Nature Club Ideas for setting up a family-friendly nature group

@AngleseyAbbey #wildtime

What’s the point?

Why start a nature club?

There’s growing concern that we are losing touch with our natural world from a young age, and here at the National Trust we want to help families reverse this trend and get outside. The best thing about setting up your own nature club is that no one is telling you what to do. There are no rules and there are no strict guidelines - you can meet as often or as infrequently as you want, whatever suits you all best. Whether you live in a town or city, or the middle of the countryside, whether you have experience working with nature or can’t tell your magpie from your robin, a nature club is easy and fun to organise.

Perhaps a better question is ‘why not?’ There’s growing evidence that being outside is, quite simply, good for us. This is especially true for children as they learn and develop.

Nature clubs can be a great way to meet other children and other parents. They can provide a chance for mums and dads to chill out and create a support network whilst children make new friends.

Starting a nature club might sound difficult and time consuming, but it’s probably one of the easiest types of clubs to set up. The great outdoors is free, so the only resources needed are some imagination, some families, and this guide!

You don’t need to be an expert on nature to help children discover the outdoors. What’s more, you might learn a thing or two and rediscover nature for yourself. For more information on why getting children outdoors is so important, see the recent National Trust report on Natural Childhood by Stephen Moss: http://bit.ly/1k9yAyX Or check out Project Wild Thing here: http://bit.ly/1cH58wM

Step-by-step

Getting started 1. Contact your friends and other parents in the area to suggest the idea of a nature club gathering. Perhaps begin with just a few friends to keep the first event manageable. 2. Decide on a date and time, then plan something easy for your first event. Keep it local, simple and suitable for all ages. For example, meeting up at a local park for some unstructured nature play time or going for a short walk together are good ways to begin. Maybe there’s somewhere you can look out for butterflies or build a den.

If you’ve ever arranged to meet up with other parents so that your children can play together in the park then you already have what it takes to start up a nature group. It really is as simple as contacting some friends and arranging to meet-up. The activities don’t have to be difficult and the locations don’t have to be exotic. We’ve found that the simplest activities are often the most fun for both children and busy parents. The next page has a few tips to get you started......

3. Make sure you visit the area beforehand and have permission to be there. Most public spaces should be easily accessible, but planning in advance ensures things go smoothly. Having everyone’s contact details is very useful, in case you have to make last minute changes. 4. If you want to encourage more people to come as you gain confidence and plan more events then advertise (see ‘Publicising your club’) - the more the merrier. Be sure to give people a checklist of what they need to bring, and check the weather updates. 5. On the day of the event get there slightly early to make sure you meet everyone. Remember to allow 10-15 minutes to wait for any latecomers, and then enjoy the day. 6. Afterwards, chat to the other parents and children about what they enjoyed doing, what future events they would like to see and whether any other parents want to help plan the next event. There are some great ideas in our resource packs (see back page), but remember to keep it simple and fun, and enjoy coming up with your own ideas and designing activities to suit your group.

Planning

Check out the location

As more families get involved with your nature club, it’s helpful to have a longer term plan of the events that you will be running. Here are some simple questions you can ask yourself, and some checklists to help keep your club running smoothly with no hassle: eet? m u o y l l ten wi ........ or

How of

........... . . . . a n ek o nth or e o w m a y e r e Onc ... of ev . . . . . . . . . . ason or e t s s r h fi c e a th ...... of e . . . . . . . t s days h t r the fir i b ’s children e h t n o

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eet? m u o y will ace or p e s r e n h e e W local gr r o k r a The p rve. e s e r e r natu

Make a list of outdoor spaces in your local area. Which ones have you been to? What are the best activities to do there? What areas are you keen to explore more? What events could you run there? Look out for information on other nature clubs and events in your area.

You might want to use the format below to help plan ahead for the next few months.

Date: Location: Activity: Time: ________________ ______________________ ________________ _______________ _______________ ______________________ ________________ _______________ ______________ ______________________ ________________ _______________

To make sure the event goes well, it’s helpful if you can visit the location beforehand. It will help you give accurate information to other families and flag up any potential problems. Here’s a checklist of things to look out for:

• Tra vel tim e to lo cation • Co nvenie nt me eting point • Pub Remember to make lic tra nspor t and note of any health parkin • Loc g facil ation and safety issues that ities of toil e t s and o parents may need to • Ent ther fa ry fee cilities s be aware of before the visit, such as deep • Is permi ssion requir water. ed for • Pot large g ential roups activit ? ies • Seaso And remind nal ac tivity parents that option • Edu s cation they are al opp ortun responsible for • Ap ities propr iate fo the safety of otwea r

their own children.

Publicising your club

Events checklists It makes sense to help everyone feel prepared so that the whole event is hassle free. The best way to do this is to send them a checklist of essentials.

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ac Backp Water c s /picni s k c proof a r e t Sn a and w Layers Hat eader l t n e m ev ea Suncr number for ct Conta

: Other of clothes nge

Cha ra Came nd paper pot/ a g s l u i b c / n s s Pe ing gla y f i n g Ma sheets ulars y c t i o v i n i t c b ides/a u g d l e Fi : etc. Safety , sting relief pes i rs /wet w Plaste r e s i t i san Hand

Remember to bring a sign-in sheet if you are expecting a few families, and contact numbers for those who have said they will come. Bring along any pens, pencils and extra equipment you might need. Remind parents that they are responsible for the safety of their own children. Being safe is all about being sensible, so just keep parents informed and there is no reason for anything to go wrong.

Remember to check the weather forecast in the run-up to the event. Do you need a bad weather plan, or is the activity suitable for all weathers? Be sure to let parents know what type of clothing should be worn if the event is going ahead in adverse conditions, and remember that children get colder more quickly than adults.

Keep it local The best way to publicise your event is simply to spread the word through your friends and advertise locally. Using your village hall, local church or local press can be a fantastic way to expand your club.

Use social media You could try setting up a Facebook or Twitter page to advertise events and give updates. This is also a great way to raise awareness and attract new people to your club, or inspire others to make their own. It’s also a really easy way to share information, and event photos. To see an example, search on Facebook for Nature Play: South East London. Blogging is a fantastic way to keep people informed about the things your club does and get more families involved. There are hundreds of websites out there that let you set up a free blog, and blogging about events can be a brilliant way to record the progress of your club, giving you something to be proud of when you look back on it. It works especially well if everyone in your group gets to contribute. For a simple guide to setting up your blog, check out this advice page: http://bit.ly/PwLEWd For an example of a nature club blog, check out the Go Explore Nature club blog based in Los Angeles: http://bit.ly/1lISqaw Or take a look at the Nature Net blog: http://bit.ly/1hpmJ1Y

Nature Club resources

More resources

Download resource packs with ideas, activities and identification guides from www.nationaltrust.org.uk/anglesey-abbey

Setting up your own club: Here are some other brilliant guides on how to set up your own nature club. Nature Play WA: http://bit.ly/P4Rn6r Children and Nature Network: http://bit.ly/1g37lY4 Neighbourhood Nature Clubs: http://bit.ly/1cxXtqw

Find clubs and activity centres in Eastern England Cambridgeshire: http://bit.ly/1ii7wl0, http://bit.ly/1hrSbbM Norfolk: http://bit.ly/1uEC04H Suffolk: http://bit.ly/1fedDX1

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Acknowledgements Designed by Sorsha Roberts & Sophie Atkinson Illustrations © Families from The Croft Child & Family Unit, Rachel Bingham Additional editing: Kate Boursnell

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