New e-Adventures

Last year, we launched e-Adventures as a way to help children and families stay healthy and connected to nature while at home. And it was such a hit that we have since expanded e-Adventures from the original 4 activities to 13 and counting! These virtual activities, which have been converted from some of our most popular TRACK Trail brochures, can be done on a smartphone, tablet, or other browser-compatible devices. 

To begin exploring e-Adventures today, simply go to the official e-Adventures page, choose the activity you'd like to do, and then register your e-Adventure the same way you would any other Kids in Parks adventure! You can complete e-Adventures in your backyard, neighborhood, local park, an official TRACK Trail, or anywhere in between. The activities you can choose from include:

Nature Guide Activities

• Hide & Seek – A guide to finding elements of nature all around, including birds, trees, flowers, and animal tracks
• Flower Power – Helps children explore nature's color palette through flowers, and learn about flower anatomy
• Bug Out – Identifies the differences between various arthropods, including beetles, spiders, centipedes, and more
• Hikin' to Find Lichen – Learn about lichen! What it is, where to find it, and why its important to nature
• Fun with Fungi – Teaches kids how to identify different types of fungi and how they are important players to an ecosystem as decomposers
• Birds of the USA – A guide to a variety of local birds in your region
• Nature's Relationships – Everything in nature is connected. Learn about these different connections and how the environment relies on the relationships within it.

Wellness Activities

• Animal Athletes – Encourages children to mimic animal motions to stay active, including the fast wing flaps of hummingbirds
• Forest Bathing – Also known as Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing is a practice that originated in Japan as a way to relieve stress and has caught on around the world. This activity was created in response to the upheaval in routine and challenges that families are experiencing right now.

STEM Activities

• Changes in Trees – Observe changes in trees as an introduction to phenology, the study of seasonal cycles in living things, and how noting these changes can give us clues to climate issues 
• Community Creature Count – Animals live all around us. Whether you are at a local park, the playground, or your own backyard, you are in a wildlife habitat! Count how many you see
• Stream Study – By observing these streams and rivers, we can learn a lot about the climate, the landscape, and human impact. Use this activity to monitor any creek, stream, or river near you
• Digging Detectives – Let's go scoop up some dirt and find out what's inside! Its color and composition give us clues about natural forces that shape the landscape 

Over time, we plan to add more e-Adventures to our online catalog. So, stay tuned! As with all Kids in Parks adventures, your participation with e-Adventures will earn you prizes that you can take on future outdoor adventures!

Let us know what you think! Share your adventures with us via our Facebook and Instagram using #KidsinParks and #TRACKtheTrails. Like and Follow to keep up on Kids in Parks content!