Girl Scout Leave No Trace training
Yesterday Don, Evan and I conducted a Leave No Trace training session at Whipps Ledges in Hinckley for three Girl Scout troops from Medina. What a fun afternoon!
These kids were so exuberant and interested in what we had to say, it made our day. We gave them a little intro, then took them on a short hike up the hill and into the rock formations of the ledges. Stopping along the way, we instructed them on two or three LNT principles, then did exercises from the PEAK pack.
Don's presentation was the big hit, an activity called "How long does it last?" He gave them a list of 19 items and asked them to rank the items based on which ones would biodegrade first through nineteenth. The second part was to guess how long it would take each item to disappear. The correct answers ranges from two weeks to more than a million years!
Evan explained the principle of "leave what you find," a reference to archeological or historic artifacts, by creating a faux archeology dig for the girls. They had to find several items he had placed in the field, then decide what purpose each one might serve. At the end, I asked the girls whether they would have deduced as much as they did if previous visitors had removed the artifacts. It was obvious they understood the lesson.
Teaching these principles to young kids has become a rewarding experience for Don, Evan and me. We're hoping to offer our services to other groups in our area and hoping to make a positive difference in our community.
These kids were so exuberant and interested in what we had to say, it made our day. We gave them a little intro, then took them on a short hike up the hill and into the rock formations of the ledges. Stopping along the way, we instructed them on two or three LNT principles, then did exercises from the PEAK pack.
Don's presentation was the big hit, an activity called "How long does it last?" He gave them a list of 19 items and asked them to rank the items based on which ones would biodegrade first through nineteenth. The second part was to guess how long it would take each item to disappear. The correct answers ranges from two weeks to more than a million years!
Evan explained the principle of "leave what you find," a reference to archeological or historic artifacts, by creating a faux archeology dig for the girls. They had to find several items he had placed in the field, then decide what purpose each one might serve. At the end, I asked the girls whether they would have deduced as much as they did if previous visitors had removed the artifacts. It was obvious they understood the lesson.
Teaching these principles to young kids has become a rewarding experience for Don, Evan and me. We're hoping to offer our services to other groups in our area and hoping to make a positive difference in our community.
posted by Joe Wollet at 5:59 PM
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