The Leave No Child INSIDE Central Ohio Collaborative

Book Club announcement: First reading assignment

Book club - first Thursday of each month, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Location TBA soon!)

The first readings for the book club, chosen by Jenny Morgan, are from the Children & Nature Network site. They can be found on the home page–bottom right corner:

1. Children and Nature 2008: A Report on the movement to reconnect children to the natural world.

2. C&NN Community Action Guide: Building the children and nature movement from the ground up.

Jenny Morgan had the great idea of having a Leave No Child Inside book club, where members could really take the time to read a lot of the great literary work that has come up in the last few years, including books, lengthy articles, studies, etc. Frequently we see these works referenced, but don’t have time to read them. Or we read them, but don’t have the benefit of reflecting on them with others who are passionate about the topic.

These book club meetings will be held at coffee shops or the like, locations to be announced. Please mark your calendars if you are interested!

Book club - first Thursday of each month, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009

Posted in 2008 Summit, Book Club | No Comments »

Stick inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame

Stick Inducted into Toy Hall of Fame
Palm Beach Post – December 05, 2008
By Allison Ross

Parents looking to rein in holiday spending on Wiis and other high-tech gadgets for their kids this year: take heart.

The stick - possibly the world’s oldest toy - was added Nov. 27 to the National Toy Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Barbie, Slinky, teddy bears, Mr. Potato Head and Play-Doh.

“The good thing about a stick is it’s limitless,” said Patricia Hogan, a curator for the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., which houses the Hall of Fame. “Today, it’s a magic wand. Tomorrow, it’s a fishing pole.”

Wellington mom Kim Toohey said she isn’t surprised the stick was finally getting its due.

“I have three boys, and they played with sticks more than anything else we bought them,” she said. “It’s right up there with the box and the pots and pans.”

This isn’t just kid stuff. The second-largest children’s museum in the United States, and the only one dedicated specifically to the study of play, the Strong Museum is chartered by the New York Board of Regents and publishes a scholarly journal through the University of Illinois.

But outside of academia, it’s best known for housing the Toy Hall of Fame, which each year chooses a select few playthings for posterity.

Criteria include fueling imagination, according to the museum’s Hogan. The toy should also be part of the lives of many kids, preferably over several generations.

“The Hall of Fame is not suggesting you go out in the woods and wrap up a stick for a Christmas present,” said toy historian Tim Walsh. “But play can be found anywhere. Kids have lost some creativity in this high-tech generation.”

Jim Arpe, owner of Learning Express Toys of Palm Beach Gardens, laughed when told the humble branch had been honored in the Hall of Fame - but said it should be taken seriously.

“Kids will play and do a lot of different things that toy designers didn’t design a toy to do,” Arpe said. A stick, which can be anything from a light saber to a snowman’s arm, “is encouraging imaginative, unstructured play.”

Walsh said he is a big fan of the equally unassuming cardboard box - the only other toy not created by a toy manufacturer inducted into the Hall of Fame. That was in 2005. “Being a parent myself, we’ve all bought the $300 robotic toy and the kid just wants to play with the box it came in,” he said.

Shopping with her mother at the Wellington Mall, 8-year-old Alexis Pollak said the top thing on her wish list for Santa this year is a $250 motor scooter.

Alexis’ mother, Jennifer, said, “That motor scooter, it’s much more expensive than, say, a hula hoop or skates or stuff I got growing up. Now, we all go out and spend hundreds of dollars on toys that then just sit in our garage.”

Not always, though: Only slightly further down on Alexis’ wish list is a much simpler item: a yo-yo.

Of course, the stick probably won’t be showing up on your children’s Christmas or Hanukkah gotta-get lists. But it’s certainly much easier to find than that elusive Wii Fit this holiday season. “Inducting the stick shows fun can be had with the simplest things,” Walsh said. “You don’t need expensive, fancy electronic items.”

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Should we have a project for National Day of Service, Jan. 19?

Please let us know your ideas by commenting on this post using the Comment link below.

This is from the NCLI Coalition - the ones leading the charge on the federal legislation for funding for environmental education.

National Day of Service on January 19th

The NCLI Coalition to Take Part across the Nation

President-elect Barack Obama has announced that January 19, 2009,
will be a national day of service – coinciding with the Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and a day before the presidential
inauguration.

