Green Options » Josh Thomas

Exciting Activities Warm Our Winters

Josh Thomas — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:49:01 +0000

Temperatures in Jackson, Wyoming, ranged from -6 to 30 during my visit over the weekend. And yet folks were much more likely to be found outside than in. Perhaps that is because the “outside” of Jackson, Wyoming, is so beautiful and offers so much in the way of wonderful outdoor activities, from skiing (alpine, nordic and telemark) to snowboarding to snowshoeing through the magnificent Grand Teton National Park, to name the most obvious. I think the beauty of the scenery and the thrill of the activity keeps us warmer than the temps suggest. This notion occurred to me when I overheard a seemingly non-sensical statement during my trip. As we waitied for a shuttle on one particularly chilly morning, it was -4 at the time, a woman waiting beside me told her friend,

You know, with these temperatures back home, it’d be freezing!

Read more of this story »

Experiential Education is About the Experience

Josh Thomas — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:00:54 +0000

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been interviewing wilderness/outdoors educators on their best practices for bringing teenagers into natural environments. In fact, I’m leaving today for a wild Wyoming weekend and another round of interviews.

As I was preparing for the upcoming trip, I’ve been reviewing footage of the previous interviews and reflecting on what I’ve heard. One quote in particular continues to circle back to the front of my mind. It goes something like this:

When you’re talking about experiential learning, .. the nature of experience is that it’s a kind of a trial, a testing, an experiment, in a sense. So you are experimenting with things. You are attempting things, and the whole concept of an experiment is that you’re not quite sure of the outcome. You can’t guarantee it, or it wouldn’t be an experience you are having.

Read more of this story »

Teaching Kids the Skills to Find Themselves

Josh Thomas — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:18:48 +0000

This summer I was a guest on a local public radio program discussing Nature Deficit Disorder. Based on the number of calls and emails into the show, we were told afterwards it was one of their more successful programs. For many reasons, the topic appealed — and continues to appeal — with many.

One story, in particular, seemed to resonate with parents: It was the story of my two sons’ getting lost in 200 acres of woods on their grandparents expansive farm property. Clearly, that story could have had a terrible ending, but it didn’t. Instead, my boys used their brains and their senses to find their way back onto the property and into their mom’s worried and waiting arms.

Read more of this story »

Seven Tips for More Enjoyable Hiking with Kids

Josh Thomas — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:27:18 +0000

With the holidays — or is it the holidaze!?! — all around us, plenty of parents are looking for excuses to get their kids out of the house. Why not take a family hike? While many associate hiking with summer or early fall, the winter can be a terrific time to hit the trails. Cooler months often mean far fewer crowds and present different viewing opportunities for young eyes. So with that in mind, here are seven tips for a more enjoyable hike (these work, of course, regardless of season). I won’t add it to the list, but clearly, if your climate calls for it, dress in layers — ideally non-cotton layers — appropriate for where you live. Now, the list:

Read more of this story »