I think it can be overwhelming for outdoor moms to start getting together or for any parent/caregiver to start family groups in OC to share some space to gather. There are so many ways to do it, though! Which one fits your style? (I originally posted this in 2015, but saw a huge resurgence in its popularity during 2020. And we still need it!)
How to Create a Mom Group or Family Group
Here are some models you can use if you want to start something like a "family nature club" or a "family camping club" or just a casual Meetup.com group.
- Download the Families Together in Nature Group Planning Guide with Toolkits in English and Spanish from the Children and Nature Network
6 Models of How You Could Set Up Your Own Nature Play Group
Lazy & Local Every Couple Months Model
- Here's a little guide of how I set up my old Nature Play Club which I ran for two years when my kids were 5-7 years old and 10-12 years old as a way to keep nature in our lives even though the kids were school-aged. My model was super casual - I didn't want it to feel overly-organized. I feel like ALL my readers are part of my nature club! However, I only wanted 4-5 families in my "real life" group so we could be more flexible and still have a "quiet" group when we were out exploring with a max of 20 people (usually around 12).
Big Community Group Model
- Family Adventures in Nature - big 1500 member San Diego based group with a bunch of mini clubs organized through Meetup.com. You could attend a few events to find some friends and then split off to form your own?
Pay Your Dues & Get More Model
- Austin Families in Nature - 3 different membership levels from $100-$500 annual dues organized on a private WordPress website through MemberFindMe.
Family Travel Model
- Make it a Nature Vacation Club and pick 2 or 3 families to rent houses or camp with in different outdoors-oriented spots.
Join the Club Model
- Finally, you might want to join a stay-at-home moms group which plans play dates at parks. That way you can get to know the moms that already enjoy the outdoors and propose something that takes you to nature centers or beyond the playground. I know there are existing MOMS Club and local mom Meetup groups.