How To Entertain Educate Your Children

When and How:

Hike & Mountain Bike Adventures
for children ages 9-14

Eight fun-filled and educational adventures are offered on:
June 11-15 June 18-22 June 25-29 July 2-6
July 9-13 July 16-20 July 23-27 July 30-August 3

Cost: $200.00 per session (mountain bikes, helmets and transportation provided) Application form

Experience Arizona's amazing wilderness on foot and on bicycle! Join professional guides and outdoor educators for daily adventures through the mountains and canyons surrounding Tucson. Each new session you'll have the opportunity to experience four days of hiking and one day of mountain biking. It's the perfect way to spend your summer not too far from home, but just far enough out to call it an adventure.

Some of the lessons that will be taught along the trail include natural and cultural history, Arizona's unique flora and fauna, as well as life skills - accepting responsibility, setting and accomplishing goals, communication and cooperation. Critical thinking and cognitive reasoning will also be encouraged in a variety of contexts.

This is a great opportunity to get outdoors and explore the Southwest this summer! You'll make new friends and enjoy healthy activities together in the outdoors while learning a lot about yourself and your environment.

Southwest Trekking is an authorized Outfitter Guide with The National Park System and National Forest with many years of on-the-trail experience. Southwest Trekking has led programs for Tucson Parks and Recreation, TUSD, UofA, Our Town, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Inner City Outings and numerous other organizations. Our passion is the outdoors and our commitment is sharing the outdoors with young people.

For more information contact John Heiman at 296-9661.

Mountain Bike Overnight Adventure Camps
for children ages 12-15

Two 5-day sessions: June 11-15 and June 18-22

Escape the heat by heading north into Arizona's White Mountains. This five-day adventure will take kids on a mountain biking and camping adventure near the town of Pinetop-Lakeside. After driving from Tucson on Monday, participants will ride one of the trails in the White Mountain Trail System, then set up a base camp within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Each day will include mountain biking on forest roads and trails, some of which offer the most enjoyable riding opportunities in Arizona. All meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) will be provided, and all camping/bicycling/outdoor gear will be provided (participants can elect to bring their own bike and camping gear). Participants will return to Tucson on Friday in the early evening. Adventures are limited to 12 youth per session.
Cost: $400
More info: 404-7992 or 296-9661 Application Form

Backpacking Overnight Adventure Camps
for children ages 12-15

Two six-day sessions: July 9-14 and July 16-21

Disappear into the cool pines and tall aspens of Arizona's White Mountains. This six-day adventure will take kids on a backpacking and camping adventure in the Blue Range Primitive Wilderness near the town of Alpine. After driving from Tucson on Monday, participants will camp in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Each day will include hiking on trails and camping in the wilderness. All meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) will be provided, and all camping/outdoor gear will be provided (participants can elect to bring their own camping gear). Participants will return to Tucson on Saturday in the early evening.
Hikers of all levels are welcome to participate in this adventure, but should feel comfortable walking 5-10 miles per day with a backpack. Adventures are limited to 10 youth.
Cost: $ 425
More info: 404-7992 or 296-9661 Application Form

Rock Climbing Overnight Adventure Camps
for children ages 12-15

Two five-day sessions: July 30 - August 3 and August 6 - 10

Climb high. Climb safe. Climb for a whole week on the granite of the Santa Catalina Mountains this summer. We'll camp among the pines and aspens high on Mt. Lemmon, and spend our days rock climbing at a variety of safe, cool and challenging climbing areas higher up on the mountain. The rewards of climbing are greater than most other outdoor activities, and everyone involved will push beyond previously known barriers with the help of professional climbing guides. All meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) will be provided, and all camping/outdoor gear will be provided (participants can elect to bring their own camping or climbing gear). Participants will return to Tucson on Friday in the late afternoon. All levels of climbers are welcome to participate in this adventure. Limited to 12 youth.
Cost: $375
More info: 404-7992 or 296-9661 Application Form

These outdoor adventures are a partnership between Fenster Ranch Summer Camp and Southwest Trekking, two organizations that I have been involved with for many years. All of the trips will be led by experienced, knowledgeable guides that understand the needs of young teens. For co-ed trips we will have male and female leaders.

Upon receipt of payment and a completed Registration Form/Liability Waiver you will be mailed a packet of information about the outing, including what to bring, what to expect, a checklist of things we can provide (such as tent, sleeping bag, mountain bike, etc. if you don't have them) and a Health Form that needs to be completed before the trip. Then we'll look forward to seeing you this summer for an amazing adventure!

Please contact me with any questions. I know this will be a safe, successful and rewarding experience that will have a positive impact on your child at a time when they need it most.

John@swtrekking.com

Southwest Trekking has participated in various community services, Tucson Parks and Recreation, TUSD, UofA, Our Town, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and various others.

Authorized Outfitter Guide with The National Park System and The National Forest Service.

