Education Trunk
A Great Tool for Tread Trainers
One of the most under utilized tools Tread Lightly! provides for Tread Trainers is the education trunk. The trunk (really a duffle bag) is loaded with lesson plans and all the props necessary for fun interactive programs for children and adults. Many of the activities represented in the trunk are found in your Tread Trainer manual, but the trunk makes it easy by providing ready-to-use props and handouts (photo copying required). So what can you find in the trunk? Below is a short description of the lessons and the props that go along with each activity.
The goal of this activity is to examine trails and their recreational users. Participants discuss the meaning of the word “trail.” They then draw from the provided situation cards. In teams of two or three, they discuss each situation and role-play a solution in front of the group. Situation cards provided.
We all have different ways to resolve conflicts. This activity allows participants the opportunity to examine their personal conflict resolution styles and then utilized a role-play that mimics a recreational-user meeting to examine conflicts related to recreational activities. Conflict situations provided.
Is it a myth or fact? Once a trail is built and in use, it is available year-round. Myth! Learn about land and recreation ethics through the Myth Buster activity and then follow up with an exciting game of Jeopardy. Jeopardy game board provided.
Pack Your Pack
Do you have the right gear in your pack for those surprise situations you run into on the trail? Using felt pieces participants pack their pack for a backpacking trip. Did they bring along the right gear for the situations presented? This activity allows participants plan and prepare for a fictitious trip. Felt pieces provided.
Do your part! Leave it better than you found it. This is a great game to teach the principles of waste disposal while on the trail. A relay race to dig a proper “cat hole,” it allows teachers to broach the sometimes touchy subject of human waste disposal in humorous manner. Blindfold, trowels, tennis balls, plastic bag and white fabric provided.
Nature is connected in the ecological web of life. From water resources, soils, plants, animals to humans, everything we do has some effect on the ecological system as a whole. This activity demonstrates the connections and the consequences of losing one of the elements in the system. Ecosystem cards and string provided.
We all love being outdoors and enjoying our chosen recreational activities. Knowing what to do when you meet others on the trail is an important aspect of trail etiquette. This activity allows participants to act out scenarios you often encounter on the trail. Stick horses and bicycle handlebars provided.
Not sure what to do when a challenging situation presents itself? This activity puts you in those situations before you ever hit the trail. First watch the On the Right Trail video, which demonstrates the importance of the Tread Lightly! principles. With the information from the video and a little common sense you should make the right choice protecting the environment, yourself and those around you. Video and dilemma overlays provided.
Rent the Education Trunk For Your Next Presentation
These activities provide unique teaching methods for a variety of groups, from enthusiasts to youth. For instance the Bureau of Land Management used the “You On The Trail: Trail Etiquette” activity at last year’s National Boy Scout Jamboree. The lesson was greeted with great enthusiasm as BLM staffers said Scouts really learned what to do on the trail when they meet different types of recreationists.