It's "Take a Child Outside Week!"

We're in the midst of "Take a Child Outside Week," an initiative started last year by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

It's fast becoming a national event, with a few hundred organizations around the United States signed on to participate this year.

What can you do to participate? Check out www.takeachildoutside.org and get some great tips for outdoor activities.

And while you're out there...don't forget to take some photos or video and submit it to Super Natural Adventures!

Today Show Focuses on the Importance of Kids Connecting to Nature

It's not just SNA suggesting that kids get outside! There's a world-wide movement taking place!

The Today Show recently did a peice on Nature Deficit Disorder and getting kids outside. I hope you too are getting more and more inspired each day to send your kids outside to have their own Super Natural Adventures! Encourage them to share their experiences on our site.

Take Back Your Family!

As the school year begins and the flurry of activity that accompanies it kicks in as well, I'm reminded of the origins of our move to Costa Rica.

Four years ago living in suburban USA I saw from observing my neighbors with older kids what was coming down the pike for me: week nights crammed with homework and infernal driving to practices, weekends dictated and decimated by game schedules.

That was enough to motivate me three years ago to grab my family and flee the country. But I'm known for Bold Moves, both literally and figuratively.

Others are taking back their family with equal success without going to such extremes.One family we know moved from the city life to the mountains of Colorado to experience a different pace of life. Another we know takes a month in summer and disappears into the beauty of Hawaii, while another spends long weekends deep in the pristine nature of Montana. I'm struck that for each of these families (including ours), getting into nature is an important component to reclaiming their family life.There's a movement out there in many parts of the US called, "Leave No Child Inside." There are other similar "kids and families back-to-nature" chapters and organizations springing up. If you feel you'd like to start reconnecting with your family AND the natural world, I encourage you to check out one of these organizations (start by clicking on "Links of Interest" on the Super Natural Adventures website).

OR, Send me an e-mail at junglemama@snamail.com and tell me what measures you're taking to reclaim your family time and/or reconnect with nature. I'd like to start sharing inspirational stories with our SNA site visitors.