Starting Outdoor Meetups: A Q&A with Two Parents
We recently interviewed two community members about their experience creating outdoor meetups in their area.
If you’ve ever felt a little intimidated to plan a meetup or even start your own group somewhere that doesn’t have an active one, know that other caregivers like you have been there. We hope the insights and tips below help inspire you to take that next step!
Q1: Would you please introduce yourself?
Kerri: I’m Kerri Cohen. I live in Towson, Maryland right at the Baltimore city line. My two kids are almost 5 years old and 2.5 years old. I’ve been part of FFS since I started a group in San Francisco in 2018.
Kerri and family
Katie: I'm Katie Miller, resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My kiddos are Anna (9), Nathan (6.5), and Juliet (nearly 4!). I've been a part of Free Forest School for roughly 6 years. It's been an integral part of my life, my kids' childhoods, and my approach to parenting. My background is in education, and I previously taught high school history and politics. Even at that time, I was one of the only teachers who kept her windows open almost always and took students outside for classroom work. I wasn't aware then, but I think a passion for outdoor education was already in my bones!
Katie and family
Q2: What motivated you to start hosting FFS meetups?
Kerri: We lived in San Francisco for one year and I started staying home with my then one-year-old. I was looking for free activities to get us out of the house routinely and found FFS through internet research. But there wasn’t a group in San Francisco proper. Turns out another mom who lived nearby was also interested in starting a group so we went together to one a bit south to see how they’re run. In summer 2021, having moved to Baltimore and experienced the lockdown of the pandemic, I wanted to find a way to get us some outdoor activities with other kids. There was a FFS Facebook group but no one was meeting up. Also FFS was migrating to Our Outdoors so I seized the opportunity to create a meetup group for Towson.
Katie: When I first heard of the FFS mission and ideals, I was instantly interested and ready to get involved. A meetup had just been organized in a nearby nature park, so I joined immediately. After attending, I could tell that the volunteer who had started the meetup was a bit overwhelmed. She also moved out of state shortly after I met her. My teacher background kicked in, and I started leading the meetups, with some help and encouragement from our area director at the time. After a bit of mentorship and an established love of the land at that park, I was ready to go! Beavers have disrupted the swim area at that site for this summer, but we've had an active group there for the 6 years since I started there. I'm very proud of that.
Q3: How was your experience organizing a meetup for the first time?
Kerri: My first FFS meetup was with a group I started in San Francisco. I had a co-lead, and after getting a feel for how FFS outings were structured at another meetup nearby, we followed their outline: Gather, sing a song, short hike, independent play, snack and story, disperse. This format worked well for our group from the start, so it’s what I’ve stuck with as I moved to a new state and started a new meetup.
It always makes me a little nervous to do something for the first time. And while people said they would attend, you never really know. Turns out I had no reason to worry! We had families attend and enjoy and keep coming back. I have experience planning events with my past jobs and pulled from that to make it as easy as possible for new joiners. In the event on Our Outdoors, I made sure to describe where to find us, if the trail is accessible or not, what to bring, and what to expect.
Katie: My first FFS meetup was a little disappointing. If I can remember correctly, one other person showed up! Thankfully, the area director, who was helping me get started, was also there. It was nice to have that moral support. We took a short hike to a creek, and the kids, who barely noticed the low turnout, had a great time. I believe strongly that community is the place where you keep showing up. Despite the disappointing start, I committed to keep showing up at that park. As the months went on, I met a core group of regulars who became amazing friends.
Meetup in Chapel Hill, NC, 2022 ~ Image courtesy of Katie Miller
Q4: How has your approach to hosting events changed over time?
Kerri: My approach has changed a little in that I now post a weekly reminder in our local Facebook “mom group” as well as my local neighborhood group. Most people have found us via Facebook so this is where they see if there’s anything they need to know for that specific week (if I won’t be there, if we can’t play in the stream due to rain, etc).
Katie: I started a new FFS location last fall, and I don't think my approach has changed much! This go around, I planned a bit better – polling our Facebook group about days and start times. And there was lots of interest online! I was excited to get a new group going again, especially after COVID. But honestly, this new meetup was also somewhat disappointing. Few people showed up at first. And now that my kids are older, they noticed and pointed this out to me! But we kept showing up, sometimes just me and my kids, and were excited when others joined. As time has gone on, we are already gathering a group of regulars who my kids and I look forward to seeing every week and can help out when we can't be there to host.
Q5: Can you share a memory of one of your favorite meetups?
Kerri: One of my favorite meetups was after we had a big rainstorm. There was a section of the trail that was all mud puddles, some of them pretty deep. The kids started taking turns seeing who could make the biggest splash. And throwing in rocks. Just generally loving being encouraged to play in the mud and get messy.
