Nataliya Zasadko didn’t have to persuade her seven-year-old son, Marko, to go exploring. He was excited to hit the trail, and this time he had a GPS device to guide the way.
The gear came from the Anythink Nature Library in Thornton, Colorado, where visitors can borrow nature kits along with books. Marko and his mom checked out an outdoor camera with a macro lens and a GPS device, then took them to a scenic alpine trail near Santa Fe Peak.
Marko used the GPS to plan their route and guide his mother. With the camera, he looked closely at the world along the way, photographing bumblebees and flowers. The equipment gave him more than something to carry: it gave him a reason to take charge of the adventure.
That kind of gear can be expensive. Nataliya estimated the GPS device would have cost $300 or $400, and the camera about $500. Borrowing them let the family try the equipment without making that investment first.
The Nature Library now offers about 850 “TryIt” kits, with items for birdwatching, gardening, hiking, and other ways to explore. The idea is simple: people shouldn’t need to own a lot of specialized equipment before they can discover what they enjoy outdoors.
On this hike, a borrowed GPS turned Marko into the guide, and a camera helped him notice the small things around him. Sometimes an adventure begins with a library card and a child who’s ready to show you the way.
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