Last Saturday was National Kids to Parks Day, a holiday that aims to get kids and families outside to explore local, state, and national parks across the United States. But you don't need an official designation to celebrate geology and nature or inspire future generations! Here are some ideas to show the kids around you how cool the outdoors can be!
Geology at the Parks
Una Silkane/Shutterstock.com
Whether you’re bringing your own kids or someone else’s—if you’re the cool aunt/uncle/cousin—you ought to take this opportunity to get them involved in geology!
Rock scavenger hunt
Y’know what kids love? Picking up rocks. Make this favorite activity all the more fun by printing out a list of the kinds of rocks they might see while walking around the park and encouraging them to find as many as they can.
I know you’re the expert, but avoid using the actual names of the rocks. Just write things like “round rock” or “rock with stripes” and use it as an opportunity to talk about why each one might have those physical characteristics!
Sediment exploration
If you’re headed to a park with an accessible body of water, bring some plastic beach toys to play with the sediment at the shore or streambed. Allow kids to play and explore sediments of different sizes and shapes while encouraging them to think about how the rocks got there.
Check with park rules and be mindful of how much you’re allowed to do along the waterline. Always make sure to fill any holes back in when you leave!
Mapping activity
It’s never too early to start teaching kids about mapping! Print out a barebones map of the park and pick a starting point that kids can identify. From there, allow them to explore and document the neat things they find on the map.
Older kids might enjoy working with coordinates. You can use a real GPS, or a mobile app that lets you download maps to use offline. My favorite is FieldMOVE Clino for iPhone or Android.
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Even if you don’t have your own kids, you can do great things for the young people in your community any day of the year!
Speak at schools
Coordinate with the school district—and your boss—to arrange a day off work so local kids can meet a real geoscientist. Whether it’s a classroom visit with rock samples, or a field trip with hands-on activities, they’re sure to love it!
This kind of representation is hugely important. The closest thing I had to a scientist in class was a guy with a bin full of lizards and snakes—I mean, Jungle Bob was cool and all, but we really could have benefited from being exposed to scientists, too!
Work with scouts
Get in touch with local scouting groups to see if they’d be interested in a guest coming in to teach them about geology, or maybe even help them earn a patch! I would have LOVED to have had such an experience when I was a Girl Scout!
Local councils can get you in touch with troop leaders to organize activities. You can search for Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts) councils here and Girl Scout councils here.
Form a geology club
Take matters into your own hands and start a local club that’s family friendly. It’s an excuse for you and your likeminded pals to do fun, geology-related activities while getting the kids involved, too!
Doing activities as a family builds strong foundations for what kids grow up to be interested in. It’s also a great way for the community to come together over shared interests and goals. That’s a win-win!
Thank you for reading this week’s GeoLifestyle!
I for one am very excited to borrow my cousins and friends’ kids for some much-needed time away from screens. I think I’ll try out these activities at my favorite county park back home, the same one my parents have been taking me to since I was a baby.
Our frequent family outings to the park throughout my childhood fueled my love for the outdoors, which is evident today in my career choice. A couple years ago, I wrote a little commentary about being raised outside, if you’d like to read it.
The moral is to take every opportunity with the kids in your life to introduce them to the great outdoors—you may be inspiring a future geoscientist!
Cate Larsen
Editor, GeoLifestyle
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