Enjoy Summer!

Martha McCormick on June 28, 2010

It’s been just over 2 months since the first ever Iowa Outdoor Youth Summit; at least two young Iowans attended the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and Festival in New York City, and summer is here with especially surprising weather. Here it is the 4th of July and summer officially half over. Impossible; my garden isn’t even all mulched!

So far I’ve gone for a few bike rides, enjoyed some ice cream cones and visited the Des Moines Arts Festival. Twice. I’ve helped facilitate The Ultimate Family Challenge where Culture Inc. took 12 families to Pilgrim Heights for the first weekend of June. It was especially fun to see the kids enjoying the out of doors. Here are some outdoor updates–

  • If you’re a new bicyclist, get “The Guide to Your Ride”–FREE–to help you get the most from your bicycle. Go to the Iowa Bicycle Coalition to order your copy; it’s only for Iowans. Learn tips, techniques, and street smarts to make your ride safer and more rewarding. The guide also has information on essential accessories, dressing right, bike shops and other handy resources to make your biking more fun. This guide is only available for a limited time, so act fast.
  • Dove Haase and Brittan Alford were delegates to the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit and Festival,  in New York City June 19 & 20, 2010.
  • The Iowa Outdoor Youth Summit brought together 25 youth and 15 adults to make a plan for reconnecting Iowa young people with the outdoors. The group discussed barriers to kids going outdoors and identified strategies to overcome those barriers. Each team identified specific activities they want to initiate in their own community during the next year, which included a “get outdoors” challenge, developing outdoor classrooms, and mentoring programs.
  • Apply for a Disney’s Friends for Change grant and take steps to help the planet. YSA will award 75 $500 grants to youth-led service initiatives around the world that demonstrate youth leadership and the commitment to making a positive impact on the environment. Projects must be completed between September and November and connected to International Coastal Cleanup Day, National Public Lands Day (both September 25), or other environmentally-focused days of service. Disney Friends for Change Grants are open to schools, organizations, and individuals. Grant applications are due Thursday, July 15, 2010.
  • My company, Next Step, Inc., just joined The No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Coalition, which supports legislation to include environmental education (current version better known as “No Child Left Behind”).
  • The 10th annual River Run Garbage Grab is a chance to help clean upthe Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. It begins at all sites at 9a.m. on August 14 and event empowers volunteers to remove trash from the river and trails. Paddlers, boaters, hikers, bikers–all are welcome!  Sign up and learn more here.

Join the Movement

Martha McCormick on March 7, 2010

Go outside! It’s spring, and Iowa is joining a broad based movement to renew a close, personal relationship with the out of doors.

Ride a Bike

Martha McCormick on February 20, 2010

I still remember the first time hill I rode down after my dad took my training wheels off. Such a feeling of exhilaration and freedom! I still like to ride my bike, and that feeling has never gone away. I got back into cycling in 2008, and rode the MS 150 in eastern Kansas with my brother’s team. Then I spent five wonderful days on Sanibel Island in Florida, with only a bicycle for transportation.

If you don’t have a bicycle, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get one. The Des Moines Bike Collective, at 617 Grand Avenue, repairs used bicycles and sells them at a reasonable cost. They also offer classes on bicycle maintenance.

Where can you ride? Streets are okay, if you ride carefully, but it’s more stressful than riding on trails. The Des Moines area has about 300 miles of wonderful trails for biking. Some of them lead out into the countryside where you can glide through wooded areas and between cornfields. Many trails lead to restaurants and bars and parks where you can stop and rest in a park or get a snack at a store.

If you get started and decide you really like riding, then think about riding your bike across Iowa. The Des Moines Register sponsors a ride across the state every year, called RAGBRAI. As part of RAGBRAI, the newspaper sponsors a group called The Dream Team. Experienced cyclers are paired with teens. The group trains together during the spring and summer, preparing for the big ride across the state in late July.

Women across the world are into bicycle riding and racing. Last spring I watched young women in Paris riding their bikes to work in skirts and heels! Find out more about women and cycling and see if it’s for you.

Embrace Winter

Martha McCormick on January 9, 2010

It’s been an especially cold winter in many places, but kids (and adults) can have fun and get healthy by going outside even in frigid, snowy weather. Each winter I resolve to renew my relationship with my skis, toboggan and ice skates. This winter looks like it might be a good time to keep that resolution! Ray Morley and his grandkids built snow huts and a giant sledding track across several back yards during winter vacation. My daughter tried out her new snow shoes.

I’ve skied off and on for nearly 30 years; a couple winters ago I had fun just taking my skis down to Beaverdale Park and skiing in giant figure 8’s, but there are groomed trails at Jester Park. Check out this video about cross-country skiing from Polk County Conservation; you can rent skis, snowshoes, boots and poles. This year Polk County Conservation is facilitating outdoor fitness programs for youth groups; contact Patrice Petersen-Keys for more information.

One of my favorite Chrysalis After-School group meetings was when the Star Choices girls at Harding Middle School spent most of the afternoon playing in the snow. The girls loved it and got some great exercise. Informal play develops independence and mastery. When I visited the fifth grade group at Capitol View, we were taking photos of the girls in the hallway and I asked them to all look and point to the right for a silly one. The next instant they exclaimed, “It’s snowing!” Their excitement was apparent. Two snow days followed, so that may have been the cause, but check out these resources for ideas about how to make the most of the winter months.

