Growing up in Greeley, Colo., Samantha Garcia didn't need electronic gadgets or gaming systems.
The great outdoors of her northern Colorado town was all Garcia needed, no joystick required.
"We lived near streams and rivers and beautiful parks," Garcia said. "We didn't spend hours upon hours behind a keyboard or in front of the television. Nature was our playground."
For that reason, Garcia and her husband, Jonathan, find it vital for their two young boys to grow up with a respect for their environment.
The West Side couple have been living in El Paso for more than 10 years and have fallen in love with the Franklin Mountains, the Rio Grande and the many biking and hiking trails in the area.
"We want our
boys to realize that they can have more fun playing outside then wasting their recreation time playing video games," Garcia said.Last year, the Garcias enrolled their boys -- Gabriel, 10, and Alex, 12 -- in the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department's Trailblazers Outdoor Recreation Program.
"It was fun being outdoors," Alex said. "We got to explore all the fun things to do in El Paso."
This year, there will be two sessions of the Trailblazers Outdoor Recreation Program, which will introduce the "Wise Kids Outdoors" concept.
Trailblazers offers children the opportunity to explore nature while teaching them about the importance of eating right and being physically active.
"We started this program in 2010
and it's been going strong ever since," said Carlos Rodriguez, a recreation specialist who programs the camp. "This year, we have a grant with the Sajai Foundation where we have a curriculum with missions that we do with the kids. Every mission is targeted to something specific with the outdoors."The free Trailblazers program will be at the Don Haskins Recreation Center from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 29 to March 21, and at the Pavo Real Recreation Center from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 2 to March 23.
Registration is ongoing so children can join at anytime during the program.
"We set up field trips with the curriculum and our mission in mind," Rodriguez said. "For example, we'll set
up a fishing trip with the Ascarate Fishing Club who will provide the kids with lessons on how to fish. Our main objective is to get kids outdoors. We want to get the kids to experience the great outdoors."Wise Kids Outdoors is a 20-mission program developed by the Sajai Foundation in partnership with the National Recreation and Parks Association.
The program content focuses on three key learning areas: being prepared to go outdoors, having great outdoor experiences and making it outdoors everyday.
"Sometimes kids are isolated in their own community," said Julian Tarango, who helps guide the tours for Trailblazers. "They need to adventure out of their comfort level and that's one of the things that this program does. It's exciting because it takes the kids outdoors."
The outdoors program encourages children to first learn about nature, stewardship and wellness concepts.
It also encourages them to explore nature through planting seeds, digging for worms and going on scavenger hunts.
"These kids have been introduced to new ideas, new thinking process and it promotes a lot of self-efficacy," Tarango said. "That's one of the things these kids need to be exposed to. Being in this program opens their eyes and it opens their minds and imagination."
When Tarango was growing up, he was entertained by the simplest things like playing marbles.
"You give the kids a bag of marbles today and they'll sit around wondering what to do with them," he said. "They have no idea how to align them, how to use geometry or how to use math when they're hitting an actual marble. That's what I love about the Trailblazer program. Just by adventuring outside and thinking outside of that box is awesome."
The children in the program will have a number of activities to select from.
"Carlos is willing to pick up the kids and drive them to another area of El Paso and expose them to what's available outside their neighborhoods," Tarango said. "That's another thing that I enjoy about the program. Not only are they able to exercise and use their imagination but its a lot of hands-on activity."
Victor R. Martinez may be reached at vmartinez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6128. Follow him on Twitter @vrmart.
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Source: http://www.elpasotimes.com/living/ci_22435307/trailblazers-program-helps-kids-explore-outdoors
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