Family Connections’ staff got to play and reconnect with nature while sharing our goals and vision for the organization.

For this year’s annual staff retreat, we spent the day in Point Reyes, CA. We got to know more about each other, shared our dreams for the organization, and reconnected with our inner child as we explored nature. We also found ways we can teach our children how to safely interact and play in nature. 

Biret Adden, Education Director with Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA), guided staff in activities that used our five senses to observe the world around us We deepened our understanding of how animals adapt to their habitats through the shape of their ears to hiding in plain sight and away from their prey. These were easy and fun activities that we can share with our children.

Our kids can learn more about nature in their own backyard. Playing and familiarizing them with nature promotes creativity, positively affects cognitive functioning, increases self-esteem, and supports children’s ability to lead healthy lives. 

FCC teachers and staff are so excited to implement more nature play in our curriculum! Through the resources PRNSA shared, we will continue encouraging families’ connection to their surroundings. If you join us in Support Groups, Pop N’ Play, Pre-K, or Homework Club, you might find us incorporating lessons from Growing Up WILD (an environmental curriculum for ages 3 to 7) or celebrating a moment of nature-joy brought on by one of Vitamin N’s activities (a book by Richard Louv that supports nature learning). San Francisco is also finding ways to bring children closer to nature in their own neighborhoods through San Francisco Children & Nature. 

Thank you, Point Reyes National Seashore Association, for guiding us on our observations and reminding us to stay curious about the beautiful natural world around us.