Hiking and Environmental Program 2019 – July 15-19, 9am – 4pm
Itinerary:
Monday –
Trail: Boulder Trail in Nottingham side of Pawtuckaway
9am-11am: welcome, hiking safety and Lost But Found curriculum with Jeanne Menard and her rescue dog, heading out to the cabin at PK Lindsay
11am-1pm: head to Pawtuckaway, basic geology and rocks lesson to prepare for meeting with a geologist at Pawtuckaway, lunch, free time
1pm-3pm: Joseph Schmidl’s geology lessons (works for NH Department of Environmental Services, has taught scout groups before)
3pm-4pm: final wrap up, exit trail, head back to DPR
Tuesday –
Trail: Lindsay-Flanders (Bicentennial)
9am-11am: activities in woods
11am-1pm: activities, lunch, free time
1pm-3pm: Mary Bryant’s wetland lessons (she is a former environmental teacher from Vermont)
Wednesday –
Trail: Dowst-Cate Trail on Nottingham Rd
9am-11am: Van Berkum nursery to talk about native plants
11am-1pm: head out to Dowst-Cate trail, activities, lunch, free time
1pm-3pm: Lisle Snyder’s water quality lesson, Serita Frey’s soil lesson (both work for UNH research)
3pm-4pm: final wrap up, exit trail, head back to DPR
Thursday –
Trail: Bear Brook (near the campground/lake for bird watching)
9am-11am: activities at DPR, Discover the Power of Parks program
11am-1pm: head out to trail, activities, lunch, free time
1pm-3pm: Beth Heckman’s observation and bird watching lessons (she works at the Great Bay Discovery Center)
3pm-4pm: final wrap up, exit trail, head back to DPR
Friday –
Trail: Mt. Kearsarge in Warner, NH
9am-11am: drive to Warner, about 1 hour 15 minutes, start on trail
11am-2pm: hike, lunch, free time, activites
2pm-4pm: final wrap up, exit trail, head back to DPR (be back to DPR around 4pm)
Packing List:
PACKING LIST – please make sure your child has the appropriate gear. If this is an issue, please contact me.
- Lunch, snacks
- Waterbottle
- Rain jacket
- Fleece or sweatshirt
- Sturdy hiking shoes
- Boots or shoes that can get wet and muddy
- Small backpack
- Sunscreen and bugspray
Please note that cotton shirts, pants and socks, including jeans, get wet and stay wet. Hopefully it will be nice and sunny, but this program is rain or shine (except thunder: safety first), so synthetic materials like fleece and athletic leggings/pants will help your kid stay comfortable.
Letter To Parents
Dear Parents,
My name is Chloe Gross and I am a 12th Grade Ambassador Girl Scout from Deerfield, NH. I am currently working on my Gold Award Project, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. For my project, I have created a one-week environmental program that will eventually be adaptable for nationwide use. Deerfield’s version of the program is based around hiking in our town conservation land and Bear Brook and Pawtuckaway State Parks. Each day, the program will start out at the Rec Department with a morning activity, heading out to the trails late morning. On the trail, there will be activities for the kids that correspond to the resources that trail provides (ie. looking at marshland plant life, identifying trees, looking at insects under an old log). Each day, there is an “expert” who will lead the kids through more environmental activities focused in their field of knowledge. Ellen O’Donnell is my project advisor and will be chaperoning the program in addition to teaching some lessons. Finally, as a climax to the week’s hiking, the group will travel to Mt. Kearsarge for the day.
I chose to run this program through DPR because the already existing summer Rec Camp allows a broader reach to kids. If I ran this program separately, many kids would not have the opportunity to attend because of transportation issues. Running the program through DPR lets any kid at Rec Camp have to option to participate. I want to reach a broad spectrum of kids with this program, and DPR allows me the facilities to do that best.
The purpose of this program is to foster a connection between kids and the outdoors to create stewards for the future. Using trails in Deerfield and travelling to a NH mountain exposes kids to the vast outdoor resources we have in our region. It is important for kids to understand that they don’t have to go far to explore the outdoors, it is all around us and we need to learn about it, experience it, and take care of it. Bringing in experts, especially those from Deerfield, sparks a new sense of adventure and curiosity. It is so valuable to have someone bring a new perspective or way of teaching to a group of kids. One of the most important parts of the program is free time after lunch. The kids will be allowed 45 minutes of free play in the woods, with boundaries of course. Kids have to figure out on their own how to amuse themselves in the woods safely, helping them realize the opportunities for fun in the woods and fostering a connection to nature.
Thank you for considering this program for your child. I am very excited to launch this program to expand your child’s love for our wonderful natural world.
Chloe Gross
ecokidsnational.org 