Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Vancouver, CN

Recently when I was looking for great educational products for my son I ran across Naturebag Eco-Activities Ltd. A company run by two Vancouver moms, Naturebag Eco-Activities sells a bag full of things to help you and your child reconnect with nature. I reviewed the bag two weeks ago and when we took a trip to Victoria this weekend it was with us. My son loved checking out bugs, leaves and spider webs on our hikes and I liked being able to use his binoculars to check out some things that were further away. I asked Katharine and Sylvie to tell me about the educational philosophy behind their product and they were kind enough to put together this guest post. They have also given me a Naturebag to give to one of my readers. Just email me at Beingsavvyvancouver@gmail.com and let me know what you like best about the Naturebag. Contest is open to Canada and the US (including the fabulous Savvy Bloggers) and will close by midnight 8 August 2008. You will not be contacted unless you win.  Please leave a comment that you entered as well. Good Luck!

When Katharine Byers and I, two Vancouver moms, sat down for tea one day in early 2007, our conversation came round to the eye opening book we had both just read by Richard Louv called 'Last Child in the Woods; Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder'. This book presents a collection of research 'indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.' Driven by what we had read and our own direct experience with children in nature, we decided to provide families with a simple and convenient way to get outside and have a truly enjoyable family experience in nature... So we created Naturebag.

Katharine has 10 years of elementary teaching experience as well as a Masters in Environmental Education and I have a degree in International Business and Marketing. We each have two children and have seen first hand the lure that TV and video games have on children today as well as the lack of time families have due to tight parent working schedules and children's extra-curricular activities.

After months of research, the compelling evidence of the importance of children being in close contact with the natural world led us to create a tool kit for parents and care givers to take kids outside. And if you ever needed a reason for going outside to explore the wonders of our natural world here are three to start with...

1. Engagement with the Natural World

The natural world offers a vitalizing alternative to the activities and distractions of the modern world. Naturebag prompts hands on, curiosity led explorations and encourages engagement with and respect for the natural world.

2. Future Stewards of the Planet

There is no better reason for helping children develop a positive relationship with the natural environment or we risk future generations being alienated from nature. A Nature Conservancy funded study found that direct experience with nature is the most highly cited influence on environmental attitude and conservation activism.

3. Physical and Psychological Well-being

Play and interaction with the natural world has been seen to help calm a person both physically and mentally. In a world where electronics play such a large part in children's lives, staying connected with the outdoors is all the more important to maintain a psychological and spiritual  balance.

Produced using recycled and organic materials whenever possible, (why not show our kids that buying earth friendly is easy) Naturebag is packaged in a fair-trade certified organic cotton shoulder bag. It's jam-packed with goodies including a magnifying glass, binoculars, leaf viewers, colour cards, hemp twine, a bug box, organic cotton blindfold, a recycled notepad, soy-based crayons, and a recycled CD pencil, plus an activity book full of ideas for putting it all to use in the great outdoors.

The importance of getting children reconnected with nature is not to be taken lightly. It's up to us.

Please visit www.naturebag.ca.

Sylvie de Sousa,

Naturebag Eco-Activities Ltd. co-founder