Community of Families in Nature
Explore, Learn, Play!
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A Community of Families in Nature (CFIN) provides opportunities for families to come together in community in order to explore, learn, and play in nature.
Since 2014 CFIN (originally Columbia Families in Nature) has engaged participants in more than 20,000 hours of fun outdoor family events! Our Event Leaders plan engaging activities and collaborate with local partners; families just need to show up to events ready for a couple of fun hours in nature. We bring families together in nature!
The goals of CFIN are to:
2026 Offerings:
Ready to register? Click the program name for registration links! Or follow the 'learn more' links below to read more about each offering. Family Nature Club: Families on the Farm, 3rd Sundays full year - March 15, 2026 through February 21, 2027; it's not too late to join us for the rest of the year! Or buy tickets to individual events - one ticket for the whole family! Seedlings: multi-week Cohorts; seasonal early childhood nature play group kids 5 and under only. All registrations on Eventbrite. Friday Seedlings returns this autumn beginning September 25th; ticketing options include - 7 Fridays (full Cohort), Any 5 Fridays, or 12 Seedlings Events (Fridays and Sundays); Friday Autumn Seedlings: 09/25, 10/02, 10/16, 10/23, 11/13, 11/20, and 12/04; inclement weather make-up day: 12/11. Sunday Seedlings (autumn) Similar ticketing options to Fridays (detailed above); 09/20, 09/27, 10/18, 10/25, 11/15, 11/22, and 12/06; inclement weather make-up day: 12/13. Sunday Seedlings (summer) - single event tickets and 'Any 3 events' ticket options still available;reserve your spot for our remaining summer events today; registration is by family. Special Events: CFIN's 12th Anniversary celebratory gathering in March - Sunday, March 15th Camp with CFIN! - August 7-9th at Greenbrier State Park; email [email protected] for more details! CFIN's popular Green Friday Fun event, the day after Thanksgiving - details later in the autumn Click to...
"What will the best CFIN:2026 registration option be for our family?" Are all of your children under the age of 6 and will not turn 6 in 2026? Our Seedlings programming is the best for your family at this time. ...or will your oldest kiddo turn 6 in 2026? If your kiddo is ready for more 'big kid activities, join our Family Nature Club; if your kiddo still works best doing short lived activities with lots of choice, sign up for Seedlings; later in the year, we can discuss a transition to Family Nature Club if that feels like a better fit! Kids who join Seedlings as a 5 year old at the beginning of their first session are welcome to see out the year with us (even after they turn 6)! Are some of your children under 6 and some of your children over 6? We try to avoid Seedlings and Family Nature Club scheduled for the same Sundays (although it will happen occasionally). Please contact [email protected] if you are registering for both Seedlings and Family Nature Club so we can discount your registration fees! Are all of your kids ages 6 and up? You are great candidates for our Family Nature Club! For kiddos over 10; we suggest bringing along a buddy to our events to ensure that they have nature companions around their age. Are all of your kids over 12? You are welcome to join our Family Nature Club if your kids are interested; we suggest inviting a peer to come along with each kid over 12 to ensure nature companions around their age at each event. This is also a great time to explore family volunteering events at our Freetown Farm and Green Farmacy Garden locations. Once kids reach highschool age, CEI has an Internship program--Green Seeds; check out their page on the website under 'programs.' Want help navigating the decision making process? Feel free to email: [email protected] |
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