I’m so excited to be attending the Nature Everywhere Conference put on by the Children & Nature Network. This organization is co-founded by Richard Louv who wrote the National Bestseller book called “The Last Child in the Woods- Saving our Children from Nature Deficit disorder”
I bought this book a few years ago and I have to admit, I haven’t finished it, yet! I have given myself until May 28th to finish it! But let’s be honest, I’ll probably just take it with me on the flight and read it over the 6+ hours it will take me to get to Madison, Wisconsin, where this year’s conference is being held.
The Children & Nature Network is all about connecting children with nature and equipping leaders from all over with the tools and resources to do so. In their own words, “We believe that the well-being of children and the wild places we love are inextricably linked. And while research tells us that regular time outdoors is essential for children’s healthy development, today’s kids are less connected to nature than ever before.” “We support and mobilize leaders, educators, activists, practitioners and parents working to turn the trend of an indoor childhood back out to the benefits of nature–and to increase safe and equitable access to the natural world for all.”
This conference will be a three day conference, from May 29th- May 31st and on Saturday June 1st it will be Nature Everywhere Day!
I am pretty darn excited about all of this! Plus the conference itself will be hosting around 700 children and nature advocates from all over!
And can I admit something to you guys? (Insert guilty face here) I’m kind of excited to go on a solo trip! Even though it’s a business trip, it kind of feels like it will be a mini vacation for me. I get to visit a state I’ve never been to, I get to attend a conference and listen to keynote speakers , take workshops, and visit parks, lakes, gardens, and their children’s museum! And I don’t have to worry about planning for my whole family as usual, I just have to plan for one person instead of 4! I’m pumped! 🤪😂 That planning is being done for our family trip to Hawaii this summer! My family is probably envisioning some luxury vacation but… we’re staying in an Airbnb cottage and visiting forests, gardens, farms and of course the beach. We’re visiting the main island so it won’t be as touristy but more of the cultural, island living experience. Anyhoo, I digress.
Speaking of Airbnbs, I found a great little spot for my conference trip. It’s a small little cottage house with a private room for $51 a night! The hotel was going to be like $179 a night! I just saved so much money! One thing to know about me, I’m super frugal when it comes to trips and I’ll try to find the best way to have a nice time without spending a fortune! It’s like this challenge I create for myself and I just have to share about it!
So anyways, my Airbnb is a 6 minute drive from the conference center or a 35 minute walk. I plan to save money by walking to and from. I looked it up and it says the average temperature around that time is between 50-75 degrees so I won’t die from heat exhaustion like I would here in SoCal 😂 Seriously, their average highest temperature is like 81 degrees and that’s in July!! Sounds dreamy!
The Airbnb is centrally located so I can walk to the lakes, the farmers markets, the square, etc. And get this… the person who is renting the room is involved in the Wisconsin Master Naturalist program! You know how the Airbnb hosts have the text box to tell them a little about why you’re visiting? Well I mentioned the conference and he responded giving me tips and telling me that fun fact! So cool!
Ok, so long story long, I’m excited to learn and grow more so I can continue to plant more seeds with the children I work with and make connections with organizations and school districts around me! I have more ideas and plans for the future! Those will be shared in blogs to come! 🥰
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings! Keep on growing!