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Outdoor Adventures
Are You Into It?
Do you like being outdoors? You can become the ultimate explorer by designing your own outdoor adventure! Choose from backpacking, biking, camping, canoeing, fishing or hiking or create your own adventure in the outdoors.
- Develop skills in the adventure you choose (backpacking, biking, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking or other)
- Plan an outdoor adventure for your club, friends and/or family
- Learn how to be a good environmental steward while engaging in your adventure
- Impress your friends and family with your knowledge, skills and wisdom
Here’s what you can do all year!
Starting Out Basic / Level 1
- Choose your adventures (biking, camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, etc.)
- Learn about the proper gear for your adventure
- Attend a summer camp at the Iowa 4H Center or with your local 4H club
- Plan an outing for you and a friend or family member
- Learn about first aid and safety with the adventure you choose
- Find out what “Leave no Trace” means
- Practice survival skills in different environments
Learning More Intermediate / Level 2
- Route your adventure using technology like a compass or geospatial mapping
- Learn about equipment maintenance for various types of outdoor adventures
- Learn Cast on in many situations
- Become an Outdoor Iron Chef (learn how to cook outdoor meals)
- Plan an overnight outdoor adventure for your family, friends or club
- Practice good outdoor manners using Leave no Trace principles
Expanding Horizons Advanced / Level 3
- Teach others about Leave no Trace adventure ethics
- Learn to prepare for emergencies in remote areas
- Prepare for a big adventures such as RAGBRAI, or backpack/canoe trips away from home
- Start your own geo-caching or earth caching adventure with your friends
Take It Further
- Outdoor Adventures Hot Sheet (color or B/W pdf)
- Poster Exhibits Tip Sheet (color or B/W pdf)
- Exhibitor Fair Information Form (Word or editable PDF)
- Exhibit Evaluation Form (pdf)
- Add Service Learning to Your Project
- Register for an Iowa 4-H Center Camp: Pack and Paddle, X-treme Camp, Hike and Canoe, Inside Out Camp; High Adventure Camp
- Take a Wilderness Trip to Porcupine Mountains (backpack), Boundary Waters (canoeing) or Colorado ( on a horse) with other 4-Hers
- Look for opportunities with your County Conservation Board
- Volunteer for Iowa DNR: Keepers of the Land
- Apply for a camp counselor position at the Iowa 4H Center
- Schedule a visit with Iowa State University and explore these majors (Environment, Education, Sports and Exercise Sciences (Health and Fitness, Community and Public Health, Performing Arts, etc)
Step It Up
Pass it on! Now that you know how, share it with others. Here are ideas to get you started.
Communication
- Create a “How to tie knots” poster
- Do a working demonstration on how to set up a tent
Citizenship
- Complete a Service-Learning project
- Volunteer to clean up community campgrounds or trails
- Help out at your local County Park
- Serve as a camp counselor
- Plan an event at your local park
- Map trees in city parks using GPS
Leadership
- Plan an adventure for kids in your community
Exhibit Ideas
- Develop a presentation showing how to set up and take down a tent (even in the rain!)
- Present on Cooking Outdoors
- Can you start a fire with just one match? Try it! Make a poster showing how you did it
- Can pizza be cooked over a campfire? Find out!
- Develop a workshop that shows others how to make knots
- Plan an overnight camping trip-what to take, where to go; make a poster to share your plan
- Create a display or notebook to share common wildlife and plants that you could encounter while camping in your county
- Create a notebook on knowing where you are when camping using a handheld GPS or maps and a compass
- Investigate and present on safety measures if you were to get lost or caught out in a storm
