I am sharing this post as part of a Bloggin’ Mamas Social Good Campaign, and was not compensated for doing so.
Bloggin’ Mamas is sponsoring this giveaway in support of the Ad Council and the U.S. Forest Service’s “Discover the Forest” campaign celebrating the recent National Public Lands Day (September 26th).
Discover the Forest #Naturehood
We would like to encourage you to enjoy your local #Naturehood and to help encourage others to do the same. These “naturehoods” are just a short drive away, making it easy for families to unplug from the daily routine and re-connect with nature.
Does it ever seem like your kids aren’t spending nearly as much time outdoors as you did when we were little? With all of the new technologies and overscheduling of today’s world, it’s easy to forget just how close—and how important— your local forest or green space really is for your kids! There are many developmental benefits for children who spend time in nature, and it’s closer than you think.
Did you know? Children who play outside are more creative, have lower stress levels and more active imaginations. They also become fitter and leaner, develop stronger immune systems, and have greater respect for themselves and others as well as the environment.
Check Out This Cool Experiment
“A bit of back story on it: For the most part, it was a real, live experiment with kids. We really did promise that they would get to test out “the most realistic game in production,” and bussed them to a local NYC park to do so. We got to watch their reactions when they realized that the forest itself was the game!” Below is a quote from the video’s creative director that you should feel free to use: “We tricked a bunch of kids into putting down their video games by telling them that they’d be testing an even better video game. When we finally revealed that the forest itself was the game, they weren’t the least bit disappointed. As a mom, I see firsthand how stressed out kids are these days and how hard they’re pushed by school requirements and state testing. It was a pleasure to work on a project supporting getting kids out into nature which is scientifically proven to offer meaningful health benefits to these kids,” said Jill Applebaum, Creative Director.
More Cool Resources & Info
- Every neighborhood has a #Naturehood—so tell us about yours in a blog post. Here are some fall activities suggestions for your #Naturehood: http://www.discovertheforest.org/what-to-do/Visit www.DiscoverTheForest.org (www.DescubreElBosque.org) to get ideas for where to go and what to do.
- Check out this other video PSA, which involves a Kayak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0W6uzCJ5eQEnjoy some tunes while exploring your #Naturehood with these Spotify playlists:
-Morning: https://open.spotify.com/user/discovertheforest/playlist/1LCpnzuIYUarB2jhkNFVLU
-Day: https://open.spotify.com/user/discovertheforest/playlist/0t2QNM18L5d0y9kCiEoihr
-Evening: https://open.spotify.com/user/discovertheforest/playlist/77epKHH44gYytV9AulQnhmHelp us spread the word by sharing any of these assets: http://socialmediakit.adcouncil.org/presskit/discovertheforest2015/
And Now for the Giveaway!
One Winner will Win a $100 Amazon Giftcard!
Giveaway begins September 30th, 2015 at 12:01am EST and ends October 13th, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST.
Open to US residents age 18 and older.
Winner will be selected by Random.org and be notified by email.
See Giveaway Tools widget below for full terms & conditions.Disclosure: Bloggin’ Mamas is hosting this giveaway and coordinating prize fulfillment. Element Associates, The Ad Council and the US Forest Service are in no way responsible for the giveaway, and only provided the above content to be distributed in the form of a PSA.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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I grew up around the woods and we would go mushroom hunting etc. I do not have kids though.
The nearest forest is the San bernardino forest, and it’s about 40 min away. We love it!
There is a National Forest only minutes away from our home in canyon. We love to drive through it and stop to rest in the cool shade in the summertime. Love it.
My house is surrounded by forests. We do explore them occasionally.
I live in the middle of a forest.
We do have a forest that’s within driving distance, but haven’t been there in many years. Nice idea!
We have not really visited a local forest. There are a couple of nice parks we walk through.
We have a large local park and we always go on nature walks looking for something new to talk about.
Our back yard is a forest and my kids explore it almost every day, we also have a city forest nearby with very nice trails and a boardwalk
I actually live about an hour from the Appalachian Trail in MD and I have taken my daughter backpacking there.
We live in the desert so when we see groups of trees it’s exciting.
i live in NC so we are surrounded all around by forests and wooded areas 🙂
There are a couple Forests not to far from here.That I haven’t visited yet. But my son and I used to visit various Forests around Arizona.
Yes, we live at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains and go there frequently.
