Outdoors Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Next Step Adventure

Outdoors

Getting kids and families outdoors seems like the next best step for our planet and our species. It makes us feel better and DO better! Next Step has ideas and activities for nurturing the natural world. Hug a tree. Dig in the dirt. Watch a caterpillar. Grow a garden.

“Honestly, I think I would be in a much worse state if we weren’t spending 2-3 hours a day outside, moving our bodies. My kids would be a total mess, too.”

—Shelly Johnson

Make your next step outdoors, and toward a healthier planet. To learn more about Next Step’s relationship with the earth, scroll down and read more. Then give us a shout and we’ll visit.

Iowa Farm to School Conference

Sara Lockie on August 25, 2022

We came together in search of a common goal–feeding our children fresh, healthy food. And we believe that goal can best be accomplished by promoting farm-school partnerships.

Cool as a Cucumber

Ashley Kirvin on August 5, 2022

And now you know that “cool as a cucumber” really IS cool–20 degrees cooler than the temperature outside the cucumber. This made cucumbers the perfect STEAM snack on a hot Iowa day!

Back to the Basics

Ashley Kirvin on June 21, 2022

We can return home to the basics whenever we’re ready to revel in their joy–we can stand outside with our toes in the grass, we can watch the clouds pass by, we can balance in tree pose and remember.

Teachers ask me how people have time to bring Farm to School initiatives into the classroom. We all know how busy teachers are. Lucky for us, Farm to School activities are highly motivating and can slide into a variety of subjects and topics to enhance what you are already teaching.

Connecting Kids and Healthy Food

Sara Lockie on April 8, 2022

How much do you love healthy, local food? How hard do you have to work to find it and get it to your table? How important is it to you to have your kids eat healthy food that’s grown close to where you live?

Hold the Center

Martha McCormick on April 4, 2022

Toward the end of the hike there were times I wasn’t sure I could make it. So I took another page from yoga and just breathed. And took one step and another. I passed groups, and groups passed me. Strangers cheered me on, and we told each other we were glad to be there.