The I-CAN Club
Insatiably
Curious
About
Nature
What we’re about.
Healthy environments
Facilitating nature awareness and appreciation, building health and inner strength, exploring possibilities.
Flexibility
Learning about what inspires us at the pace we need, building habits that work for us, following the science of what our bodies and minds need to flourish.
Community
Joining with others who are excited about learning in and from nature.
How we do it.
Walk with Naturalist-Educators
Explore the flora and fauna in local spaces with experienced naturalist-educators. Learn best practices for building an energizing relationship with nature. Walks are scheduled a minimum of five times throughout each month. We explore in Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Lynchburg, and the Roanoke Valley.
Walks are open to non-members for a fee, but are a fully included part of I-CAN Member benefits.
Learn alongside professionals
Join a forester on an assessment walk, or help a scientist measure a turtle! These experiences are uniquely arranged to learn from a professional while actively engaging in their projects.
Experiences reserved for I-CAN Members.
Build knowledge and skills
Jump into classes and workshops that build nature awareness and appreciation, science literacy, healthy habits, and supportive communities. Offerings include classes for youth, adults, and families.
Discounts for I-CAN Members.
No mind is too young, no question too big.
Announcements
Fall 2024
We’re traveling!
In partnership with Izaak Walton League of America, we are traveling with nets and microscopes, sharing our expertise in watershed exploration and water quality assessment. Reach out to book a complementary or paid session for your group.
Seeking beta-testers for nature-based science classes
We’re interested in beta testing some nature-based science courses in the fall or winter. These would most likely be once/week for 10-12 weeks at two hours per session. These sessions would be independently run by us and hosted by partners like county parks & rec who have appropriate spaces. As such, they would be open to any family, regardless of whether you participate in a co-op. We can currently operate in Amherst, Campbell, Lynchburg, and Bedford and will narrow down location once we determine interest.
More so than regular participants, beta-testers get more sway over programmatic content and goals, receive enrollment discounts, and contribute feedback that shapes the design and outcomes of future programs. If you are interested in programs this fall or winter and in helping us transform educational norms by doing beta-testing with us, please use this link to share your email and which age groups you’d consider enrolling!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu6jVEl1saas5mwvl08gIwp1Zu6YP58ElNd6A83y7176Xs8w/viewform
“Being in nature calls upon us to be in our bodies and reconnects the mind/body split…Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective to shift us out of the bad habits that keep us from being our best selves.”
— Lantieri (2014). Building Emotional Intelligence: Practices to Cultivate Inner Resilience in Children.
Nature experiences are associated with increased psychological wellbeing, including an increase in positive mood; positive engagement and social interactions, sense of meaning and purpose; improved memory and attention; impulse inhibition; improved school performance; increased creativity; and decrease in mental anxiety and distress.
— Bratman et al. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective.
“In general, research supports the proposition for a basic psychological need for nature relatedness, with stronger evidence pointing to the idea of this as a need-as-requirement than a need-as-motive, though both are well-evidenced.”
— Baxter and Pelletier (2019). Is nature relatedness a basic human psychological need? A critical examination of the extant literature.
Explore Nature with Community
Individual memberships
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Periodic Newsletter
Discovery Walks
Program discounts
Exclusive Programs
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Discovery Walks - no cost
Youth programs - 3% off
Family programs - 3% off
Adult programs - 8% off
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Quarterly: $21
Annual: $75
Family memberships
-
Periodic Newsletter
Discovery Walks
Program discounts
Exclusive Programs
-
Discovery Walks - no cost
Youth programs - 8% off
Family programs - 10% off
Adult programs - 8% off
-
Quarterly: $45
Annual: $144