Apr
17
Omaha World Herald News Article on Nature Play 4/17/09
Family Nature Nights feature hands-on play
BY JULIE ANDERSON WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A new consortium formed to foster nature-based play for area children is launching activities that will provide hands-on opportunities for families and a community forum to plan future efforts.
The group is hosting five Family Nature Nights at local elementary and middle schools. Each will offer at least 15 hands-on, nature-based play activities for children and their families, said Christine Jacobsen, chairwoman of the coalition and education specialist with the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.
The first Family Nature Night was Thursday; more are planned next week and in May.
The group, Metropolitan Omaha Resources for Exploring (MORE) Nature, was formed by more than a dozen area nature organizations, including the Papio-Missouri NRD, the Henry Doorly Zoo, the Omaha Children’s Museum, the Hitchcock Nature Center, the Lauritzen Gardens, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Green Hearts Institute for Nature in Childhood.
The group’s goal was spurred by author Richard Louv’s best-selling book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.”
The consortium will sponsor an introductory Community Forum on Nature Play on April 28 at the Treetops Restaurant at the Henry Doorly Zoo.
The forum will feature an introductory session about the issue and small-group sessions to discuss in more detail how to restore active outdoor play.
The forum will start at 7 a.m. with a light breakfast. The introductory session will begin at 7:30 a.m. Those interested in attending should RSVP to Jacobsen at 315-1713 or cjacobsen@papionrd.org.
For more information, see www.MORENature.info.
Contact the writer: 444-1223, julie.anderson@owh.com
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