This presents a great opportunity for the No Child Left Inside
Coalition to highlight the work our members do to educate people
about the environment and our commitment to solving environmental
challenges.

Our goal is to have at least one event in every state. By
sponsoring events across the nation, we can generate interest in
the NCLI movement and make our name more widely known among key
leaders in Washington, D.C.

Here’s how your group can get involved:

Plan a service activity for January 19th in your community. This
could include a stream cleanup, tree planting, community meeting
about environmental conditions in your area, or any other activity
that allows people to get involved in making your community a
cleaner and greener place.
Register your event on the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s
website and be sure to list NCLI Coalition as a co-sponsor of your
event, along with your local organization.
Contact the local media and ask them to cover your event.
Share news about your events with the Coalition; send information
to Lucas Johnson. The more events that are co-sponsored by the NCLI
Coalition, the better our chances are of being highlighted by the
incoming presidential team.

We recognize that time is short, but early next month we will have
a set of materials to help you plan an event and reach out to the
media. Copies of those documents will soon be available on our
website.

Please contact us with questions or if you need other resources.
Help us make the national service day a great success!

No Child Left Inside Coalition Adds its 1000th Member!

The NCLI Coalition recently passed a major milestone as we welcomed
our 1,000th member. We reached this remarkable accomplishment as
part of an amazing Chicago wave of support for NCLI. In recent
weeks, a dozen organizations from the Chicago area have joined and
today the Coalition has 46 member groups from the state of Illinois.

Indeed, it has been a remarkable year. In December 2007, the
Coalition’s membership totaled just over 100 organizations. Since
then, we have grown ten-fold as more and more people hear about our
mission.

Today our membership reflects the involvement of groups interested
in the environment, education, conservation, outdoor recreation and
public health, as well as many businesses and faith-based groups.

In all, our member organizations represent a whopping 47.5 million
Americans!

It is that broad representation that has propelled our success.
Thanks to all of you, we won passage in the House of
Representatives for the No Child Left Inside Act this fall. This
victory gives us critical momentum toward winning final passage of
the Act in the next Congress.

As always, we thank Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Rep. John
Sarbanes of Maryland, our lead Senate and House sponsors, for their
tireless work to improve environmental education in America.

“The No Child Left Inside Coalition has brought together a diverse
group of individuals and organizations from across the country to
help us strengthen and expand environmental education in America’s
classrooms,” said Senator Reed. “I am pleased the coalition
continues to grow and build support for passing the No Child Left
Inside Act. In a tough economy and an even tougher appropriations
process, we’ll need a strong effort from coalition members
nationwide.”

Congressman Sarbanes also added his congratulations: “I would like
to congratulate the No Child Left Inside Coalition on achieving
this extraordinary milestone. You were the driving force behind all
of our progress this year. With one thousand members and growing,
we will have an army of advocates to sustain our momentum during
the 111th Congress. I look forward to working with the coalition
to see No Child Left Inside Act through to law.”

With the leadership of our sponsors and the support of more than
1,000 committed organizations, we are confident that our message
will continue to be heard loud and clear.

Abby Ybarra
Lucas Johnson

Grassroots Coordinator

No Child Left Inside Coalition

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

See Richard Louv in Columbus for $20!

Richard Louv is an author and journalist focused on nature, family and community. His most recent book, Last Child in the
Woods; Saving our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, has stimulated an international conversation about the future
relationship between children and nature, and has helped spawn a movement that is now moving into the international
sphere. He serves as chairman of the Children & Nature Network, an organization helping to build the international
movement to connect children with nature. He also serves as honorary co-chair of The National Forum on Children and
Nature. Co-Chaired by four state governors, the Forum, sponsored the Conservation Fund, will fund programs around the
country designed to get kids outside. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at Clemson University.
The cost for this event is $20.00
Register by clicking the form below:
richard-louv-registration.pdf

Posted in Camps and Youth Development, Education/Schools, National, Statewide | No Comments »

All Ohio Children and Nature Summit

Please join us for the All Ohio Children and Nature Summit. Learn more about what is going on in other areas of the state, as well as see our efforts to promote the movement to parks and recreation professionals from around Ohio.

