How to teach kids to be trail stewards

Winters can be hard on trails. Many will need both cleanup and maintenance come springtime. You can contact your local or state park system to see if they have anything planned, or you can plan your own trail cleanup hike with your Hike it Baby branch! Hike it Baby offers lots of information on organizing a trail cleanup, and safety is a consideration when participating in a trail cleanup. Some of these things may seem like common sense, but it’s always nice to double check your preparedness whenever you try something new (or for the first time in a while). 5 Tips for Trail Cleanup Safety 1. Bring proper cleanup supplies Certain supplies will come in handy during a trail cleanup. This would include gloves, trash grabbers and bags. It’s a good idea to have the littles carry the trash bag instead of picking up trash. They may not know what they should and shouldn’t touch. 2. Work in pairs or groups Sticking together and staying in communication with the organizer are very important. Make sure you have a charged cell phone or walkie-talkie with you. A compass could also come in handy if you're off the beaten path. Make sure someone knows exactly what area your group will be working in. Check in often with the organizer and stay close to your partner or group. Or, if you're hosting the hike, help the group stay together and communicate the meet up locations and times. 3. Bring your normal safety supplies All normal hiking injuries can occur on a trail cleanup. In fact, after winter, the trail will likely be in worse shape than usual, so be prepared. Make sure you pack your typical first aid kit, plus plenty of water and snacks. 4. Give the kiddos simple tasks The concept of trail cleanup is super important to share with our kids beginning at a young age as it teaches them to be stewards for our trails and parks. It’s even better to reinforce as they get older. That being said, not every trail cleanup is organized with young children in mind. If attending a hike organized by another group or parks department, speak to the cleanup organizer before deciding whether or not you will bring young children. Make sure there will be tasks suitable for their age and ability. With supervision and proper gloves and grabbers, tiny people are great at holding trash bags, spying trash, and they love to use trash grabbers! Older kids can also be great to pair with younger kids. If hosting your own hike, make sure you communicate what supplies to bring and provide safety tips during Welcome Circle. 5. Use caution Don't ever touch anything sharp or lift anything too heavy. While you will typically feel totally awesome after participating in a trail cleanup, you might not if you cut yourself and get an infection. After winter, there could be trees or large branches across the trail. Don’t try to be the hero and lift something too heavy on your own. Even professional bodybuilders use a spotter to lift. Bring a notepad with you and document anything you can’t handle. Then give this list to the trail cleanup organizer so that the proper crew can address it. (Or, if you're hosting, contact the parks department with the information.) For toddlers and little kids, have them spot the trash ("I spy!") instead of picking it up. This will ensure they aren't picking up anything dangerous or unsanitary. What are your safety tips for trail cleanup? Have a question about safety while participating in a trail cleanup? Leave a comment or a question below! Read More: 11 Tips for Safety on Trail 3 Trail Safety Tips You Must Know Photos by Vong Hamilton. Hike it Baby hikes are hosted by volunteers who have no professional training and are not experts to guide families on hikes. They are people who want to raise a generation to love the outdoors and they accomplish this by facilitating outings for all to join. Our tips are gathered from collective experience. As with any physical activity, please be sure to check with your healthcare provider and other experts when hiking with your children. ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org    EDITORS NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.

Having Kids Increased My Appreciation of the Outdoors My husband and I have always been passionate about the outdoors and the environment. Our appreciation of the trails and land has become significantly greater since becoming parents. Unfortunately, the amount of excuses that we have for not practicing trail stewardship has also increased. However, we try not to let that stop us. My youngest child and I spend almost every day in the outdoors with our Hike it Baby friends, neighbors or with the rest of our family. We feel it is our responsibility as members of the outdoor community to take care of the trails and the land. It is a family goal that trail and land stewardship be a fundamental part of who we are and we want to pass that on to our kids. Having Kids Means We get Creative About Trail Stewardship In our home state of Washington, there are plenty of organizations that provide opportunities for adults, families with older children and teenagers to work on the trails and learn how to be land stewards. Trail stewardship activities look a little different with a 3-year-old in tow. In order to introduce our kids to the idea of trail stewardship, we do the following: Read books about our local and national park system, as well as ecologists and conservationists Study the trails we are going to hike Focus on Park Rangers (see Hike it Baby's Ranger Interview Series) Talk about trail volunteers (who we call Trail Heroes) Draw pictures incorporating stewardship ideas Be mindful about appreciating the work of others along the trail. Kids can help maintain trails by clearing mud off stepping stones or wood bridges While still focusing on having fun in nature, as our kids have gotten older, we have encouraged them to be active stewards. We are always brainstorming ways to incorporate stewardship into our Hike it Baby branch. I reached out to Krista Dooley, Youth Programs Director for Washington Trails Association, for some insight and advice on activities that are Hike it Baby-friendly, and she had a lot of great suggestions that are truly helpful to the trail. Kid-Friendly Trail Stewardship Ideas Remove debris in between decking of puncheon bridge structures to reduce buildup and prevent slipping. (Kids enjoy using small sticks to push the debris through the spaces between the decking). Clear off trail signs that may have collected moss or debris over the winter/spring seasons for easier navigation. Throw fallen limbs or rocks on the downhill side of the trail to clear the corridor, but be careful to look for switchbacks and hikers on trails below. Bring along an extra bag and gloves to pick up any trash along the trail. It can be turned into a game to collect as many pieces of trash during the hike. (The winner is the clean trail queen/king of the day.) Even the young walkers can help move sticks and other debris off trail. Kids Can Make a Difference on Trail Obviously, land and trail stewardship looks different when babywearing parents or toddlers do it. But it is still valuable and the benefits are abundant. At home, every member of our family is a valuable part of our team and is treated with equal respect. Our children have age-appropriate responsibilities. While, I would be lying if I claimed that they never complained about it, they more often than not enjoy the pride they feel through contributing. They are more cooperative, have abundant self-confidence, are less frustrated and are happier in general. Recent research would suggest that we are not the only ones experiencing these benefits and numerous studies support the idea that children can and should contribute. The same system works on the trail and, in addition to the positive benefits listed above, it has notably increased their ability to appreciate the trails and nature, and it has also deepened their connections to the outdoors. Be a Trail Hero We began to make an effort to mindfully include trail and land stewardship into our lives. A couple months later my 3-year-old and I were out hiking when we came upon a small toppling stone wall along the side of the trail. I thought it was too big of a challenge. My daughter, however, stopped and began to carefully lift the rocks in her tiny hands and rebuild the wall. We worked slowly but soon the wall was finished and we continued on with other wonderful adventures that day. However, as we drove home that night and discussed our day, the thing she focused on was that she had helped fix the wall and was proud to be a “trail hero.”   Lindsey lives in Washington State with her husband, Andrew, and their two children. She has a spirit for adventure, a fierce passion for public lands and a grateful heart. When she isn't hiking or spending time outdoors with her awesome family she enjoys reading, playing the Ukulele, and eating too much chocolate. ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org  EDITOR’S NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.