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Fourth grade students from across the Keweenaw Peninsula and western Upper Michigan will be attending day-long field trips at Keweenaw National Historical Park from May 15-17. The annual event is known as Copper TRACES and is part of the Every Kid in a Park program. The name Copper TRACES identifies the topics that are the focus of the field-trip: Technology, Research, Art and Music, Community, Environment, and Service. This event is a fun, educational field-day that engages students through a variety of hands-on activity stations – all of which meet Michigan Education Standards.
To make Copper TRACES possible, 20 community partners, over 60 volunteers, and park rangers are on hand for three days as they guide students through an immersive field-trip experience. The annual event has become a much anticipated program that students and educators look forward to each spring. Copper TRACES is also a great way to introduce students to the natural and cultural sites that abound throughout western Upper Michigan.
As mentioned, Copper TRACES is part of the Every Kid in a Park program. This national program provides fee-free entry for all 4th graders (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age) and up to three adults to National Park Service sites and other public lands. The Every Kid in a Park pass is good for one year.
Copper TRACES is made possible with funding from the National Park Foundation (NPF) through the Every Kid in a Park Field Trip Grants program. Keweenaw National Historical Park has received an NPF grant in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Funding from this grant pays for student transportation costs, participant lunches, and event logistics.
For more information about Keweenaw National Historical Park and other park events and programs, contact park headquarters at 906/337-3168, or check the web at www.nps.gov/kewe.
