Hi, I’m Kelly!

I’m a California Naturalist and mom of four kids, and we love exploring California nature together as a family.

Getting outside isn’t always easy. I didn’t grow up loving the outdoors and life sure feels busy!

But I deal with anxiety and I’ve discovered that being outside usually leads to better days for all of us.

I’m also a cancer survivor and so I know life is short. I want a meaningful life that’s more than stress and screens and busy schedules.

Getting Outside is Worth the Effort

Every time we make the effort to get outside on an adventure from neighborhood walks and playing at the playground, to going to the beach in San Diego, hiking in Orange County, or camping at Joshua Tree National Park, it always feels worth it.

Here at SoCal Nature Kids, I share our adventures in the hopes that you can make your own memories too.

Let’s enjoy getting outside with our families together!

Follow along for lots of ideas for places to go, lessons on local nature, and tips for getting outdoors.

I’m so glad you’re here! Here at SoCal Nature Kids, you can expect:

• recommendations for family friendly Southern California nature areas to explore together (along with all the details on where to park, how much it costs, and the all-important question: are there bathrooms?)

• tips on getting outside with your kids

• Southern California nature info, like local wildlife and weather patterns.

Here’s how to get started with SoCal Nature Kids:

So, that’s a little about our mission and what to expect. Wondering what to do next? You can…

• find a new place to explore in Southern California. I try to organize locations by region (LA, OC, San Diego, Santa Barbara, etc.) and also by type (playgrounds, hikes, nature museums, etc).

• read my blog for location reports, adventure tips, and tools for getting outside.

• check out the hands-on SoCal Nature Kids family science curriculum I created. It’s great for homeschool families or any family wanting a deep dive into Southern California nature!

• get in touch with me about questions, suggestions for future resources, requests for me to speak at your next event, brand collaborations, or other ways I can help!

A little more about me

I was born in Nebraska, but moved to Southern California when I was 2 years old! I’ve lived here ever since (minus a few short jaunts to Idaho and overseas.)

I grew up in the city of Los Angeles in the community of San Pedro, right on the LA Harbor across from Long Beach. I went to college in Irvine (go Eagles!) and received a degree in Education and English, then moved to the San Diego area (La Mesa/El Cajon) after I graduated. That’s where my husband and I met and got married and had my oldest daughter.

Life took a circuitous route after that… we had four children in four years (!), moved briefly overseas to Asia and just as quickly moved back home again, and faced several family medical issues, including my cancer diagnosis. During that time we lived in Orange, Riverside, and Pasadena.

These days, life thankfully feels a little more settled most days, but there still seems to never be a dull moment! We currently are back in the Riverside area, and love being relatively close to the mountains, desert, beach, and everywhere in between.

I started SoCal Nature Kids in 2020 because I was looking for places to get outdoors with my children and just couldn’t find much info on where to go or what to do. I realized since I was doing a lot of the research of finding places to explore, I may as well share it with others! I started sharing on Instagram and it really resonated with lots of other families. That led to my creation of the SoCal Nature Kids family science curriculum, along with my certification as a California Naturalist.

When I’m not mom-ing or working on SoCal Nature Kids, you’ll likely find me singing in the choir at my church, reading historical fiction, or watching Gilmore Girls for the 100th time.

Oh and by the way, while we’re getting to know each other…my last name is Sipan, and it’s pronounced like “sippin’ a soda.”

What else would you like to know? Or how else can I help? Send me an email — I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for visiting!

Kelly Sipan