Step Forward | Get Involved with Nature in April

April’s initiatives and events dovetail to provide inspiration and opportunity to get outdoors and Step Forward.

• April is “National Garden Month” and “Children & Nature Awareness Month“
• April 12 kicks off “National Environmental Education Week“
• “National Volunteer Week” commences  April 19
• April 22 is Earth Day
• April 24 marks Arbor Day and Global Youth Service Day.

National Garden Month

When you garden, you GROW!

The National Gardening Association (NGA) designates April as National Garden Month, to encourage further discovery of America’s number one hobby. It salutes the achievement of millions of Americans who cultivate the earth in community, public, school, backyard, container, and rooftop gardens.

As gardening propagates, the world is being transformed into a greener, more sustainable habitat. The simple act of nurturing a garden can deepen ones focus on our essential connection with the environment.

Here are a few ways to dig in for National Garden Month:

Plant a Vegetable Garden: Just a few tomato, pepper, squash, lettuce or cucumber plants can produce pounds of vegetables for your kitchen this summer and fall.

Join a Community Garden: There are more than 1 million community gardens nationwide, where by paying a small fee, you can rent a plot of land to grow whatever you’d like.

Plant an Extra Row for the Hungry: Launched in 1995, Plant A Row is a public service program of the Garden Writers Association and the GWA Foundation.  If every gardener would plant one extra row of vegetables and donate their surplus to local     food agencies and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger.

Form a Gardening Group: Gather a few friends and dedicate one day a month to work together in one garden, in rotation.  You’ll be amazed how productive and entertaining the group effort is.

Volunteer at a Botanical, Public, School or Community Garden: Most such gardens have active volunteer programs and will welcome your participation.

Adopt a Garden: NGA’s Adopt a Garden programs make it quick and easy for you to register or support a range of gardens and garden projects throughout the U.S.

Plant Native: Native trees, shrubs and plants are most adapted to the local growing conditions, making them more likely to thrive with less water and effort.

Try Composting:  Composting is easier than you think. Check out this     comprehensive guide.

Visit NGA’s web site for more great ideas on how to participate in National Garden Month this April.

Children & Nature Awareness Month

The Children & Nature Network is “building a movement to reconnect children and nature.” C&NN encourages and supports people and organizations toward that goal, by providing access to the latest related news and research and a network of individuals, researchers, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being.

A growing body of research connects lessening of outdoor activity with increasing incidence of childhood obesity, inattentiveness, diminished creativity and depression.  These are just a few of the problems attributed to what author Richard Louv has dubbed “nature deficit disorder” in his best-selling book Last Child in the Woods.  “Getting kids outdoors more, riding bikes, running, swimming—and, especially, experiencing nature directly—could serve as an antidote to much of what ails the young.” says Louv.

C&NN President Cheryl Charles states, “We’ve an opportunity and a responsibility to right the balance in children’s everyday lives.  Children who play outdoors in natural areas on a regular basis are happier, healthier, smarter, more cooperative and more self-confident. This issue is touching a chord of common sense and a movement to reconnect children and nature is burgeoning worldwide.”

Participating in Children & Nature Awareness Month is a wonderful way to give something back to your community and the children in your life, and to help this wonderful initiative continue it’s momentum.

All of our above suggestions for NATIONAL GARDEN MONTH can be adapted to include children.  Here are a few more thoughts:

Go Camping: Camping is a great way to connect kids with nature and to reconnect the family. Check out Camping.com – the ultimate resource for “everything camping.”

Start a Nature Club for Families: Download CNN’s Nature Clubs for Families Toolkit (pdf).

Earth Day 2009

Attend an Earth Day Event. April 22, will mark the beginning of the Green Generation CampaignTM! Visit the Earth Day Network for more information.

Get Involved in National Environmental Education Week

National Environmental Education Week (EE Week), April 12-18, is the largest organized environmental education event in the United States. EE Week increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of educational preparation, learning, and activities in K-12 classrooms, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums. By participating in EE Week, you encourage your students to make a difference in their schools, homes, and communities!