Nathan Y Jarvis
Expert Kid-Friendly Guest Experiences
Custom Projects
Smartful Kids custom work is for resorts that want to blend on brand design, local identity/flavor, and legitimate learning resources that are part of a growth strategy that serves the business, guests, and instructors.
Content continuity from arrival, indoors and/or outdoors (indoors is not so much an option right now), and from flatland to steep slopes is what I help create when we collaborate.
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Imagine a “never ever” child arriving at your resort for the first time. The guest-facing signage is fun, friendly and easy to understand. There are images and videos of kids like you sliding, laughing and having a best-day-ever.
You go outside to the beginner learning area and find familiar images that promise play, adventure, and fun.
And as you start to adventure up the mountain you discover that there’s a game to find all the special signs that teach about the Responsibility Code. When you’ve found all of them you get a special sticker from your coach.
What’s that in the trees? There are hidden Tree Treasures to find—silly objects attached to trees (in a forest-friendly non-damaging way, of course). The new “Find ‘em all” game requires a coach’s insider knowledge, learning new skills, and lots of smileage in order to discover all the hidden treasures.
It also requires as much time as it takes to progress and safely tackle the terrain where the treasures have been hidden. After all, some are near green slopes, others on blue runs, and there’s even one on a black run! Depending on the skill progression and size of the resort, "as much time as it takes" may be an entire day for kids with advanced skills, and entire vacation visit for some, and for the never-ever crowd, well, they now have a quest to pursue over several seasons!
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A continuity content program creates a thread that becomes a string that becomes a rope that creates a strong bridge of emotional connection, a.k.a. loyalty. That’s what we’ll create when we collaborate.
I am a storyteller. Stories are sticky (in a very good way). Your resort has a unique story to tell. Let’s tell it together in a way that never-evers become lifelong enthusiasts for not just skiing or riding, but for the place where their own story on snow started.
Here’s what we’ll do together
We start with three clarifying questions:
1. What do you want to say?
2. Why do you want to say it?
3. To whom do you want to say it?
We’ll collaborate to
• Work within brand standards and coordinate with Marketing
• Reflect local flavor and honor National Forrest requirements
• Create a continuity content program that connects every aspect of a child’s mountain experience from arrival as a never ever on flatland to making advanced turns on steeper terrain.
• Do an audit to see where engagement and teaching opportunities are being underutilized.
• Have a mountain of fun doing it!
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in the Toolbox
• Print materials: stickers, pocket papers, tree treasure maps, etc.
• Signage: Wall graphics, outdoor slope mesh, outdoor signage
• 3-D Tree Treasures
• Video “Stoke Loops” to play in rental and/or arrival areas. These require on location video, and model releases when applicable.
• Creation of learning area teaching resources.
• Graphics to share with existing external vendors, and internal sign shops
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Smartful Kids is Nathan Jarvis, award-winning, internationally known illustrator, 40-year Kid World expert explorer, PSIA-AASI Children’s Specialist, Park City Trainer/Instructor. Co-creator of the quadruple award-winning A-B-Skis and Goodnight Chairlift picture books written by Olympian Libby Ludlow. Creator of the new PSIA-AASI Kids’ Activity and Coloring Book, and the PSIA-AASI endorsed free eBook, “I’m Smart. I Know the Code!”