Take a kid canoeing
Or hiking, biking, bird watching, etc. just get them outdoors.

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   Profile of hope

Lyell Lucas Selvester, 8, with the family's heifer in Getenga Village in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. Cows not only provide milk but also produce manure that can be used as organic fertilizer to increase crop yields on small farms.

It's critically important to a child's development that they have experiences in the outdoors. There are so many fun experiences awaiting our kids if we just get them back out there. Many of my most cherished memories come from my experiences in the outdoors and many of those times were in moments of unstructured play...just "goofing around".

Whether it was building forts in the woods near my home in Ohio, skipping rocks at a pond, picking weeds, climbing trees, hiking beyond our camper in the woods of Kentucky or canoeing with my parents; the outdoors has always taught and engaged me in "real time". In many ways and in many homes our kids are growing up disconnected from nature; we rarely let our kids out of our sight, we shelter them from danger and failure, we let technology baby sit and teach our children how to interact with the world, but they don't get first hand experience with it. We need to get kids back outside so they can experience the richness of what the environment has to offer each and everyone of them.

The cornerstones of Heifer International's programs share common goals with what nature teaches us when we get out there (Accountability, Sharing and Caring, Sustainability and Self-Reliance, Gender and Family Focus, Improving the Environment and Spirituality). Through The Big Moo Canoe I hope to raise awareness about our need to be in the outdoors, to enjoy the environment we have around us and to provide information about helping share nature with kids. Canoeing is a great way to spend time in nature with your family and you don't have to be on whitewater to have a great time.

Places to paddle
Great family friendly places to paddle.

Colorado

• Arapahoe Bend Natural Area (Fort Collins) (Link)
• Poudre River (Fort Collins, Town Run)
• Dixon Reservoir (Fort Collins)
• Boedecker Reservoir (Loveland) (Map)
• Lonetree Reservoir (Loveland)
• Pinewood Reservoir (Loveland)
• South Platte River (Evans/Greeley)

Wyoming

• North Crow Reservoir (Near Cheyenne)
• Curt Gowdy State Park (Near Cheyenne)
• Rob Roy State Park (Near Laramie)
• North Platte River (Saratoga)

Local Resources and Clubs

• Fit2Paddle.com Blog (Published in Northern Colorado, worldwide paddling news)
• Mountain Wayfarer
• Rocky Mountain Sea Kayak Club
• Rocky Mountain Canoe Club
• The Poudre Paddlers Canoe and Kayak
• Colorado White Water Association
• Colorado Canoe Trails
• Canoe Colorado

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