Let’s Go: What to Do
Find your fun!
Activities and activity guides for youth, family and schools.
Nature is right out your front door, so take a walk around your yard or neighborhood, hop on a bus to a local park or join an adventure at a regional destination. Nature is always around us…..help your kids be curious, adventurous and have fun!
Youth:
Make a nature art piece—use natural materials to create art
Day camp opportunities with Partners such as Washington Trails Association (WTA), Mt. St. Helen’s Institute, Camp Hope, Camp Wa-Ri-Ki, TreeSong Nature Awareness, local parks departments
Youth trail building and stewardship opportunities
Nearby Nature guides—fun things to do… find a maple tree and throw the seeds in air
Loose material play - gather sticks, seeds, nuts and other natural materials to build with
Nature & Imagination play at local schools - VPS Harney, King, Truman, Walnut Grove and EPS Ellsworth, Emerald, Image, Marrion, Sifton
Paved bike trails that are great for kids and families like the Salmon Creek Trail, Burnt Bridge Creek Trail, Vancouver Lake to Frenchmen’s Bar Trail, Cottonwood Beach and Dike Trail, and Moulton Falls Trail. Just learning to ride and need a place close to home? Many local schools now have paved loop paths that are perfect for young bikers who are just learning to ride.
Nature Scavenger Hunts - Why just hike when you can go on a Scavenger Hunt? Check out these resources for hunt ideas in English and Spanish.
Learn about the environment with fun games, field guides and activities. Learn about animals, plants, water, energy and more. Want to get involved? Participate in a Citizen Science investigation or CPU Stream Team stewardship activity.
Family:
Pack a picnic for a day of fun - many local and regional parks have picnic tables, BBQ grills and restrooms to meet your families daycation needs. Hosting a large group event, Clark County park picnic shelters provide cover and lots of space for your gathering
Check out Washington Backpacks at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library includes a Discover pass and adventure guides
Hike the trails at Columbia Springs in southeast Vancouver and check out their Adventure Lab
Guided hikes and adventures with Partners - write a trail report here
Hiking with babies, toddlers and littles? Check out Hike It Baby - Vancouver chapter for outdoor adventures for your family
Nature Walks around your neighborhood - visit the Where to Go map for local hikes
Go fishing - visit the Klineline Kids Fishing Derby at Salmon Creek, join an I’m Hooked fishing event for kids and families, or teens can join flying fishing outings with Soul River fishing.
Create a Backyard Habitat in your yard
Plant a family garden in your yard
Go on a bird and wildlife watching tour in a local nature area or Refuge
Stewardship events, like beach clean-ups, flower plantings and invasive species removal - City of Vancouver, Clark County and the Watershed Alliance
Volunteer to support local environmental education programs with our regional Partners
Try mountain and trail biking - There are local trails to try trail riding such as the east end of Lacamas Park (park at Woodburn Elementary trailhead on the southwest corner of the school), Waterfront Trail in Camas-Washougal (on the dike from the Port parking to Cottonwood Beach to Steigerwald)
Schools:
School gardens
Playgrounds for kids of all ages and abilities that are inclusive and equitable, as well as super fun
After school clubs including garden, STEM and science
Green Team support and events to improve your school campus
Skills building and career focus for teens such as Career Ed Tech (CTE) programs
Curriculum based programs with Partners
Watershed lessons - Enviroscape demonstration table
Salmon in the Classroom program
Student Watershed Monitoring Network and Student Congress
Stewardship plantings
School campus tree plantings
CTE partnerships for semester projects, internships
Green Schoolyard projects - build gardens, outdoor classrooms, nature/imagination play areas, native habitat plantings, etc.
Tree Plantings - many of our local schools are lacking trees for shade and habitat. Work with the school principal and Facilities/Ground team to identify key locations and species for planting. Need plant ideas? Check out Vancouver’s Tree list and the Backyard Habitat Certification program lists.
