Learning Outdoor Etiquette

I've been trying to ingrain into my children’s brains that everything in our home has a specific spot it belongs. It seems I spend my days saying things like, "your coat doesn't belong on the floor," and "why is your underwear on the table?" But this lesson they are continually learning goes beyond just our house. While we were out for a walk the other day my 3-year-old son threw his sucker stick on the ground, stepped on it and kept on walking. Bright lights, bells and whistles went off in my head and I realized it was a teaching moment.

"Corbin garbage doesn't belong on the ground. It belongs in the garbage can," I said. He shrugged his shoulders and picked it up without a fight. Lesson learned, right? Well today I decided to take it a bit further. My kids and I went for a walk with our gloves on and garbage sack in hand. We picked up garbage as we went. I think this drove the idea in a little further. As we walked we talked about the idea of leaving no trace and the responsibilities that come along with playing outside. (I condensed it to the 6 and 3-year-old version mind you)

Here are some subjects we hit on:

Stay on marked trails
Pack out what you pack in
Leave what you find
Be careful with fire
Don't bother the wildlife

Overall it's just a matter of leaving things how you found them, by trying to have a minimal impact on your surroundings. That way others that come along the trail later can find it in the exact beautiful state that you did. By not picking that dark purple leopard lily just off the trail someone else can witness it's popping color and point it out to their travel companion.


Fun Activity: Last Spring I took my Cub Scout group and my kids up a trail just above our little town. We took plaster of paris and poured it into animal footprints we found. Then we hiked up the trail. By the time we returned the plaster was dry and we took the molds of the footprints out. The kids loved it, and seemed to enjoy taking a bit of nature home with them without actually taking something.

Recommendations: REI and the Leave No Trace foundation combined to create the PEAK program (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) I've looked into it and want to get the teaching materials and lessons that they've created for kids. I've sent off an email to see how I can get my hands on it and I'll let you all know when I do.

Comments:
Some of my experiences concerning the leave no trace concept are listed below. Please leave a comment about an experience you've had or why you think it's important to "leave only footprints and take only pictures".

*While snowboarding on a nice powdery day this winter I spotted an empty Mountain Dew bottle that someone had thrown from the chair lift. That bold green stood out in all that white powder. My eyes were drawn right to it. Unfortunately it was going to take a lot more than the name of the pop to let it blend in with the outdoor environment.

*While backpacking in the White Cloud Mountains in Idaho a friend and I came upon a fire ring that had mounds of aluminum foil in it. It wasn't the end of the world but it took a slice of my nature experience away from me. Seeing that mound of foil reminded me of the people and the things that I live with at home. The exact thing I was escaping from by heading into the backcountry that week.
*We've been exploring the petroglyphs and pictographs of southeast Utah and it's frustrating to see something like "Josh was here” or "Mandy loves Roberto" scratched into the rock near an ancient painting that's thousands of years old. What's up with that? Write it in your journal not on historical landmarks.