30-Sept-2023

Thank you for visiting the Green Spiral Tours blog page. Although no longer in operation, Green Spiral Tours knows Saint Louis as a magical world worth celebrating. This blog documents a sweet timeless moment that will soon be synthesized into a “true fairy tale” book for children…

Green Spiral Tours was created by me, Jessica Hoagland, as a Family Adventure School, which I started during the “Great Recession” of 2008, and operated until the “Great Pandemic” of 2020. Programs included family learning adventures, reflection exercises and internships for high school seniors.

Curated from nearly 400 scouting missions, Green Spiral Tours hosted over 70 adventures for over 500 Saint Louis families, inspiring a wave of similar field trips that soon began offering small-group learning adventures. We were the original family nature school in Saint Louis, using the whole city as our outdoor classroom.

Pivoting to adventure maps, I produced 100 adventure maps of Saint Louis, usually with a nature or sustainability theme, all based on real adventures and field-tested by real St. Louis families. Thank you to our Green Spiral and Urban Wild families who left their computers to join us on real-world learning adventures!

Partnering with Forest School Teacher Angela Wildermuth, Green Spiral published “Urban Wild Adventures”, a book of ten family adventure maps featuring popular parks and playgrounds. Angela is the curator of the adventures while I am the creator of the maps.

Begun in 2016, we launched our best version of “Urban Wild Adventures” in March 2020, just as the pandemic settled in and families needed to get outside. We’re no longer hosting adventure trips, but we ARE still actively updating the maps… and we’re proud of our work!

Angela is currently running the Wilderkids Forest School, and has recently been featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, here.

You can contact Angela here.

You can buy our book of ten Urban Wild adventure maps on Amazon, here.

Before starting Green Spiral Tours, I worked at the Clayton Schools’ Family Center as one of the very first nature preschool teachers in Saint Louis. The Family Center has long practiced child-centered learning and project-based work, and they are leaders in the Reggio Emilia approach. In 2008, I earned a Master of Arts in Education specializing in Interdisciplinary Studies from Webster University (Eco-Literacy/Education for Sustainability), and went on to start Green Spiral Tours.

With a Masters degree in education, seven years of experience as a nature teacher, seven years leading family field trips and seven more years synthesizing a deep understanding of St. Louis into adventure maps, I bring a unique perspective, a depth of knowledge and an intrepid love for St. Louis to any project. I’m now a graphic facilitator and map-maker for books, but also available as consultant or small group speaker, often bringing adventure maps to speaking engagements.

You can reach me here.

Thank you for your interest and keep scrolling for the top ten adventure maps of Saint Louis….

Top Ten Adventure Maps

The Berry Good Map: This adventure map features the best places to pick strawberries, blueberries, peaches and raspberries. We mapped the parade of berries! Unfortunately, this map is aging out due to climate change and farmer conditions, but at one time each location on this map was field tested, multiple times, by Green Spiral families. Picking strawberries with children is a luxury adventure; don’t let your kids grow up without picking strawberries at least once! Preschool graduation is a particularly perfect time to go…

Kayaking with Kids: This adventure map has been field tested many times, but not since the pandemic. The Courtois River is a great place for middle school kids to try out their first kayak, or for families ready for that first canoe adventure. It’s very beautiful and peaceful. Go at least once. On Labor Day Monday. See blog post below for exactly “how to”…

French Lover Map: This map was curated by a local french teacher and was created for the Chicago-based Counsel General of France, who was scheduled to visit Saint Louis (until the pandemic cancelled his visit in 2020). According to the History Museum, it’s the first French map of Saint Louis in over 100 years! Available at the Chatillon-Demenil House. Vive Saint Louis!

Graduation Map: This is the first ever “Graduation Map” of Saint Louis, filled with all good things about growing up in this great city. It features many favorite American teenage foods, all invented right here in good old Saint Louis!

Tennessee Williams Map: The black and white version of this map celebrating Tennessee Williams can be found in a very scholarly book titled “Blue Song” by Washington University professor Henry Schvey. Saint Louis is home to many great American writers…

Citizen’s Police Academy: This story-map hangs in the Clayton Police Chief’s Office. It’s a synthesis of all things learned at the Citizen’s Police Academy program, a fairly arduous program for citizens to learn about local policing.

Ferguson: This is a map of Ferguson, a darling middle class town and home to many interesting things including farmer markets, breweries, the challenger Space Center and a first rate organic farm school. Green Spiral has many such neighborhood maps; this one is still in rough draft….

Old Courthouse: The Old Courthouse is currently under construction, but a trip to the top of the cupola is a worthy family adventure, especially on Epiphany. The building is so historic, important and beautiful that it’s a mystery why more school field trips are not scheduled there. The Old Courthouse stands as an enduring temple to the rule of law.

Magical World: Work in progress and a new true fairy tale for 2024..!!! Stay tuned….

Crawdad Catching: A wonderful adventure in Forest Park, especially near Father’s Day, this is a sample of the maps included in the Urban Wild Adventures book. Which again, you can buy here. We’re also still monitoring our email at GreenSpiralTours@gmail.com – just in case you want to invite us on your next adventure… !!

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