Wonderful Outdoor World Making s'mores, telling stories and gazing at stars. Does that sound like education? It does if you're on a WOW campout! If you live in the city, are between the ages of 9 and 12, and would like to learn about the great outdoors up close, check this out. Wonderful Outdoor World, or WOW, takes urban kids on camping trips to teach them about the environment in a fun, active way. WOW programs are sponsored in a growing number of cities. So far, BLM sponsors WOW campouts in these areas: Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Washington DC; and Salt Lake City, Utah. On May 19, 1995, the City of Los Angeles started WOW with a pilot program that offered ten groups of 30 children the opportunity to participate in one night overnight campouts in selected Los Angeles city parks. WOW "graduates" now hail from several states, and have even participated in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California for the past three years (riding horses and carrying the WOW banner)! This is the only youth group ever to have been allowed to ride in the parade. WOW! At a WOW campout, you will learn basic outdoor skills, including tent set up, camp stove cooking, fishing, emergency preparedness and environmental education. Days are spent learning about wildlife ecosystems, and ?Leave No Trace? outdoor ethics, while nights are spent making those s'mores, telling stories and gazing at the stars. Campers conduct a community service project during the campout and receive a sleeping bag, flashlight, WOW t-shirt and information on how they may experience new adventures in the great outdoors. Each camper receives a journal outlining key environmental topics and packed with fun activities. Check out these sites to learn more about the Wonderful Outdoor World. WOW! http://www.az.blm.gov/pfo/wow.html http://home.attbi.com/~actnow2000/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html http://www.es.blm.gov/archive/kids_new/cool/pages/wow.html http://www.blm.gov:80/education/feature/feature2.html http://www.blm.gov:80/nhp/news/releases/pages/2001/pr010921_youth.htm http://www.laparks.org/dos/camps/wow.htm Leave No Trace: http://www.leavenotrace.com/ ________________________________________________________________________ WOW Partners National WOW sponsors are diverse and include corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. These national partners include: the Bureau of Land Management, Coleman Company, Forest Service, National Park Service, The Recreation Roundtable, The Walt Disney Company and Wells Cargo Trailers. There are also numerous partners in the local communities where the WOW program is sponsored. BLM Arizona State Director Denise Meridith is a co-founder of WOW. http://www.az.blm.gov/pfo/wow.html http://www.es.blm.gov/archive/kids_new/cool/pages/wow.html http://home.attbi.com/~actnow2000/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html Jump to Another Opportunity

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