Hi. My name is Tala and I’m four years old.
I love Nature Niños. It’s so, so exciting. Every month we play in nature. Last week I made a boat out of bark, sticks and leaves. I found cicada shells and made a little world for them to play in. Once it rained and we made mud meatballs. I made a picture out of leaves. There were stumps to walk on back and forth. I went the whole way without falling off. Last week there were free hats and scarves; I got a yellow hat and a pink scarf! I like to sit in the rock circle and make soup out of dirt and rocks. Roxanna reads stories about the woods and the animals. Sometimes Spanish stories. I can talk to my friend Cecelia in Spanish. Hey, come play with me at the next Nature Niños. You’ll really like it!
My whole family comes, Mommy and Daddy and baby Jerry and even Grandpa sometimes. Mom likes to talk to the other moms about how to take care of babies, which isn’t easy. Dad took Jerry in the water and they got their feet wet. That made them giggle. Grandpa and I went on a scavenger hunt. That’s like a treasure hunt in the woods. We found red leaves and acorns and rabbit tracks. Then we went on a hike and found the creek. I tried out my boat. It floated! Ranger Ellen helped me jump all the way over. That was scary fun. Ranger Ellen helps me feel strong and happy in the woods.
The best thing about Nature Niños is that everyone can come. Everyone is happy and everyone can play. There’s so, so much to do. The worst thing about Nature Niños is that it only happens once a month. But now I know where the good places are, and we can go again and again.
Nature Niños is a free, bilingual nature-play program designed for kids up to age eight, their families and caregivers. The program meets at a different park or trailhead the first Saturday of each month,10am-noon, rain or shine (schedule below). Each location has been selected for family-friendly amenities like easy parking, trails that can handle little feet and strollers, bathrooms, water and shade. The event features welcoming supervision and multiple-activity play areas, such as playing with natural materials, nature-focused art projects, guided hikes and scavenger hunts, story and music time, weather-related giveaways, healthy snacks, and family-focused support. The goal is to bring littles and their families into the abundant natural resources in our area.
Nature Niños is the brainchild of eight women representing the Community Nature Center, Yavapai County Health Department, Yavapai County Extension Office, City of Prescott Recreation Services, the Natural History Institute, Americorps/Vista, and Prescott College. Working with their local agencies, they cooperated to find a friendly, fun solution to getting kids and their families out into Prescott’s wealth of natural spaces. Supporters include over 19 organizational partners, including First Things First, Arizona’s Children, GEM Environmental, and the National Wildlife Federation’s ECHO program.
Why is this important? Research shows again and again that immersion in the natural outdoor world builds strong, intelligent, healthy, happy and well adjusted people.
This focus is endorsed by the US Centers for Disease Control, US Department of Health and Human Services, American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association.
If you need more evidence, just look around. You don’t need a bunch of studies to show how well this project works, you can see it in the kids and families. It’s a wealth of healthy interactive learning, and the kids are just bursting with joy. So, Tala says, take the kiddos to Nature Niños. Together we can teach our children how to protect their health and the health of the planet.
Rain or shine, usually the first Saturday of each month, 10am-noon
Jan 8: Pioneer Park and Brownlow Trails
February 5: Vista Park
March 5: Constellation Trails
April 2: Community Nature Center
May 7: Highlands Center for Natural History
June 4: Peavine Trail
July 9: Heritage Park and Willow Lake Trails
August 6: Goldwater Lake
You can find more information about Nature Niños at these websites:
Nature Niños - City of Prescott
Chef Molly Beverly is Prescott's leading creative food activist and teacher. Photos by Gary Beverly.
