http://exploringsenseofplace.org/

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/
A website created by Lenore Skenazy of the New York Sun in response to kids' lack of freedom of days gone by (i.e. when we were kids!).

http://greenhour.org/
A great site by the National Wildlife Foundation with daily activities to help get kids outdoors. Their mission is for families to get outside for an hour daily.

http://screentime.org/

http://enature.com/

http://www.rivertownsguide.com/
Rivertowns Guide is an amazing online resource for all the goings on around the Hudson River towns of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington and soon, Tarrytown. Bookmark it!

http://www.therivertownplaygroup.com/
The Rivertown Playgroup is a site dedicated to helping young families find their way (and each other!) with little ones throughout the Hudson River towns and lower Westchester. If only this site existed 7-years ago!

http://www.nature.org/
The Nature Conservancy's website

http://www.michigantelevision.org/childrenplay/
A documentary produced for Michigan Public Television entitled, "Where do the Children Play?"

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wacky Wednesday Woods Wander

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Welcome to Kids Unplugged

Rockefeller Fridays!

Some Kids Unplugged Protocol

Become a Member

About Kids Unplugged

Think Local, Act Local

Great Parent Resources Section!

Folks Who Share Our Vision

Gina DeCaprio Vercesi

Visit Kids Unplugged on Meetup.com

Blog Archive

Great Resources for Parents