Member Profile: Colton Running – Natural Learning Northwest | Organizational Member

After five years teaching with Nature Nuts, I recently began Natural Learning Northwest, a similar program that works with older children, ages 6-10. We are about to start our second year, offering forest school and summer camps on nearly 20 acres of private land that we share with Nature Nuts. This year I plan to offer classes and workshops that will help families and educators get more children outdoors to experience all the Northwest has to offer. 

I am passionate about this work because of how I was raised — I know the value of engaging with children in the outdoors. Children today need the opportunity to have those same experiences and access to the wild spaces that I had at a young age. They must be supported and encouraged to freely explore and experience the natural world at a child’s pace.

Becoming a member of the Children & Nature Network was a no-brainer, it is an incredible network of individuals and organizations who are engaged with this work. The resource hub and research library are both powerful tools that can be used to support our work with data and impactful examples showing the benefits of an outdoor childhood.

Learn more about Natural Learning Northwest at www.naturallearningnorthwest.com/.

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