Two cornerstone outdoor and environmental education organizations in northwest Arkansas are partnering to offer a public program on Children, Nature Play and Conservation. The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and the Ozark Natural Science Center will host the program thanks to support from Cargill, Inc.
The event features Ken Finch of the Green Hearts Institute for Nature in Childhood in Omaha, Nebraska. There is no charge to attend, but RSVPs are required due to limited space. The program will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (4703 North Crossover Road, Fayetteville). Local educators, business representatives, elected officials and parents are encouraged to attend. A short reception will be held following the program.
Featured speaker Ken Finch has worked nationally with such organizations as the Tennessee Environmental Education Association, the Ohio Leave No Child Inside conference, the National Master Naturalists, the Cincinnati Nature Center and dozens of other nature centers, museums and environmental education facilities. Green Hearts exists to restore and strengthen the bonds between children and nature. Learn more at www.greenheartsinc.org.
The 2005 book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv brought increased national attention to the concept of nature-deficit disorder and the idea that children are in dire need of unplugged outdoor time. A federal bill, the No Child Left Inside Act, was introduced into the House of Representatives in 2009 and reintroduced in 2011 and has since been explored by many U.S. states.
Please REGISTER to attend by visiting www.bgozarks.org or calling the BGO at 479-750-6620.
