Youth Programming
Program Summary
We love our local community! The Kingdom Trails Association facilitates a variety of youth programming opportunities.
The organization hosts a LEAP Americorps member who assumes the position of Community Outreach Coordinator and facilitates a variety of youth programming. During the school year, the Kingdom Trails Education Outreach Coordinator runs a variety of after-school programs at Burke, Lyndon, Newark, Concord, Lunenburg, Waterford, and Riverside Schools. Programs range from The NEK MTB Club and Nordic Ski Club, to upcycling, Winter Survival, and The Whole Spoon. In the past we partnered with the Kingdom East School district to write a grant for the purchase of a fleet of youth specialized bikes for students to ride on our trails. Students are also given a free membership to the Kingdom Trails Network. During the Summer months our Community Outreach Coordinator works with The Northwoods Stewardship Center to run the weekly KT Kids Ride as well as a variety of Summer camps including “Singletrack Sisters, a camp specifically for girls.
Kingdom Trails funds also funds Project Bike Tech, a program at Lyndon Institute. Students graduate with a certificate in bike mechanics.
Our Events Department produces The Race Back to School, a walk and Bike-athon and the Torchlit Trail Experience, which are geared towards kids. We are working on expanding our volunteer program.
Americorps Programs
For this program, Students learn different signs that signify spring is approaching, including sap runs and maple sugaring, and longer days with more light and more.
They learn the importance of the winter/spring transition and how that impacts summer, including snow melt, nutrient/water run-off and ecological changes. They learn how to identify a sugar maple vs. a red maple, how seeds begin to germinate and what is happening in a tree during the spring.
By the end of the session, they will have successfully germinated a bean and be able to describe the factors that help it grow.
The Winter/Spring sessions mostly touch on ecological and other environmental aspects of the winter/spring transition.
The curriculum for this program is provided by The Northwoods Stewardship Center.
Who doesn't like to play games?
For this program, students will learn about cooperation and how it applies to team building activities. They will learn why team building is important for life inside and outside of school.
Students will learn to understand the benefits of working as a team, and the importance of listening and understanding peer ideas.
The culmination of this session is a multi-layered team building competition involving detailed communication, creativity and artistic interpretation. Students are expected to work together in teams using skills developed over the weeks to create the best product possible.
Connections to academics include practicing communication, patience and listening in conjunction with the overall theme of problem solving in a team setting.
This Outdoor Team Building program engages a variety of outdoor activities where students will work together to overcome team based challenges.
Bike club is an after school program that runs in the fall and spring, usually twice a week. Burke Town School is the main school involved, although it is open to other schools. The limiting factor for other schools joining is transportation. Burke teachers volunteer to transport students to the trails which is very helpful. This program is run in partnership with Northwoods Stewardship Center, who provides approximately 2-3 instructors. Maria Young is the contact for helping organize this program. There is a fleet of 20 Specialized hardtails that Burke Town School got from a Specialized grant. These bikes are available for students to use, as many students do not own their own mountain bike. Kingdom Trails helped purchase a trailer that the bikes are stored and transported in, often by Bourne’s Energy, who offers to transport them.
Description Title
In this program, students learn about winter animal adaptations (hibernation, migration, etc.), terms for ski and snowshoe skills, different types of outdoor winter shelters/huts, and how to ID 1-2 trees in the winter.
The goal is for students to understand the value of getting outside and having fun in the winter, and how to appreciate their natural environment in the wintertime.
They learn how to put on ski/snowshoe equipment without assistance, ski in a loop without falling, herringbone w/skis up a hill, think creatively to build winter shelters
Students should appreciate the art of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and have a desire to take it up on their own outside of this program.
Description Title
During this program, students will learn about winter animal adaptations (hibernation, migration, etc.), Terms for ski and snowshoe skills, different types of outdoor winter shelters/huts, ID 1-2 trees in the winter. The goal is for students to understand the value of getting outside and having fun in the winter, and how to appreciate their natural environment in the wintertime.
By the end, students should be able to put on ski/snowshoe equipment without assistance, ski in a loop without falling, herringbone w/skis up a hill, and think creatively to build winter shelters. Students should appreciate the art of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and have a desire to take it up on their own outside of this program. This program was in partnership with Northwoods, who brings their fleet of cross-country skis and snowshoes and explores the winter woods identifying tracks and trees. Students learn the basics of skiing and snowshoeing and develop their skills throughout the session. Some time will also be dedicated to playing games and building snow forts and shelters.
Description Title
Students learn about sustainable forestry techniques and tree ID, as well as how to carve using a knife to create a spoon, and use hot coals to burn the bowl of their spoon. They then have a chance to use their spoons to eat a meal prepared by the group. Northwoods provided materials for this program. The objective of this program is to create a full circle experience for students where they are able to learn about trees and how they grow, how to actively manage a forest, and how to sustainably create value added products. This program can be mostly outdoors, with the possibility of carving and cooking indoors if the weather is too cold.
Description Title
Nordic skiing programs happen with multiple schools during the winter. In the past, Partnerships with The Riverside School, Steven’s School, Burke Town School, and Waterford School have been made. These schools ski at Kingdom Trails and Dashney Nordic Center, which Northwoods runs. Burke Town School runs a regular program each winter, skiing usually twice a week after school. Northwoods helps to run this program, and Maria Young is the contact for organizing that.
