The purpose of Red Dirt Discoveries is to give our kids free time and a safe place to
trek around. Being outside benefits all of us in quantifiable ways.
Research shows that kids are healthier, calmer, happier, more focused
and more creative as a result of time spent outdoors. Our kids don't
bike all over town and head out on their own the way that many of us
once did. Exposure to nature leads to curiosity which leads to learning
which can lead to a passion for places that will create our next
generation of stewards. It is also believed that time spent together
outdoors actually strengthens family connections. We believe that
it is essential for the health of ourselves, our children, and our
planet to develop and maintain a love and respect for the outdoors.
Family
Nature Clubs are happening all over the country - in the snow, rain and
humidity (we have that!) They are a product of the research documented
in The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, the resulting movement
known as The Children & Nature Network, and scores of concerned parents who want their kids to think outside of the Xbox.
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Red Dirt Discoveries was started by a native Tallahassee couple with two young children of their own. Both Russ and Meghan Mick grew up in Tallahassee and spent their early years exploring the area by bicycles, looking for critters in storm water creeks and enjoying overnights at Camp Indian Springs. After moving back to Tallahassee a few years ago from Raleigh, North Carolina, they were missing Umstead Park and their other usual running haunts. In an effort to rediscover those special places in the Big Bend region, they decided to check out nearby parks and natural areas on the weekends with their own kids. They had been to some of the sites as kids, but others were new discoveries.
The Micks truly believe that getting children outdoors is key to their healthy development and look forward to the opportunity to share some of the memorable outdoor experiences they had in this area with their own kids now. Meghan even incorporates this idea in her work with From the Ground Up. Her affiliation with the Children & Nature Network prompted the idea to start a family nature club in the Fall of 2010 so that other parents and children would be encouraged to experience nearby nature, develop and strengthen relationships, and get some fresh air (and maybe a little dirty)!
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