Explore Your Place: Introducing New Family Activity Kits

Kids love exploring and discovering new things, even in familiar places. As more people have rediscovered the benefits of being outside as a family, Kestrel’s TerraCorps Youth Education Coordinator, Ellie Viggiani developed a new outdoor learning resource that anyone can use with their own–or other people’s–kids!

In partnership with Eagle Eye Institute and Hampshire County Big Brothers/Big Sisters, we are pleased to introduce our first two “Explore Your Place” kits. These activity packets go hand-in-hand with our Trails for Everyone maps, and offer a self-guided learning experience that adults and kids can do together. The main activities are best for youth ages 6 through 12 but most activities can be adapted for youth of all ages.

Each exploration kit corresponds with a Trails for Everyone map, although elements of the kits can be used in any natural area close to you. Find games and activities along with lesson plans and follow-up questions. Simply download the PDF file below on your phone or print it out from your computer, and start learning more about the wildlife and natural areas near you.

These first Explore Your Place kits are tailored to the Fort River Trail at the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge in Hadley, and the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area in Amherst. The activities are appropriate for spring and summer. We plan to add more kits for other conservation areas and other seasons in the future!