Meetup in Parkville, MD, 2022 ~ Image courtesy of Kerri Cohen
Katie: One of my favorite meetup memories comes from 2019, when we invited a reptile expert (a herpetologist from Duke University) to come and talk to the group. He brought several snakes with him and took them out of bags to show the kids. He even brought a copperhead, the only venomous snake in our area. It was safely locked away in a case, but it was so helpful to see one up close. I think lots of folks (myself very much included) let fear of snakes keep them from exploring nature. Having an expert demystify snake interaction helped the parents who were there, and now I can pass that information on to new folks I meet. After educating us about snakes, the herpetologist followed us into the woods where the kids played as usual and the parents could ask questions. And we surprisingly found and identified a snake that day!
Q6: What are some challenges you’ve faced?
Kerri: Recently, the only challenge is trying to regroup for storytime. Some kids will run ahead while others stay where we are so we get spread out. Moving forward, I’m going to set a time for us to regroup so everyone knows and can join if they’d like. In terms of event attendance, if no one shows up I’m a little disappointed, but my son and I stay and play on our own. We had some large turnouts last summer and those were exciting!
Katie: One challenge I'm still working on is how to attract older kids to the groups. I do not think that toddlers and preschoolers should be having all the fun! School age kids can do and experience so much in the outdoors, and often don't get lots of that time in school. Recently, I moved a meetup group to a specifically "after school" time period, but still am mostly seeing younger kids. I'm thinking of perhaps advertising more directly to schools in the future, but am still racking my brain about this challenge.
The pandemic quickly erased any challenges we had with large group sizes, but sometimes in the past (about 3 years after I started the group) we had 30 or 40 people arrive, even in winter! My fellow facilitators and I planned to divide the group into two, each half with one group leader. We'd divide perhaps based on age (one hike was longer and more challenging) or child interest (creek or rock climbing?). Then each group could have their own circle time where kids could pay better attention, and our impact on the land, which became quite dear to us, was lessened. As our community becomes more comfortable with larger gatherings, I'm excited to hopefully address these challenges in the future again.
Meetup in Chapel Hill, NC, 2022 ~ Image courtesy of Katie Miller
Q7: Any key tips for others considering organizing meetups for the first time?
Kerri: Just go for it! It might feel intimidating but it’s really easy. Once you have one meetup the rest basically organize themselves.
Katie: I am certainly biased, but for people considering hosting an event for the first time, I'd tell them to just go for it! Here are some suggestions based on what I’ve learned:
Selfishly pick a time and location that are very convenient for you and your kids. Pick a location that you and your kids already like and enjoy. Spend the time to write an event description and then duplicate that event or make it recurring. Reducing the hard work of hosting a meetup makes you more likely to stick with it, and therefore makes others more likely to find you.
Expect that few people will arrive and adjust expectations accordingly. People don't often want to be the first people to try something. Remember that all families, especially those with small kids, are juggling a lot. Plan to create the event and be okay if it's just you and your kids, or you and a few other families. Sometimes the beauty of a place is best appreciated in small groups!
It takes time to build a core group. In my experience, that's usually 4-6 months. It's more difficult to begin in the winter; fall and spring are the easiest times for families to get outdoors, so try and capitalize on that.
When beginning your group, share photos of events after they take place to give people a feel for your group and the fun you’re having!
Q8: What are you excited to see, try, or experience during your outdoor events in the upcoming months?
Kerri: I have a few activities I’d like to try at meetups this summer. Such as a color scavenger hunt where the kids find nature treasures in all the colors of the rainbow and we put together a (temporary) display during storytime.
Meetup in Parkville, MD, 2022 ~ Image courtesy of Kerri Cohen
Katie: In 2022, I am excited about so many things around our outdoor meetups. I have moved my usual afternoon meetup to the mornings, which is attracting lots of new faces. I'm looking forward to seeing that community continue to grow. My dear friends who have also been leading groups in our area for years have kids whose schedules have changed over time, so we see less of each other now. I'm looking forward to some summer reunions with those friendly faces in these graciously slower months. I’m also excited to assist a friend and fellow nature lover who has spearheaded starting a garden at my older kids' public elementary school. Our area FFS group is starting to work with the school garden – connecting us with resources and providing volunteers to start clearing trails. I'm thrilled to see this garden and relationship grow as we expand access to outdoor education to even more kids in our area!
Are you interested in hosting an event for your local area? Check out more info in our Community Play Events FAQ as well as some tips & ideas to consider when hosting. You can also get step-by-step instructions on setting up events in Our Outdoors.