Snowshoeing in our schools for kids (NH) article

[Jay H]

Saw this morning on yahoo:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060212/ap_on_he_me/fit_school_snowshoeing

Wish the school I went to had a snowshoeing program! Great iidea!

jay

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

I wish schools (and towns for that matter) in NJ would promote anything that encouraged outdoor activities. They do seem to care somewhat about the environment, but I think if people were out in the woods and rivers they'd have more of an appreciation for such things, and then maybe environmental issues would be more in the forefront...I guess that's progress.

 

[coldfeet]

Last year I brought my snowshoes and my daughter's plastic snowshoes to show the kids in class, also brought in a cheap snowboard, they tried on the stuff in class..wish i knew of a grant to buy stuff and take them out...um...i wonder

 

[Jay H]

David, check the link posted there:

http://www.winterfeelsgood.com/

Mentions something of a grant program... You can always try to write the Industry, Tubbs, MSR, Atlas, etc... you never know...

Also, posted in the link above to is the Winter Trails program. They have it every year up in High Point State Park where they have a groomed X-C ski system and various mfgrs go there and allow demos of skis and snowshoes. That would be a good field trip for your kids and scouts perhaps and won't cost too much.

Jay

 

[coldfeet]

Thx Jay, I didn't go to school today because of the roads and no parking in queens....getting ready for a scout winter weekend up in Livingston Manor, exit 96 off of Rte 17....app 8 scouts, 2 are new....wish they had more snow for sledding....gets boring when the boys just hang around with nothing to do.....wish they had planned hikes but each troop is on their own....sorry...off topic...thanks for the info...

 

[Tuco]

My son who is in 3rd grade has been snowshoeing 2 times this year in the woods behind school during classes. The school has enough on hand for the classes and invite the parents to come along. Of course I found out about this after it occurred the second time…..It seems as if I may get my son to start doing this more frequently based of his enjoying it in school.

 

[sleeping bear]

I too read that article this morning and was impressed. Aside from the physical aspects of the programs, I liked how some of them were useing them in conjunction with other classes.

I'm currently reading "Last Child In The Woods" (discussed in another thread) and just finished the chapter about how environmental education is failing in public schools. A snowshoeing/science/naturalist program is just what schools and kids need. Way to go New Hampshire!

I'm not quite sure what to think about the class in Viriginia walking around in the dirt.

 

[keepin' on]

At my high school we had a program called Project Adventure. It not only allowed you to snow shoe and cross country ski, but they also teamed up with the engineering department to creat a zip line across the football field. There were also "team strategy" games where the entire class had to work as a team to find a solution to a problem. Imagine that, using your mind and body in one sitting.....My father-in-law is a high school PE teacher in central MA and his deptartment just got a grant for (from?) project adventure. His school bought 200 pair [edit: 20 pair] of MSR snowshoes, is installing an indoor rock wall, and the adventure course. Grants are out there. I'll see if I can figure out where and post back w/ any results.

 

[Dalraida]

Beating our own drum

Here is a link to our Public Elementary School. www.plymouth.sau48.k12.nh.us/ The photo of the kids sitting on a mountaintop was taken on the summit of Lafayette during an eighth grade lecture about the Appalachian trail, and some map and compass practice practice. Our students from grade 4 through 8 spend quite a bit of time in the great outdoors, summer and winter. We also have a climbing wall in the school, combined with a ropes course. On the way up Laffy, we often boil a thermometer every thousand feet of elle to demonstrate one way the early explorers estimated elevation. All this is linked to math and science of course. The kids keep journals and eventually create a Power Point Presentation of the trip(s). We have been doing these trips since 1990.

TW

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

Sounds like you guys up north have some pretty cool programs.

 

[Artex]

Great article! I'm a teacher, so I especially enjoyed it. I haven't heard of any schools in my district or the surrounding ones that do this. I'm going to forward the article to a couple of the P.E. teachers I know. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Jay H]

I'm sure it makes a lot of sense for companies to sponsor schools and kids, heck, it not only promotes the wellfare of our younger ones, it should pay off financially. Youth snowshoe retail prices are certainly less than half that of adult snowshoes and the more teens/kids that get into snowshoeing, the larger demographics of snowshoers out there.

And for those of us who come from families that were/are not active at all. My parents are completely non-active, never hiked, my mom never even learned to ride a bike, it's something that I really missed growing up, although I took it upon myself to learn to ride (my middle sister taught me to ride a bike) and to stay somewhat active, I think hiking with family is something that I never had when growing up. A school program that encouraged this is great and I think will only help kids find out what their interests are (or aren't!) and remain a healthy and productive activity. Especially here in the climates which get snow, and points north.

Jay