Go outside and connect a child to the wild!

Spending time outside is fun for the whole family. And it doesn't have to be somewhere far from home. It can be simple and safe:

• Take a walk in the woods
• Lie on your back in your backyard and watch the clouds roll by
• Turn over rocks in a stream and look for critters
• Catch lightning bugs
• Climb a tree
• Fish at a local pond
• Draw a picture of a tree and all the animals that live in it
• Picnic at a local park

Whether it is your own backyard, a local community park or a national wildlife refuge, there are lots of outdoor places you can visit. Start by doing something small, and see what happens from there! The possibilities are endless.

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Our New Education Page

About Our New Page

Friends of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge mission is promoting the conservation of the natural resources of the refuge, fostering public understanding and appreciation of the refuge, and engaging in activities that will assist and challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to meet its mandates. We hope the information on this page will increase not only the understanding and conservation of our natural resources but also as encourage the use of them for both education and enjoyment. We also encourage you to submit any relevant material or to contribute in anyway to the Education Page. Please contact Michael Houle. To navigate the page just click on the images. Wherever possible information is provided in PDF format for easy downloading.

Teaching and Learning in Nature

"The American people, especially children, spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation. Recent research that our nation's children are suffering from too much time inside. Kids today spend and average of 6.5 hours/day with television, computers and video games. In fact a child is six times more likely to play a video game than to ride a bike." ~ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Your Family and Nature

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder; he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." ~ Rachel Carson

Last Child in the Woods

The recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal, Richard Louv identified a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn't quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. Since its initial publication, his book Last Child in the Woods has created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now, three years later, we have reached a tipping point, with the book inspiring Leave No Child Inside initiatives throughout the country.

Hailed as "an absolute must-read" by the Boston Globe and "too tantalizing to ignore" by Audubon magazine, Last Child in the Woods is the inspiring work that proves children need nature as much as nature needs children.

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