Nature Activities - Nature Rocks

Get Involved

Join the Conservancy’s online community and you can explore new places, receive email you want and build your own personalized nature page!

“Working on the Nature Rocks initiative, we’re able to help the next generation of conservationists better their health and reconnect with nature.”

—M. Sanjayan, Lead Scientist,
The Nature Conservancy

Let's Go Explore!

Get started with Nature Rocks and find all sorts of nature activities, plus tools to help guide and plan your family adventures.

Nature "Staycation" Guide

Download the 2009 Staycation Planning Guide for free, quick access to summertime family fun.

Go Deeper

Field Studies
New York students brave snakes, bugs and silence at a Conservancy preserve.
Join their dragonfly hunt.

Human Nature
A group of kids discovers the place they’ve always known.

Friends for Change
The Walt Disney Company's Friends for Change: Project Green invites young people to join together to help the environment across four key areas: climate, water, waste and habitats.

Preserve Map
Get out to the lands and waters you help us protect! Find a nature preserve near you.

Summer is finally here, and that means one thing for you and your family: It’s time to get outside!

Why does nature rock? An increasing number of studies illustrate that kids who spend time outdoors are happier, healthier and smarter.

Developed by the nation’s leaders in bringing families and nature together, Nature Rocks is a national program to inspire and empower families to play and explore in nature.

This new initiative gives busy parents and caregivers the tools, instructions and tips for quick, easy, inexpensive (or free) activities, so they can enjoy quality family time in nature.

The Nature Conservancy has joined ecoAmerica and the Children & Nature Network, along with REI and the American Camp Association, to make nature rock for your family this summer.

Nature Rocks: Find, Connect, Explore!

At Nature Rocks, parents will find more than 100 fun, easy-to-implement, and interesting activities based on their specific needs (time available, ages of children, location)—inspiring and empowering families to enjoy bonding experiences in nature.

The parent-friendly Web site offers a Find Nature tool for parents to input their zip code and quickly locate a list of nearby parks, forests, Conservancy preserves and more, including places that offer nature tours, classes and even gear.
Parents can also take advantage of additional tools to invite family and friends to join in Nature Rocks activities—spreading the fun and turning nature adventures into adventure parties.

Nature “Staycations”

Celebrate family bonding via “Nature Staycations”—free or inexpensive, fun, close-to-home activities.

The 2009 Summer Nature Staycation Planning Guide offers easy and inexpensive ways to keep kids (and parents too) entertained this summer holiday, regardless of where they live—in the city or the suburbs—how old the kids are, how much time is available, the family’s familiarity with the outdoors, or if the family wants to do an activity outside or prefers to bring nature indoors.