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Passport to Nature
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Home > Get Outside > Passport to Nature
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Passport to Nature logoHave fun with your family as you discover and share the world of nature through special Passport to Nature (PTN) programs that are specially designed for family interaction. For every PTN program you and your children attend you will receive a stamp in the matching park box. When you have received a stamp from eight different parks your Passport is complete and can be mailed to the Five Rivers MetroParks office for your prize.

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Every child who completes a Passport with a stamp from eight different parks will become an official MetroParks Nature Traveler and will receive a special nature traveler backpack. Children completing additional Passports will receive a nature discovery tool for the second, third and fourth Passports. There is no time limit on completing a Passport, so you can enjoy Passport To Nature activities at your own pace.

Passport to Nature Programs

 

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Learning about nature
Park Trek: Self-Guided Adventures
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Now, even if your busy schedule makes it difficult to attend free PTN-qualifying programs, you can use Park Trek destinations to earn a stamp, bringing your child one stamp closer to receiving his or her prize!

Park Treks are self-guided adventures in the parks that are clue-based. Park Trek participants begin at a parking lot with the first clue. Using a map, pencil and paper, visitors figure out where the next destination is likely to be, and then hike to it. You don’t have to be an expert, but you will need a little knowledge of the park you’re visiting. Clues are easy to find in the park and are in plain sight. Each clue leads to the next, until ending at a hidden place where there are passports and a stamp. Visitors are encouraged to sign the guestbook in the hidden place.

To start your next Park Trek adventure, begin at the bulletin boards at the following locations:

Possum Creek MetroPark:
Argonne Lake Parking Lot

Germantown MetroPark:
Nature Center Parking Lot

Englewood MetroPark:
Patty’s Shelter Parking Lot

Sugarcreek MetroPark:
Conference Road Parking Lot

How To Get Your Backpack
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When eight of the boxes in your Passport are stamped, fill in the requested information and mail your passport to:

Five Rivers MetroParks
c/o Passport to Nature
409 E. Monument Ave., Third Floor
Dayton, OH 45402

Nature Exploration
Learn About Nature Play For Kids
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Recent studies show that children are smarter, cooperative, happier and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for free and unstructured play outdoors.
 
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"Protecting the region's natural heritage and providing outdoor experiences that inspire a personal connection with nature."
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