Kids…Go Outside

Our family believes in getting out of doors. Whether the kids are riding bikes in the neighborhood, the family is taking a weekend hike, or we’ve planned an entire vacation around camping and exploring the wilderness, we love to be outside. Being in tune with nature is a particularly important lesson to give to children.

We are luck to live in Hawai’i. We have access to hiking trails and the ocean year round—and we take advantage of it. We also enjoy visiting neighbor islands to explore the natural and cultural offerings they provide. But living in Hawai’i means being far away from many of the greatest outdoor adventures that America has to offer.

The National Park-to-Park Tour gives us a chance to share American’s best idea as a family. We see the Parks as a legacy to be passed down generation-to-generation. Particularly because our family has a long history of military service, we are able to see the National Parks as fruits of our labor and something to be cherished, enjoyed, and shared across generations.

There is no better time to take kids into Parks than the summer after fourth grade, when the federal government—led by the Department of the Interior—provides free access to all National Parks and public lands through the Every Kid Outdoors program. Claire’s fourth-grade summer is in 2020, and Emma’s is 2022. We hope to take full advantage of both opportunities and allow the girls to host their own family in dozens of National Parks.

To learn more about Every Kid Outdoors visit the website. And to explore more opportunities to get kids out of doors, we suggest learning about the Outdoor Alliance for Kids and their many partners.