The Road More Taken

What do you walk or drive on? Paths, streets, highways all mark our communal movement. Don’t just trample them – give them the respect they deserve. And make your own path in doing the following activities.

CONNECT:

•  How are roads made? The answer(s) are available at https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-you-build-a-road
• What was the historical road to roads? Follow the story at http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a4447/the-road-ahead-road-evolution/
•  How did toll roads start? Read about it history in the US at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/mcdonaldtoll.cfm
•  “All roads lead to Rome.” How did this saying start? Find out at https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/all-roads-lead-to-rome

CREATE:

•  While you’re on the road, banish backseat boredom by playing these car games: http://www.minitime.com/trip-tips/10-Best-Car-Games-for-Kids-article
• Learn how to read (And make) trail signs: http://howtowilderness.com/trail-signs/
• Play these park and street cleaning games: http://www.cleaning-games.net/park-and-street. Maybe they will inspire you to make your streets clean in real life.
• Make your own rocky road dessert using this kid-friendly recipe: https://planningwithkids.com/2009/06/06/rocky-road-recipe-kid-friendly-version/

CARE:

• Here’s a way to turn community (including streets) clenup into a fun scavenger hunt: http://www.mykidsadventures.com/cleanup-scavenger-hunt/
• Learn how to make and maintain a hiking trail at https://mylandplan.org/content/hiking-0
•  Help reduce and slow down traffic in your street with these activities: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-you-can-do/change-your-street/easy-ways-reduce-traffic-your-street
• The Expanded Environment is a non-profit group that tries to help the relationship between biological systems and architecture. They visualize animal movement in order to help engineers to identify eco-friendly human paths and roads. See those animal paths at http://www.expandedenvironment.org/animal-paths/

CAREERS:

Roads can carry you to a career: in urban planning, construction, engineering, road safety personnel. These are some career paths for you to consider:

https://www.brazen.com/blog/archive/job-search/urban-planning-jobs-how-to-get-them-and-what-to-expect/

https://www.sokanu.com/careers/civil-engineer/

https://www.chp.ca.gov/chp-careers

D

Happy Trails to You!

Trails mark the landscape of civilizations – as well as animals. Track some famous trails, and learn how to make your own.

CONNECT:

• ·         This site allows you to view the Inca Trail, and track it with its interactive map: http://raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/SouthAmerica/Peru/IncaTrail.html
• ·         Site maps, riders, history of the trail, museums, stations, statues, facts and a quiz about the Pony Express are found at http://www.xphomestation.com/
• ·         The National Park Service provides a map of the Lewis and Clark trail, a brief history of the expedition, and a look at the trail today: https://www.nps.gov/lecl/index.htm
• ·         Take a journey along Wisconsin’s glacial landscapes of its Ice Age Trail: http://www.iceagetrail.org/#sthash.ixt0AWRY.dpuf
• ·         How do we know the exact trails that explorers made? This website, http://www.floridahistory.com/inset44.html, points out the many sources of information – and assumptions – that lead or mislead historians to figure out how to track past trails.

CREATE:

• ·         The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail, had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the interior mining camps. Try out one of these activities about the Iditarod Trail, which is now a dogsledding race: http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/Iditarod-Resources-for-Grades-K-5.html.
• ·         Follow the Oregon Trail at http://oregontrail101.com/. Did you know that a glass of water could cost $100 on the Oregon Trail? You can make a Trivia game based on fascinating facts about the trail.
• ·         Take a cyber trail of the Santa Fe Trail as it winds through the current West: http://www.kansasheritage.org/research/sft/sft-cities.html
• ·         This class mapped animal trails in their back yard: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/trail/trail.htm. Try making your own animal backyard trail map.
• ·         Follow the legendary Paul Bunyan Trail at http://www.paulbunyantrail.com/talltale.html
• ·         Welcome to the Tolkien Trail, traveller! You are about to embark upon a journey that takes you across Middle Earth, as described in J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Your guide on this tour is the famed wizard Gandalf. Along the way, you will encounter games, fan fiction, music, and original artwork at http://tolkientrail.com/

CARE:

·         Learn how to read and comply with trail signs: http://howtowilderness.com/trail-signs/

• ·        Enjoy hiking trails, and help maintain them: http://mylandplan.org/content/hiking-0
• ·         Follow these steps to make your own trails: https://www.trails.com/how_2436_build-trails.html
• ·         Ever dreamed of snowmobiling? There are safety tips as you follow – or make – your own snow trail: http://www.snowmobile.org/snowmobiling-safety.html
• ·         Help preserve California and Oregon trails: http://www.octa-trails.org/preserve

CAREERS:

Make your own career trail, or follow the career paths of others who like trails: historians, cartographers, naturalists, rangers, recreation specialists.

·         http://dnr.wi.gov/eek/job/naturalist.htm

·         http://www.environmentalscience.org/career/forest-ranger

·         http://www.americantrails.org/nttp/default.htm

·         http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2013/03/new-cartographers

·         https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-history-majors