"My husband and I were watching a film at the Fly Fishing Film Tour about a fisherman that took the trip of a lifetime and returned to his son sitting on the couch watching TV. I remember thinking, “Where’s the film about him fishing with his son? Where’s the film that shows families you don’t have to travel around the world to have an adventure? That was the movie I wanted to see. Where are those stories?" said Sara McCarty, mom of three and founder of Run Wild My Child.
Run Wild My Child is an online resource to help busy parents spend more time outside adventuring together. It’s a website filled with endless activities for families, a podcast with inspiring interviews from parents prioritizing outdoor time, and an active online community that participates in challenges, events, and outdoor activities.
Sara and her husband love exploring the world outside. "We fly fish, camp, canoe, hike, and travel. When we had kids, we just added them to our adventures," said Sara. "I quickly realized that I'm a better parent when I'm outside. I get to be a “yes” mom, instead of saying “stop that” all the time. And it was amazing to see how happy, independent and curious my kids were when we were outside."
She's not the only parent who feels that way. After years of blogging about her home and family life, moms all over the country began to take an interest in Sara's outdoor activities, her gear and clothing recommendations, and her favorite tips for getting kids outside.
"There was no entry-level website about how to get your kids outdoors, so I created Run Wild My Child for busy moms who wanted to have outdoor adventures with their kids but didn’t know where to start." Sara's website blew up. “I credit the growth mostly to good timing – as kids continue to spend more time on screens, parents are desperate for ways to get them to look up, go outside, and reconnect. We want to give our kids a childhood similar to the one we had, filled with simple thrills, independence, and lots of outdoor play.”
"When I had my third child, I realized I couldn’t keep doing this alone," said Sara. Today, her team includes 30 writers and photographers (all moms) from Australia, Canada, Europe, and America. "This team is filled with moms with unique and diverse voices and experiences, doing amazing things with their kids. And it’s our job to show our audience they can do cool things, too.”
One of the coolest things that Sara's team created is a nationwide Treasure Hunt.
"We created the Treasure Hunt as an event where we could physically see families enjoying the outdoors together," said Sara. "We filled beautiful wooden treasure boxes with gift cards from our favorite outdoor gear brands. We selected ten cities and hid one box in each city. On the morning of the Treasure Hunt, a clue was emailed to participants, and the hunt was on! Hundreds of families across the US gathered outside to hunt for treasure!”
This year, the Treasure Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 22, in twenty cities nationwide. "In addition to hunting for the treasure box, we’ll have a list of eco-friendly activities to keep families outside longer in honor of Earth Day," said Sara. "Families can win prizes if they complete the activities on the list."
Run Wild My Child also hosts online challenges throughout the year. "We have a sustainability challenge to inspire families to make eco-friendly changes in their lives, photography challenges to help moms improve their photography skills while the kids get outside, a camping challenge to help families that have never camped with kids before, and an Intentional Ten Challenge that encourages families to intentionally reconnect for 10 minutes daily for 10 days,” explained Sara.
Don’t be afraid to combine outdoor time with technology. There are great apps that help identify plants, wildlife, bird songs, locate constellations in the night sky, and find hidden treasures (geocaching).
For more information about Run Wild My Child and to register for the Treasure Hunt, visit: runwildmychild.com
"I created Run Wild My Child for busy moms who wanted to have outdoor adventures with their kids but didn’t know where to start."