See attached brochure to register.
This is all part of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association Conference, which we have graciously been invited to participate in.

All Ohio Children and Nature Summit Brochure

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Please help the Wilds find a talented Director of Conservation Education

Dear Collaborative Members,
Please help the Wilds find a talented Director of Conservation
Education.
Thanks for your help and Happy Holidays.

Denise Natoli Brooks
Conservation Education Specialist
the Wilds
(740) 638-5030 x2116

Full-time Employment 2008

The Wilds has the following full-time positions available:

Director of Conservation Education

The Wilds, one of the largest and most innovative Conservation
Centers in the
world, is seeking highly qualified and motivated candidates to
provide
leadership for its Conservation Education Programs. The ideal
candidate will
have experience in the design, development and implementation of
science-based education programming for students, adults and
visitors.
Experience with curriculum development, staff management, budgeting,
and
interacting with a diverse constituency (visitors, students, academic
professionals and board/donors) is necessary. Experience with
grant-writing,
camp management and/or wildlife conservation is desirable.

A minimum requirement of a M.S., Ph.D., or experience equivalent is
preferred.

This position will report directly to the Chief Programmatic Officer.

Interested candidates should submit a CV/resume, a list of 3
references and a
letter of interest to:

Julie Graham
Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director
the Wilds
14000 International Road
Cumberland, OH 43732
USA
jgraham@thewilds.org

The Wilds is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Posted in Sept07Summit, Education/Schools | No Comments »

Jenny Morgan’s CD Release Party - “Nature Needs Kids and Kids Need Nature”

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location: The Crest Tavern
Street: 397 Crestview Road, Columbus

Jenny Morgan is celebrating the completion of “Nature Needs Kids and Kids Need Nature.” Many of you have already heard some of the music from this CD, so come out and help us celebrate!

There are 15 songs, and they run the gamut from “Down A Winding Road,” with a distinctly bluegrass feel (and her brother’s band singing back-up) to the title track with 30 Columbus School For Girls kindergartners’ voices, to a Cat Stevens’ cover–”Where Do the Children Play?” It’s a great CD for kids, for parents to listen to with kids, and for nature lovers, animal lovers, etc!

Here’s the scoop on the party:

When: Sunday, December 21st, from 6:00-8:30 or 9:00PM

Where: The Crest Tavern (397 Crestview Road) on Indianola Avenue between Hudson and Weber–west side of the street)

What to expect: Live music–Jenny and others will play several selections from the CD, free pizza, cash bar

What to Bring: Friends, $$$ or a check for CD’s ($15), perhaps a folding chair or blanket, (the live music space is open), kids may come since it’s a private party–there are some games there they might enjoy

The CD would make a great last-minute gift! CD sales benefit the Leave No Child Inside Central Ohio Collaborative!

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Meeting dates amended.

The meeting dates for 2009 are below, and the list is now NEW AND IMPROVED with the time of the meetings.
Yes, the time. That would have been a good element for me to have included in the original post! Sorry folks!
-Alice

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Progress from Vacant Lot Conversion Group!

Born out of the 2008 Leave No Child Inside Central Ohio Collaborative Summit (and formerly known as the Dirt Piles Group) this group has been making great strides toward their goal of seeing children all over the city playing in nature, even if that nature is a pile of dirt and a couple of sticks.

Over the past month, group members have met with representatives from the City of Columbus’ Development Department about vacant lots in the city, as well as with Bill Dawson of the Franklin Park Conservatory and the Growing to Green program. Bill Dawson counsels dozens of community gardens, run by many different organizations, and is excited to work with this group as we look at the potential for partnerships with community gardens.

If you would like to be on this group’s email list and attend meetings, please reply to the weekly email or email Alice.

More to come!

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More progress around the state!

The Ohio Parks and Recreation Conference has served as a focal point for taking stock of the Leave No Child Inside movement in Ohio. We all know about Greater Cincinnati and Central Ohio, but it is thrilling to see leadership in Northwest Ohio and Dayton. In addition, the Earth Day Coalition has expressed interest in being the point of contact for Leave No Child Inside in the Cleveland/NE Ohio area!!!

Please click on “Statewide” under categories to the right to see all the posts about this.

Posted in Statewide | No Comments »