March 28, 2018
May 19, 2018: Kids to Parks Day
Kids To Parks Day is set for Saturday, May 19, 2018. This third Saturday in May is also Armed Forces Day. Two great reasons to draw visitors to your parks for something special or to highlight what folks can always see and do there. Using this National Park Trust program to advertise events and activities at our lakes is a great way to reach a wider audience and bring in nearby kids and families to enjoy our parks.

The goal of Kids To Parks Day is simply to connect kids and families to parks near them and create future stewards of our public lands and waters. There are great resources available on the website and in this email.

1. Events can be hikes, participation in a Jr. Ranger Program, nature / park scavenger hunts, clean-up events and anything in between. They can require as few or as many staff as you have available. Examples:
   1. If you already have a Jr. Ranger Program, just highlight/register that - no extra work required!
   2. Looking for an already established program to steal?
      • Search for "Program Outlines" in the NRM Gateway Interpretive Idea Exchange
      • Type in 'outdoor scavenger hunt ideas' into google. There are tons of great ideas; participants can be rewarded with a water safety flying ring or Jr. Ranger sticker.
      • Visit the Foundation for Water and Energy Education (Blockedwww.FWEE.orgBlocked). FWEE is an established partner of the Corps and has some wonderful program ideas.

2. Register your events! Just click on "Host an Event". The National Park Trust leads this event and makes it very easy to register online. You'll enter the date, time, a picture, site name & address, organizer info and any FB, Twitter, Instagram, and web links.

3. When your event is done - let us know how you did: At the end of May I'll send out a request for your Kids to Parks Details (# of partners, # attendees, summary of what happened). See the attached example from last year and check for more ideas.

IMPORTANT DATES leading up to your Kids to Park event:

• Get your event registered by these dates if you can!
• Week of April 23rd: Social Media Kick Off by National Park Trust
• May 1st: National Press Release shared by National Park Trust

Remember - If you get any 4th graders - they have the added incentive of getting their Every Kid in a Park Pass

Thanks all - Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this program or you need any assistance registering your activity or event.

Melissa Rinehart
USACE - Headquarter (NRM-CAP)

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