From October 2025 to May 2026, the University of Wyoming Extension will lead a program that inspires outdoor adventures and encourages families to spend time together.
“Ready, Set, Explore” is a free annual program open to the public. Participants can complete monthly activities with anyone they consider family, from parents and siblings to friends and neighbors.
Those who register for the program between October and May will receive an email with a link to all eight months of activities. Each month includes outdoor activities, tips about health and nature, a handout on a natural resource, a snack idea, and a journal prompt.
The activities are designed to help families to connect to each other and to nature. October’s activities, for example, include going on a fall scavenger hunt, decorating pumpkins, and building a scarecrow.
“Reading, health, movement, snacks, and time together [are] so important for our family and the activities help us do all of that! It gives our oldest tricks and activities to use when she babysits other families too,” comments 2024 participant Lexie Scherr.
Families can receive a small prize every month for completing at least four activities and submitting a written reflection on their experience with these activities.
Ready, Set, Explore is led by UW Extension educators Hailey Sorg, Josh Bliss, Joddee Jacobsen, Gretchen Gasvoda, and Jedidiah Hewlett.
Bliss emphasizes the program’s flexibility. “You have the freedom to do these activities at your own pace throughout the month,” he says.
Families who participate in Ready, Set, Explore for at least four of the eight months are awarded an annual day-use pass for Wyoming State Parks. The pass covers day-use fees for one vehicle for all Wyoming state parks and historic sites. It does not cover other fees, such as camping fees.
“Ready, Set, Explore [gives] families a reason to slow down, step outside and connect—with nature and with each other,” says Sorg. “We’ve heard from participants how much joy and calm it brought to their busy lives.”
The Ready, Set, Explore program is supported by Wyoming State Parks, Wyoming’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management, the Wyoming Enrichment Network, the Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts, the Wyoming Natural Resource Foundation, and the University of Wyoming Cent$ible Nutrition Program.
To learn more and to register for the program, visit https://bit.ly/ready-set-site. Contact the Ready, Set, Explore team at readysetexplore.4h@gmail.com or 307-235-9400 for more information.
