In 2008 three nature-minded friends became inspired to start a family nature club after reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. They launched the club on Meetup.com and set about the work of providing a resource, a network, a lifeline to young families that didn’t want to be in front of screens all day or just didn’t fit in with the mainstream urban families. A place where moms or dads could schedule a hike or playdate with families who had children of the same age. Or a venue to discuss parenting styles and a movement towards more natural parenting. Over the first two years, the group graced the pages of local newspapers and was featured in the Children and Nature Network's Family Nature Club Toolkit as well as Backpacker Magazine. Activities like multi-family camp outs and camping gear loan programs brought members together and the sense of community kept them there. 

In 2010 one of the founders relocated to Oregon and the two remaining founders, Megan Brousseau and Toni Kinsman, continued to manage the group. Megan engaged the group in environmental education activities, camps, cleanups and local activism and Toni kept families supported with babywearing meetups and classes. By 2020, the group had grown to nearly 2,000 families! 

In 2020, after twelve years as a grassroots network of families from all walks of life, Inland Empire Kids Outdoors started a new chapter in it's history by becoming a nonprofit, 501(c) 3 organization, including creating a board of directors and creating a new vision that focuses on reducing barriers to accessing nature and protecting our natural areas for generations to come.

Today, Inland Empire Kids Outdoors provides a nature preschool, environmental education classes for youth, summer and holiday camps, school field trips to local natural spaces, community clean ups, and grassroots advocacy on behalf of the families of the Inland Empire.