  • The Brenton Skating Plaza is a popular place for Chrysalis After-School groups; they have lessons, season passes, apparel and more at this site.
  • Sledding hills at Waveland and Grandview Parks are open as long as there is enough snow. The Des Moines Register recently published this map of sledding hills in central Iowa.

    Kate's Snowshoes

    Kate’s Snowshoes

  • My daughter snowshoes to Scattergood Friends School from her house on their farm; she says it’s easy. Take a look at this snowshoeing video from Polk County Conservation and see what YOU think.
  • On a quieter note, this slide show from the New York Times draws attention to the serene perspective of gardens in winter.
  • The National Wildlife Federation offers “5 Tips to Stay Warm” and some excellent information on why it’s important for kids to be outdoors.

Snow Hut

Snow Hut

Whatever you decide to do–make  a snow angel, build a fort, go sledding, skating or skiing, or just take a walk–have fun out there!

Find Refuge

Martha McCormick on October 18, 2009

I just applied to make my yard a certified wildlife habitat. I figured I might as well, since the deer have plucked my rosebuds one by one this summer and fall. Really, it’s a small step toward taking better care of the outdoors.

I started the process about three years ago when a group of friends and I removed an extensive pool, deck and pond structure and opened the space to nature. The huge Pin Oak that anchors the space has flourished since then, putting out new growth. I’ve added a perennial border of native plants and shrubs, allowed redbuds, oaks and maples to grow where they will. I’ve composted for a while, raised a bit of food and most recently installed a rain garden with the help of my friend Anne, the Iowa Garden Coach.

It’s really turned the back yard into a refuge, not just for the critters, but for me and my friends. I hope you’ll take some actions to make the world a little greener; here are some suggestions–

  • Take this “Outdoor Bill of Rights” Survey to help the Iowa Department of Natural Resources develop their agenda for getting children and youth opportunities to spend time outdoors.
  • Parents–Check out “Be Out There” at the National Wildlife Federation’s Web site, especially the resources for taking kids outside including Why kids need to play outside
  • The Next Step team was involved in creating this online resource for exploring Iowa–99 Parks Family Fun Guide
  • See what it would take to create a wildlife refuge at your school.

Go Outside!

Martha McCormick on October 11, 2009

Last week my friend Anne and I built a “pondless waterfall” in my backyard. I had a great time digging in the dirt, getting muddy from top to toe and watching my little Tater cat explore the waterfall as it came into being. As I built it, I thought about my young friend Isaac playing in it when the weather warms up. Last week I took him to Gray’s Lake to build fairy houses, run in circles and explore a bug with intent wonder. Taking Isaac outside and building a stream are two of the projects I do to get kids outdoors.

Waterfall with Cat

Please complete this survey sponsored by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The goal is to find out how much young people like being outdoors and what they enjoy doing there.

Fishin'

Environmentalists across the U.S. are concerned about “nature deficit disorder,” a term coined by Richard Louv, to describe what happens to kids when they don’t play outside. Many parents are scared to let their kids play in the park by themselves, but there are real dangers of NOT going outdoors.

  • Join our Facebook Cause–Have Fun Outdoors!
  • Watch this video–Get ’em Outside on YouTube, to get a better understanding of the problem and some solutions.
  • Next April for Global Youth Service Day we are organizing a summit where adults will ask young people to create an outdoor agenda for Iowans, young and old.
  • Read Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods to find out what “nature deficit disorder” is and learn about what happens to kids when they are cooped up indoors all the time.
  • Learn more about the very real dangers of the childhood obesity epidemic and how its roots appear to be embedded in a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Check out the Nature Literacy Series by David Sobel available from Orion Publishing These books help adults overcome fear of the outdoors.
  • Classroom Earth is an online resource designed to help high school teachers include environmental education in their daily lesson plans. It has some great stuff on–
  • Student-led efforts to save energy in schools

Go Outdoors!

Martha McCormick on August 24, 2009

The naturalists at Polk County Conservation are some of my favorite people to work with. I’ve facilitated adventure education programs with them, canoed, and learned to use GPS in parks throughout Polk County. Some of the parks make you say, “I can’t believe this place is only 20 minutes from my house!” They work to make kids and adults more comfortable in the outdoors.

The Polk County Conservation staff has facilitated service learning with Chrysalis After-School groups for years–kids like to cut out invasive species. They have taken girls snow shoeing, canoeing, fishing, hiking, geocaching, snow shoeing, winter survival….

You can count on them for innovative programming that involves active learning. They bring all their own stuff for programming like fishing poles and snow shoes, and their programs are FREE all year round but spring and fall are the best times for programs.

Schedule your group by emailing Patti Petersen-Keys or calling her at 515-323-5359.

See Polk County Conservation Surveys

Martha McCormick on July 8, 2009

This program evaluation measures progress of clients toward goals of–

  • deeper respect and connection with nature
  • sharing knowledge and experience with others
  • becoming greener in their behaviors around energy and the environment.

Patrice Petersen-Keys, the other naturalists at Polk County Conservation and I have worked on this during the last couple years, here are links to surveys–

and links to the results