CHIMACUM — Children are like trees, Katy Bowman believes. They grow up strong while they move with the wind and rain.
She shares a tradition with her own kids: taking long walks to match their ages.
“When they were 4 and 5 years old, we did the [Dungeness] Spit,” she recalled.
That walk to the Dungeness Lighthouse stretches about 5 miles along the beach.
This Sunday, her youngsters, now 8½ and 10, will join their mom for a relatively short — and literate — stroll at Finnriver Farm and Cidery, 124 Center Road in Chimacum.
The free event, open to the public, will showcase Bowman’s new book, “Grow Wild: The Whole Child, Whole Family, Nature-Rich Guide to Moving More.”
In an unconventional approach to a book tour, the pages of Bowman’s guide will be arrayed on panels over a 1-mile route through the surrounding farmland. A “Grow Wild”-inspired scavenger hunt also will be set up for youngsters.
“It’s drop-in,” Bowman said, from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, and while there’s no cost to participate, families are asked to sign up in advance at nutritious movement.com/events/bookwalk.
Bowman, who lives in Sequim, will be on hand to sign copies of “Grow Wild,” and to answer questions; the book will be available to purchase.
The event is completely outdoors, with social distancing practiced and masks required in the farm’s common areas.
Here’s a chance to “get ourselves and our kids off devices and outside, to move and be in nature,” Bowman said.
In “Grow Wild,” Bowman describes ways to make adjustments at home, in classrooms — just about anywhere, any time — to create more room for movement.
Movement is as essential as food in our lives, she said.
Bowman also believes in connecting with nature as a health-giving practice. She organized the book walk at Finnriver to demonstrate that, in a fairly short outing, it’s possible to commune with the land, get some exercise and feel good in one’s body, all at the same time.
Normally Bowman would be touring libraries and bookstores with “Grow Wild.” But with those places closed to gatherings, she’s fine with heading out to a farm — and she sees it as a fresh opportunity to do something new.
A biomechanist, Bowman is also the author of seven other books, including “Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health through Natural Movement,” “Whole Body Barefoot” and “Dynamic Aging: Simple Exercises for Whole-Body Mobility.”
Her company, Nutritious Movement, is based in Carlsborg; more information can be found at www.nutritiousmovement.com or by calling 360-406-0062.
Bowman’s books are available from Chelsea Green Publishing, chelseagreen.com.
For information about other activities at Finnriver, including live music on Friday and Sunday evenings, visit Finnriver.com or call 360-339-8478.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com.
Katy Bowman and Michael Kaffel, instructors at Nutritious Movement in Sequim, practice staking panels for Sunday’s “book walk” at Finnriver Farm & Cidery in Chimacum. The mile-long walk is a free event featuring Bowman’s new book, “Grow Wild.” (Diane Urbani de la Paz/Peninsula Daily News)