Growing Up "Green"
Nichole Heiman

Studies claim that simple exposure to "greenery," or nature, has its benefits. For example, requests for pain medication and recovery times decreased in units where the patients' views included greenery (Ulrich 1984). The cognitive functioning of poor urban children has shown to increase when their home's windows faced trees or shrubbery (Wells 2000). There is no doubt that nature is beneficial to the general well-being of a person. A "breath of fresh air" is a simple example of how nature is commonly associated with an enhanced mental and physical health. Still, few know about the wealth of cognitive, social and physical benefits nature has to offer, especially for children.

There is an abundance of scientific evidence in which experiences with nature were found to be positively associated with the psychological well-being of children. The specific benefits most thoroughly examined have been school-related. For example, when comparing three different groups, Hartig, Mang, and Evans (1991) found that those who went on a wilderness backpacking trip showed improved proofreading performance versus those who went on an urban vacation or none at all. Similar results were found when comparing participants who went on a nature walk (versus an urban walk or forty minutes of passive relaxation). The obvious key element in these investigations was the exposure to wilderness.

Other studies have also found that nature fosters language and collaborative skills and improves children's' awareness, reasoning and observational skills (Moore & Wong 1997, Taylor et al. 1998, Fjortoft 2000; Pyle 2002). Moreover, exposure to the natural environment is linked to better attentional capacities, awareness, reasoning and observational skills (Pyle 2002). Similar results have been found with children suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with results indicating increased levels of concentration and self-discipline with regular outdoor play (Taylor et al. 2001). While undoubtedly improving their educational experience, children who maintain a positive, consistent relationship with the outdoors are simultaneously enhancing their personal and social development as well.

Whether on playgrounds or in trees, the natural environment seems to stimulate interaction amongst children (Moore 1996). The quality of play is more diverse, imaginative and creative, thereby fostering language and collaborative skills (Moore & Wong 1997, Taylor et al. 1998, Fjortoft 2000). The same environment has shown to reduce, and in some instances eliminate, bullying while also increasing the positive feelings children have for one other (Malone & Tranter 2003, Moore 1996). In addition, the challenges children face outdoors, completing a hike, figuring out the best way to summit a peak, or configuring a tent, are important to a child's development of independence and autonomy (Bartlett 1996). Finally, several studies claim nature possesses restorative qualities which help buffer the impact of life's stresses, thereby helping children deal with adversity, an element highly present in the lives of adolescents (Wells & Evans 2003).

One similarity in nearly all the studies examining nature is that the benefits increased exponentially with the exposure to "greenery." In other words, the more exposure, the greater the benefits, especially when compared to children's development in indoor environments (Moore & Wong 1997). It is not only enhancing their psychological well-being and social skills, but providing a foundation crucial to preventing obesity and associated health complications as well. Simply put, active children are healthier children (Grahn, et al. 1997, Fjortoft & Sageie 2000). It therefore seems logical, almost necessary, to provide the opportunity for children to play, and to grow, outdoors.

Southwest Trekking is currently working towards promoting and implementing outdoor experiential programs in local public, private and charter schools in Tucson, Arizona. The concept is to enhance the educational, physical, and mental welfare of the city's adolescents. If anyone is interested in helping us "make it happen," please contact us at john@swtrekking.com
520-296-9661

References
Bartlett, S. (1996). Access to Outdoor Play and Its Implications for Healthy Attachments. Unpublished article, Putney, VT.
Fjortoft, I. & J. Sageie (2000). The Natural Environment as a Playground for Children: Landscape Description and Analysis for a Natural Landscape. Landscape and Urban Planning 48(1/2), 83-97.
Fjortoft, Ingunn (2001). The Natural Environment as a Playground for Children: The Impact of Outdoor Play Activities in Pre-Primary School Children. Early Childhood Education Journal 29(2), 111-117.
Grahn, P., Martensoon, F., Llindblad, B., Nisson, P., & Ekman, A. (1997). UTE pa DAGIS, Stad & Land nr. 93/1991 Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Alnarp.Hartig, T., Mang, M., & Evans, G.W. (1991). Restorative effects of natural environment experiences. Environment and Behavior, 23, 3-26.
Malone, K. & Tranter, P. (2003). Children's Environmental Learning and the Use, Design and Management of Schoolgrounds, Children, Youth and Environments, 13(2).
Moore, R. C. (1996). Compact Nature: The Role of Playing and Learning Gardens on Children's Lives, Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture, 8, 72-82.
Moore, R. & Wong, H. (1997). Natural Learning: Rediscovering Nature's Way of
Teaching. Berkeley, CA: MIG Communications.
Pyle, R. (2002). Eden in a Vacant Lot: Special Places, Species, and Kids in Community of Life. In: Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural and Evolutionary Investigations. Kahn, P.H. and Kellert, S.R. (eds) Cambridge: MIT Press
Taylor, A.F., Wiley, A., Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (1998). Growing up in the inner city: Green spaces as places to grow. Environment and Behavior, 30, 3-27.
Taylor, A. F., Kuo, F.E., & Sullivan, W.C. (2001). Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings. Environment and Behavior, 33, 54-77.

WHO:

Southwest Trekking
Professional Guide Services
PO Box 57714
Tucson, AZ 85732-7714

520-296-9661
John@swtrekking.com
www.swtrekking.com

WHY: We will be outside, being physical and having fun. And Learning/Experiencing.