With kids getting out of school for the summer, many families are looking for cheap activities to keep the whole family occupied.
Most Utah families are used to the usual summer routine: visiting a national park, going swimming, and making a trip to the movies once or twice.
Naomi is here to tell us about USU's free resource, the Hidden Gem Adventure Guides.
These guides exist as cheap, low-stress, accessible activity options for various family and friend dynamics. The guides provide easy access to activities that can spice up the summer with something new.
Wynter Varner
Thank you for joining us today, Naomi.
Naomi Brower
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Wynter Varner
Let's just hop right in. What are the Hidden Gems Adventure Guides?
Naomi Brower
So, the Hidden Gems Adventure Guides are a free resource created to help strengthen relationships through having fun together while also focusing on some kind of aspect of healthy relationships, social emotional learning, or positive youth development.
We offer guides specifically for families, but we also have guides for couples and adults to use with friends or adult children.
Our collection includes guides that people can use at home, guides to go explore the community throughout the whole state, and guides designed for non-specific locations, such as at parks or on road trips.
We've made a deliberate effort to provide activities that appeal to a wide range of ages and family dynamics, while also using inexpensive, easy-to-access supplies. That way, the guides are practical and accessible for most families.
We currently have over 165 guides, 75 of which are family guides, and we continue to add new ones regularly.
That makes it likely that every family can find a guide that would fit their needs or their interests.
Wynter Varner
You mentioned briefly that the guides reinforce positive youth development. What does that mean, and why is it important?
Naomi Brower
Well, positive youth development is all of the skills and traits needed to help youth become caring, healthy, competent, contributing members of society.
Each guide incorporates one of those qualities, such as competence, boundaries, communication, or service.
In addition to learning those certain skills, perhaps even more importantly, the guides focus on family connection.
That's important, because research has shown that children who spend quality time with their families have fewer behavioral problems, fewer substance abuse and delinquency issues, and better academic outcomes.
They also feel happier and more fulfilled in the long run, and who doesn't want that for their kids?
Wynter Varner
What is an example of one of the activities that people have available to them through the guides?
Naomi Brower
In one of the guides, "Superhero Training," family members create superhero identities by randomly selecting both strengths and weaknesses that they use throughout all the other activities in the guide.
So, for example, during the obstacle course, family members might try to distract a participant, completing the course by using that person's assigned superhero weakness.
The participant uses their superhero strengths to overcome the distractions and complete the challenge.
Following the activities, the guide includes discussion questions to help participants reflect on what happened, how it made them feel, and how those concepts can be applied to everyday life.
These discussions are designed to reinforce those principles that are in each of the guides.
Wynter Varner
Where can folks at home find more information about the Hidden Gems Adventure Guides?
Naomi Brower
All of the guides are available at hiddengems.usu.edu.
When you go to that website, you can simply click on the guide that you would like to download and you'll be directed to a very brief survey.
That survey will help us collect an email address where you'll get those free guides right to your inbox.
It's also going to help us to better understand what guides are most popular, so we can continue creating resources that meet your needs.
Wynter Varner
Just to tie us up, is there anything else, like any other resources, that you would like to share today?
Naomi Brower
Well, we've talked mostly about the family guides, but I think it's great to check out the other guides that are available on there as well.
There's date night guides and guides that individuals can use individually or with family members or adult children as well.
So, there's lots to do this summer, and I hope that people take advantage of it.
Wynter Varner
Thank you again for joining us today, Naomi.
Naomi Brower
Thanks for having me.
Wynter Varner
This has been Wynter Varner with the USU Extension Education Highlights. Thank you for tuning in.
If you'd like to see more of what USU's Extension program has to offer, you can visit their website at extension.usu.edu.
There, you'll find resources discussing anything under the sun— including nutrition, gardening tips, relationship advice, money handling lessons, and youth programs.
