Anyone who has school-age children can attest that once school is in session, finding time for a whole family to spend time together can be a challenge. That's especially true when it comes to finding a time for getting outdoors - for reasons beyond soccer practice, anyway.
The RiveredgeNature Center aims to change that with their Family Nature Club, a free monthly meeting at four Southeastern Wisconsin locations.
Cassie Bauer, Family and Community Programs Manager for Riveredge, says that the club aims "to set aside a scheduled time for families... to get outside and spend time in nature...to be together unplugged, working, playing, digging around."
The meetings focus on the participants' interests. "If folks come in and say 'I've never caught a firefly, that's something my grandparents did,' we'll create kind of a 'bucket list' if you will, for the club members," says Bauer. The club even hopes to offer archery, given the interest in books like Hunger Games, which has a main character who is an archer.
Bauer says the Family Nature Club can also be a good outlet for kids and parents alike. "Just spending time outside reduces your stress, increases your wellness, and helps you focus, whether you're going into first grade, or whether you're ninety."
The Family Nature Clubs begin this month at four sites in the Milwaukee area.
