Need a FREE Leave No Trace Activity for Kids?

As Traveling Trainers, we understand the importance of consistently having kids actively engaged in our workshops. By having kids saying, hearing, seeing, and doing, the retention rate of the information will be much higher.

Since 2001, Leave No Trace has been in a partnership with REI to present our youth program called PEAK, Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids, which currently reaches 120,000 youth annually. The program is presented as a “pack” of six activities. Additional activities, a Teen program and materials in Spanish are also available on our on-line store. The PEAK program can be purchased from the Center or is available through the “Packing with PEAK” grant. You could also contact your local State Advocate or REI store to inquire about borrowing a PEAK Pack. Why not try out one of the sample activities available free of cost, which is available on our website. Click here for more information.

As the weather gets warmer, challenge your children or students to a round of Okay or No Way! This activity represents a win-win situation for parents and elementary school teachers. First, the game acts as a catalyst to introducing youth to the seven principles of Leave No Trace. Second, this activity will get your students running around outside to expel some of their end of the school year energy!

Explore Responsibly...Kate and Tracy

Earth Day...the Blanchard Elementary Way!

In celebration of Earth Day, we dusted off our Traveling Trainer shoes (Chacos in our case) and headed to Blanchard Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Borrowing the school’s playground, we met with the entire second grade to talk about LITTER! Using one of our favorite activities from the PEAK Pack, we were able to learn a little about Leave No Trace and have fun at the same time.

We were very impressed with the ideas that the students shared on ways that we could Reduce, Reuse and Recycle our trash.

After our presentation, Ms. Harper invited us to her classroom where her students showed us some ways to be great citizens of our planet! They had such great ideas, that we wanted to share a few of them with everyone!

We wanted to give a BIG THANKS to all the second grade students and their teachers for spending Earth Day with us! We really appreciated your interest in Leave No Trace and your excitement for protecting our environment!

Emily & JD

(Leave No Trace members and former Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers)

Wrapping up 09 Season

Our travels have been gradually winding us back toward Colorado. Over the last few days, we have spent time in Minnesota and Nebraska as the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Season '09 begins to wind down.

Amidst enjoying the fun outdoor recreational activities that Minneapolis has to offer, mainly disc golf and bike riding, we toured the campus of Minnesota State University. We provided an Awareness Workshop to the students in the Programming for Outdoor Settings course. As they learned the skills and ethics that drive the Leave No Trace program, they also picked up a little bag of tricks on how to teach this information to groups they will lead in the future.

Onto Ralston, Nebraska for an evening with over 50 cub scouts for their den meeting. These 6-9 year old boys learned ways to Leave No Trace through an energetic game of What Principle Am I?, an activity available in the PEAK Pack. The boys and their families took home education, as well as their very own Subaru/Leave No Trace tote bag. The totes were a BIG hit with Halloween right around the corner! For us, back to Colorful Colorado...

Sate travels...Kate and Tracy