Our First Family Nature Club Adventure

I can get caught up in the details sometimes – to a fault. 

Take for example, this blog. I’d had the idea for it (or something like it) for some three years before I finally took the plunge and starting writing. I obsessed so much over the details that it took me a while to finally get started.

And so it was with the idea of starting a family nature club (also known as a nature play group or an outdoor play group). I worried about what to call it (can you tell?), who to include, where to go and when, and what we’d do. Worse yet – I worried that no one would show up to join us.

Until this summer. The more time we shared with friends on various nature outings, the more I realized I wanted to make the idea a reality.

I picked a date on a calendar, emailed some friends, posted about it on Facebook, then let it go. I figured if no one else joined us, we’d still have a fun time exploring on our own.

I’m happy to report that our inaugural family nature club meeting was much more than I’d hoped for. In fact, the big explorer informed me that the kids had so much fun, they didn’t want to leave! I consider that a success.

We kicked things off with a summer nature scavenger hunt, which gave the kids a chance to get to know one of my favorite spots in Los Angeles to explore nature, Temescal Gateway Park.

Instead of searching separately, the kids decided to hunt together for the items on the list. We found some cool things, like this tree with a hole in its trunk.

One of the kids had a great eye and discovered this salamander (under the leaf – I apologize for the photo quality), which definitely counted as something brown.

It didn’t take us long to find most of the items on the list. This place is quite a nature lover’s delight. There was this beautiful pink flower,

and three different shades of green in one spot.

There were things to listen for, too. Like the birds chirping and the breeze rustling the grass. I was amazed at how quickly the kids would quiet down when one of us parents asked them to listen for something.

The kids didn’t need the list for long. Soon they started adding their own finds, like these goldfish in the creek.

And once they reached the creek, they took off adventuring. They started by following the creek in one direction, then another. They grabbed sticks and pretended to fish in the water.

Then they found a bridge across the creek, complete with a very large chain alongside, the perfect castle drawbridge. After trying unsuccessfully to get the bridge to budge,

they sat down and played in the dirt instead.

The only thing that got them up from here was the lure of the water. Each of the kids spent at least some time in it before we parted ways.

When all was said and done, the kids were filthy. And having the time of their lives. I couldn’t have asked for a better first outing. And I can’t wait for the next!

If you’d like to be added to the family nature club email list so you can receive information about upcoming events, let me know by leaving a comment (and your email address!). I’d love to see you outside!