Volunteer and Get Free Admission on State Parks Day

Posted on by Georgia Kids Outdoors

Georgia's Your State Parks Day is September 26, 2015

This Saturday, September 26, 2015, is a great opportunity to get free admission to many of Georgia’s state parks! Volunteer to help with one of their family-friendly projects, and you may also come away with some knowledge you can use to improve your home environment, too. A number of parks are building pollinator gardens – help them build their demo garden, and learn to plant your own to attract and feed butterflies, bees, birds and other important pollinators in your own yard.

Other opportunities include a shore sweep clean-up at Lake Lanier, building a butterfly habitat, and trail cleanup. Budding archaeologists can help with artifact inventory at Chief Vann House and history buffs can even help spruce up Fort Morris (with a free lunch thrown in!). Some locations, like Sloppy Floyd State Park, are also featuring great events for the kids like a live reptile show, archery lessons, and canoe demonstrations.

See the full list on the Georgia State Parks website – but take note that this lists all events for the weekend, some of which are not free volunteer admission opportunities (like the Sunrise Boat tour on Crooked River or the Wild Cave Tour at Cloudland Canyon).

Every Kid In a Park – Free passes for 4th graders!

Posted on by Georgia Kids Outdoors

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Thanks to Every Kid in a Park, 4th graders and their families are invited to enjoy FREE access to any federal land or water for a calendar year! This just started September 1, 2015, so jump on it now to get your full value and plenty of time to visit cool places like Land Between the Lakes, Channel Islands, the St. Louis Arch, San Antonio Missions, the Frederick Douglas home, Canyon of the Ancients, and the Florida Keys. Kids can have an incredible variety of experiences, like listening to howling wolves, checking out prehistoric dinosaur tracks, paddling a river, or walking in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark.

Visit the “Get Your Pass” section of Every Kid in a Park, have your child complete an online game, and download a personalized voucher for print and use at federal lands or waters locations.Visit Every Kid in a Park to learn more about how to use your pass, to obtain help in planning your trip, to locate available educational materials, and to find phone numbers and addresses. There was also a link for educators.

The pass is FREE and covers entrance and standard amenity fees at federal lands and waters for a full year beginning September 1 and ending August 31 of your 4th grade year.

Take the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge

Posted on by Georgia Kids Outdoors
Butterflies, bees, wasps, and even moths and bats are pollinators. Photo (c) Helen Newling Lawson
Butterflies, bees, wasps, and even moths and bats are pollinators.
Photo (c) Helen Newling Lawson

Fall 2015 – The National Pollinator Garden Network has launched the “Million Pollinator Garden Challenge,” a nationwide call to action to anyone with a garden: large, small, or even a container. Simply plant a garden that provides pollen and nectar sources for pollinators, including butterflies, bees, wasps, and even moths and bats. Then, register your garden through the Pollinator Partnership at www.millionpollinatorgardens.org. For ideas on what to plant in your area, click on “planting guides” at www.pollinator.org/guides.htm and enter your zip code. Include some milkweed and help the monarchs!

Let’s Play Outside!

Posted on by Georgia Kids Outdoors

Looking for ways to get your kids outside and active? Georgia Kids Outside posts tons of great activities to help your kids reconnect with nature, stay fit, and enjoy the great outdoors, all across Georgia. We have guided hikes, wildlife encounters, scouting programs, one-day events, nature centers, volunteer activities, environmental education programs, gardening projects, and more.

Let’s head out!