Every Kid Outdoors - How and why I made sure my 4th grader got his pass

Do you have a 4th grader? Soon-to-be 4th grader? Then you need to make sure you're taking advantage of this fantastic program.  In fact, I kick my butt for not being more proactive earlier.  

Every Kid Outdoors is a fairly new program designed to get kids and their families out into nearly every area of federal land and water. Seriously any place you could think of! It is supported through the US Department of the Interior and will be good all through the summer. 

Why 4th grade? The theory is that this age (9-11 years old) is perfect for exploration and a sense that this land belongs to them as well. 

Being an outdoor enthusiast/frequent public land users/outdoor life bloggers we assumed that the day you walk into 4th grader your teacher hands your pass and boom you're off and running.  Each week of the new school year passed by and there was no word from the teacher of this amazing opportunity. By the time Fall Break hit and still no pass I knew I had to start asking questions.

I emailed our wonderful 4th grader teacher and she barely knew of the program.  Wait?  What?? I immediately brought her up to speed on the amazingness of encouraging these little humans and their families to explore and appreciate our countries best spots.  She was excited, so I, of course, offered to do the leg work myself and get back to her with the best information.

You guys!  It is SOOOO easy!  As in, I am so stupid to have waited so long to do this, easy.  If I would have known on September 1st (when the new pass year starts) we would have been exploring by now! So we have printed our paper passes and plan on a little drive to Rocky Mountain National Park to get the boys’ shiny new park pass.

And boy, oh boy do we have plans for them!

Grab your kiddo and help them get their own pass here. And with all the info the website has, I encourage you to reach out to your teachers to share it with their own students.

Find out everything you need to know at https://everykidoutdoors.gov/about.htm