Child Size Kayaks

I stopped to take a picture of a painted turtle with my camera on my phone so I could help with some habitat mapping using the NOAH app for my phone. The painted turtle decided I was a predator and took the plunge before I got a picture. I felt a little bad about startling the turtle, but then I noticed what appears to be a family out kayaking. More detailed photo here and here.

This picture was taken from the side of the Centennial Trail near the upriver dam. If you look closely there is a dad in a blue kayak in the upper right, a mom in the yellow kayak to the left, and what appears to be a grade school age girl in a very small kayak in the middle. I didn't know that they made child size kayaks. Maybe this is something I will have t0 look into.

The Roots of the Sunflower Society

I am getting a lot of my inspiration for this idea from Richard Louv's book "Last Child in the Woods" and the C&NN (Children & Nature Network) which has a big online presence and some pretty cool tool kits and a ning site for networking.

My co-organizer is a great person named Chris Bachman and he leads the local chapter of Sierra Club's Inner City Outings. He has tons of ideas and know how. The core people that I have been sharing the outdoors with are a group that I met in climbing course taught by the Spokane Mountaineers in 2005. After summiting peaks in Canada together we all rushed home and started families. We have children spaced out at almost the exact same ages. We also have armada's of canoes', bike trailers, and loads of climbing gear that we can't wait to play with.

Exploring Deep Creek

Here in Spokane we have a great local resource adjacent to downtown, Riverside State Park. A month or so ago I met up with some other local parents and their children and went for a family hike through Deep Creek. It is great to watch children crawl over rocks, dig in the sandy soil and generally feel free to be themselves in the great outdoors. Consider this picture one of the main motivations for the Sunflower Society.

We are on Facebook!

The Sunflower Society is a group on Facebook. That medium may be easier for some people to follow us and hear about upcoming events.

Our First Piece of Literature

If you are interested in hearing more an being a part of the plan please contact my partner in crime Chris Bachman at chrisbachman@comcast.net

Welcome

This is a brand new blog created to host the communication for a new group in Spokane, Washington designed to help children and families enjoy the outdoors more. If you are interested we hope you come along on some great adventures with us.