No Child Left Inside
Sunday, June 8, families are invited to gather at the UMass Field Station, 180 Polpis Road, from 1 to 4 p.m. for an afternoon of outdoor fun and an opportunity to participate in the Nantucket Family Adventure.
During this month-long back-to-nature event, family teams consisting of at least one person under the age of 18 and one person over 18 will engage in a little friendly competition as they explore Nantucket’s conservation areas through activities that include games, nature walks, letterboxing, scavenger hunts, explorations, and more.
At the June 8th event, in addition to participating in a variety of outdoor activities for all ages, participants will be provided with materials needed for the competition as well as the first clue to the second outdoor area.
The seven island organizations collaborating to offer Nantucket Family Adventure are the Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Mass Audubon, Nantucket Land Council, UMass Field Station, Linda Loring Nature Foundation, and Strong Wings Adventure School. Each will host a variety of guided and self-guided events throughout the month of June.
Guided events will always be held on Sunday afternoons from 1-4 pm and will include a variety of activities for families. The self-guided events allows teams to visit designated areas whenever they want during the week and engage in an activity such as letterboxing or a scavenger hunt.
Each team will receive a “passport” which will be used to track participation in the competition. When teams check-in at each guided event, they will be awarded points for their attendance. Teams must provide proof of completion of self-guided activities (e.g., a letterbox stamp or photograph). Each week, family teams must decode clues to determine which natural area they need to visit next. Events will be held rain or shine.
Teams with the most points become semi-finalists; prizes will be given to first, second, and third place winners during the final event day on Sunday, June 29. If teams are tied, a round or two of Nature Jeopardy will decide the winners.
Darcie Vallant, director of education at the Maria Mitchell Association, designed Nantucket Family Adventure with inspiration from Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods and from The Great Park Pursuit program. Vallant describes the Nantucket Family Adventure as part of a nationwide movement known as “No Child Left Inside,” which aims to re-connect children with the great outdoors and encourage environmental awareness and stewardship.
“The island has so many places for families to walk and explore,” she explained, “Nantucket Family Adventure is a great opportunity for adults and children to reconnect with each other and the outdoors through back-to-the-basics fun...with 60% of the island conservation land, there’s a lot out there to see.”
The activities in the Nantucket Family Adventure are designed for a broad range of ages: a young child can do the activities with the team adult and older children and teens can choose the more challenging activities.
“It’s about families getting together and doing something together—it’s not just about science or nature; it just happens to be outside,” said Vallant. “We really want to reach locals with this event. Anyone who is on the island is welcome, but we’d really like Nantucket resdients to be involved.“
It’s easy to get involved: families can pick up a registration form at UMass Field Station, Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Boys & Girls Club, or the Maria Mitchell Association. Forms can also be downloaded from www.mmo.org, along with rules and more details.
