Adventure Awaits: How One Colorado Teacher is Revolutionizing Gift-Giving for Kids

In the picturesque town of Erie, Colorado, elementary school teacher Mike Moore is transforming how families think about gifting experiences to children. As the founder of Go Explore Gift Cards, Moore has created an innovative platform that connects local businesses offering youth-focused experiences with parents, grandparents, and gift-givers seeking meaningful alternatives to traditional presents. His mission embodies the company’s philosophy: “Go explore your own interests.”

A Passion for Exploration

Moore’s dedication to helping children explore their interests stems from his own journey of discovery that began after college when he chose adventure over immediate career advancement. Instead of jumping straight into teaching, he followed his wanderlust to places like Nepal, where he trekked to the base of Mount Everest. Standing at the foot of the world’s highest peak was a transformative moment that reinforced his belief in the power of experiences.

“I’m kind of a traveler by nature,” Moore reflects. “When I became a teacher, I certainly took advantage of all our summer holidays. We pack the car up for road trips and just get out there. I’m not afraid to explore a new place or get into someplace unfamiliar – I feel like there’s a lot of reward in that.” His passion for capturing these moments through videography and photography has become a cherished family tradition, creating lasting memories through home videos of their adventures.

Supporting Local Business Growth

What sets Go Explore Gift Cards apart is its commitment to supporting local Colorado businesses while enabling children to pursue their own passions. Unlike traditional discount platforms that often require businesses to significantly mark down their services, Go Explore partners with businesses at no upfront cost, helping them reach new customers without sacrificing their bottom line.

“We’re really supporting small Colorado businesses,” Moore emphasizes. “When we’re marketing directly to kids, we’re actually bringing in whole families. A seven-year-old receiving our gift card can’t drive themselves to an axe-throwing place – they’re going to bring friends, siblings, and parents along. We’re helping businesses grow their customer base organically while giving kids the freedom to explore what interests them most.”

This multiplier effect is what excites Moore most about his business model. Each gift card redemption often brings in additional paying customers, creating value for both the business and the family enjoying the experience together.

Making Gift-Giving Easy and Flexible

The platform offers both digital and physical gift cards, making it convenient for any gifting occasion. “Our physical gift cards are great to put into a birthday card – kids love having something tangible,” Moore explains. “But you can also send one easily digitally through our website.”

With the holiday season approaching, Moore sees the gift cards as perfect stocking stuffers. To build excitement and awareness, the company runs monthly giveaways on social media, offering $50 and $100 gift cards to lucky winners. “We think what we do would be a great stocking stuffer for kids,” Moore says. “We’re planning to do as much promotion and advertising as we can around the Christmas holidays.”

The system’s flexibility is another key feature that supports the “explore your own interests” philosophy. Gift cards come in various denominations, starting as low as $5, and can be used across multiple experiences. “If a kid gets a $50 gift card and uses $25 somewhere, they still have $25 remaining,” Moore explains. “We’ve got different experiences at all different price points so that they can use it down to the last $5. It makes it easy for kids to use it for multiple experiences and truly explore what interests them.”

Discovering Local Treasures

Covering the Front Range area from Boulder to Colorado Springs, with some offerings in the mountainous regions including zipline adventures, Go Explore has become a gateway to discovering local attractions. “Just by doing this, I’m starting to learn that there are amazing museums and activities I didn’t even know existed,” Moore shares. “I want our website to be a place where parents can discover what’s around them in their community that their kids could explore together.”

The platform divides experiences into three engaging categories: creative experiences like art classes, active experiences for the physically energetic, and inspired experiences including museum visits and educational tours. This categorization helps children easily navigate toward their areas of interest while potentially discovering new passions along the way.

“A kid who takes their first karate class because they said ‘I want to give karate a try’ might find their life’s passion,” Moore reflects. “We’re trying to create memories for families and for kids while supporting our local business community and helping children explore their own interests.”

Parents and grandparents have embraced the concept, appreciating how it puts the ownership of decisions in children’s hands while eliminating the hassle of returns or duplicate gifts. As Moore looks toward the future, he continues to focus on growing his network of experience providers and helping more families discover the joy of giving experiences over things.

To learn more about Go Explore Gift Cards or to purchase a gift card, visit goexploregiftcards.com. Follow their journey on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to stay updated on new experiences and participate in their monthly gift card giveaways.

Website: goexploregiftcards.com

Facebook: Go Explore Gift Cards

Instagram: @goexploregiftcards

TikTok: @goexploregiftcards