The Iowa Coalition for Re-Connecting Children is a new gathering of those who care about reconnecting Iowa's children and youth to nature. It is an invitation to individuals, entities and organizations to join together to expand opportunities for children, youth and families to experience and learn from nature.

1. Get children outdoors
2. Connect people to resources to get children outdoors
3. Involve others in getting children outdoors

Find a program/event. The Children and Nature Network has a national registry of events. More and more outdoor events and programs are popping up all the time, so check out local community calendars too.

Find a place to go. There are a variety of outdoor settings to explore in Iowa - from backyards, to neighborhoods, to city, county or state parks. The experiences they offer vary from guided activities to unstructured nature play. The common denominator, of course, is the importance of these events in children's everyday life.

• State Parks
• Natural Heritage Foundation Outdoor Recreation Guide (multiple links)
• County Conservation Board areas
• Local Parks and Recreation Departments - check your local phone or internet listings

Find resources and networks. There are several networks and support services out there. Following are a couple comprehensive ones. They are just a starting point and listing does not convey endorsement by the DNR.

• Children and Nature Network
• National Wildlife Federation's "Green Hour"

Host an event for others- a nature play date, a hike, a fishing clinic - anything that gets children outdoors to have fun.

Register your program, event, activities, etc. on www.cnaturenet.org so people can see what's going on your area.

Join the Iowa Coalition for Reconnecting Children to Nature. Just send an email with "Join Coalition" in the subject line. Currently, the coalition is working to strengthen networking between efforts and increase collaboration on resources to help get youth and families outdoors.

The Coalition was formed as a result of a survey of Iowans to determine what fundamental experiences they believed children in Iowa should have in order to develop a healthy, active lifestyle. Iowans were asked to select activities they thought all children should have an opportunity to participate in by the time they are 18 years of age; activities that conservation agencies and organizations, youth groups, schools, parents, and others can collaborate on to provide opportunities for all children to participate. Several people stepped forward to help develop resources and networks to involve children in those outdoor activities.