The closest thing to a forest near me is Central Park (but I go once a month).
Yes we have explored the woods around our house for years.
We like to take the kids on the walking trails in our local forest.
In southeastern Massachusetts I am lucky enough to have a state park in my town, several of the adjoining towns have town forests. There are many conservation and wildlife management areas within a half hours drive and even more within a couple of hour drive, including a national forest. I often take my “child”, who happens to be of the canine persuasion, along when I visit.
We live in the forest. Yesterday evening, we went walking in the woods. We picked up acorns, and talked about which oak tree made which acorn, and how to tell the difference.
We have plenty of “woods” around where I live, but wouldn’t call them forests. I am in southern NC not too far from SC , but of course we have the mountains and the beaches . I am around 3-4 hours between them. Could use an Amazon card.
We have plenty of “woods” around where I live, but wouldn’t call them forests. I am in southern NC not too far from SC , but of course we have the mountains and the beaches . I am around 3-4 hours between them. Could use an Amazon card.
We have a small forest behind our house. I have been in there with them.
We don’t have a forest near our home, but we do have a couple parks that have walking paths among lots of trees.
we don’t have what I would call forests but a lot of parks and lakes with trails that we do take the kids to
We live on the Great Plains. Not many forests, but we do have fields and wide open spaces. (There is a Natl Forest, but it’s about 3 hours away)
We have not really visited a local forest. There are a couple of nice forests within a couple of hours.
yes, we live in the smoky mountains and are surrounded by forests, we hike often
I live about 5 minutes from Nolin Lake State Park and 15 minutes from Mammoth Cave National Park so we are pretty much surrounded by forests. I love it and wouldn’t live anywhere else. I would rather raise my daughter in the country than the city.
The back third of our property is wooded. We take the kids down into them occasionally, as well as other local parks.
You could say that we have a forest close, but I usually use the word “swamp” to describe it. Since swamps down here tend to contain things like alligators……no. We usually stay away.
I’m afraid I live in L.A. ! and not a “forest” is a bit off. But we try to get to the mountains with the whole family when we can
yes I live in a valley surrounded by mountains, my family loves going on local hikes!
We live in the suburbs but do have mountain trails and parks close by. We have taken our family to explore these areas often.
We are bordered by the High Uintahs on one side and the west desert on the other. We spend a lot of time at both.
We have taken our kids to the forest and woods to hike.
No, unfortunately we live in the city
We do not have a forest near us, we live in the desert. I have not taken my kids to a forest.
We are surrounded by the forest where we live. It doesn’t have a name but my kids love nature.
I do not have any children but there is a small forest close to me neighborhood.
No there are not any forests near me.
We are in a highly populated area, so there are no forests to explore.
We have a 70 acre farm and walk in the woods and look for animal tracks all the time
There is not a forest right near by neighborhood, but there are some parks with forests that are not too far away. I did take my kids there when they were growing up, and had a lot of fun.
No, unfortunately we don’t have any immediately close, or I would be there a lot!! We have no children, either 🙂
No real forests nearby, but we have lots of woods we like to explore!
When I was a kid, growing up in Michigan, I remember having forests around us. We live in Southern California now…not too many forests, but we have visited our local mountains that are famous for their apple groves!
We don’t have a forest per say. We have a botanical garden that is mostly trees and sadly we haven’t been
NO forest near us…..closest we came is woods at a national park
There are no nearby forests here. And I don’t have children that I could take to a forest.
I don’t have any forests near me and do not have any children.
I don’t have young children at home. I live in SC Iowa and we have lots of tree, but I would not call them a forest.
Unfortunately No forest in my place
No in my hometown here in MI we do not. When I lived in FL they had trails that were back in the woods with observation towers. I would walk them every week or two
there’s no forest near where i live..if i could find one close by i would go and have fun
Not any forests near us, but the closest we get to that is the local zoos.
No, I do not.
Yes there a forest near us. We do go there some times.
As we live in the country, there are forests nearby, but we haven’t taken our grandchildren yet.
My neighbourhood where I grew up backed on a forest and all the kids pretty much grew up running in and out of the forest, but that was the 70’s and 80’s. Now a days I don’t take the kids into the forest – I’m too afraid of who will be there.
M
Amazon gift card is what I love to win!
We live about an hour away from Yosemite National Park. We don’t go as much as we like to, but we love taking the kids when we can.
Yes we have a national forest near us.