Acorn Crew: Activities and Resources for children and families

Learn More from INHF

Read more from our blog on a variety of topics relating to the benefits of spending time outdoors for children and people of all ages:

• Green over Screens: Why Children Should Play Outside
• Nurturing a Love of Nature: three people with a love for the outdoors write about the ways nature has nurtured their students, their children and themselves.
• Nature and Mood: Why spending time outdoors makes us happier 

Contact Us

If you have questions about the Acorn Crew or ideas for items to include, contact Sydney Algreen-Hunter at shunter@inhf.org.

Resources from across the state and beyond

My County Parks

• Find affordable or free activities for youth and families as well as camping information from your local county conservation board.

KinderNature

• A directory for parents and early childhood educators with resources to explore nature including songs, crafts, activities, snacks and games for children from 0 to 6 years.  
• The site was developed by the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition and funded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resource’s Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program.

Iowa Young Birders

• Founded in 2011 to encourage young Iowans ages 8-18 to study and enjoy birds and birding.

Take-a-kid-outdoors

• TAKO, an Iowa based non-profit, offers immersive outdoor experiences to children and and people of all ages.

Outdoor Journey for Girls

• Outdoor Journey for Girls (OJ) is designed to expose girls aged 12 - 15yrs to the outdoors through hands-on experiences including canoeing, water safety, camping, survival, hunter education and fishing. Workshops take place annually in June, July and August.

Hike it Baby

• Hike it Baby is a national non-profit that offers a wide variety of hikes appealing to families specifically. In Iowa, Hike it Baby currently has active groups in central and eastern Iowa. 

Forest Holidays

• A site based out of the UK that offers information on the benefits of youth getting outdoors, ways to explore nature with children and other useful resources. 

Zooniverse

• Zooniverse gives people of all ages and backgrounds the chance to participate in real research with over 50 active online citizen science projects.