Get Kids Outside: Outdoor Adventures with Kids

African savannas and Wisconsin state parks

Get Kids Outside — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:16:24 +0000

Outdoor adventures with kids bring curious comparisons.

“It looks like Africa,” said 8-year-old Marjorie as we drove into Governor Nelson State Park on a cold March day.

I paused, a bit thrown by her thoughtful comment. I mean, I had never heard Wisconsin and Africa being linked geographically. And even if comparisons could be made, you’d think they’d be made during a blistering heat wave and not when the ground was still frozen.

Yet, she was right.

In March, the Wisconsin savanna does look like the African savanna, a sea of tan grass with a few trees dotting the landscape. I almost expected a lion to appear, the image was so vivid in my mind.

This 8-year-old girl made a deep connection between Wisconsin and Africa that can only be made by experience. This blew me away. I love being shown how to see something in an entirely new way and sometimes it takes a child to do it.

This experience is one of many I’ve had while taking kids on outings to state properties. Over the past three years, the Goodman Community Center has partnered with the Sierra Club’s Inner City Outings program to provide outdoor opportunities to more than 300 low-income kids and their families. Outings include hiking, geocaching, eagle watching on the Wisconsin River, cookouts in the middle of winter, Maple Syrup Days at MacKenzie Environmental Education Center and more.

The Goodman Community Center provides the transportation and staff while the Sierra Club provides volunteer leadership, a healthy snack and admission fees. It’s a great arrangement that has introduced many kids to the outdoors.

In the process, they’re learning about the outdoors, having fun and gaining valuable life skills. Here are a few stories.

“Don’t let it get me”

I grew up tromping around in Pheasant Branch Creek in Middleton and visiting my mom’s childhood farm in Sauk County. I had secret hide-outs that I claimed as my own. I could get lost in play and spend hours in the outdoors unsupervised. Therefore, I thought that everyone knew how to hike and enjoy the outdoors.

Not so.

Kids today generally do not have such freedom. Their lives are more structured and free play is limited or nonexistent. Today, we have to take kids outdoors and teach them the basics.

For example, on that same, cold Africa-like trip to Governor Nelson State Park, I pointed out a red-tailed hawk to the group. Immediately, two girls covered their heads and screamed, “Don’t let it get me!”

It never occurred to me that someone could fear a hawk. For me, hawks always meant good luck. The kids also didn’t know how to walk quietly in the woods and listen for animals. On our first outing, they all ran down the path as if on a race.

Turns out, hiking in a state park is cultural. Looking for animals, being quiet and relishing the sights and sounds of the outdoors are taught by doing.

Some kids also need permission to play. I can’t tell you how many kids ask permission to do what appears to be obvious.

On a trip to Blue Mound State Park, the kids asked permission to play in huge piles of oak leaves. I can’t shake the questioning look on their faces when we got to the leaves. They needed permission. It’s as if kids are so conditioned by school that they don’t know how to explore. Outdoor adventures give kids opportunities to leave school rules behind and have fun.

Is there a better playground than a leaf pile?

Doing so, kids learn so much: they overcome fears, they learn self-reliance and perseverance, they learn how to listen and observe, they learn to recognize plants and animals, and how to stay warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. They simply learn to love the outdoors.

While the kids are learning, their parents are learning, too. Parent participation for our trips doubled last year and we expect more parents to participate this year. Outdoor activity is contagious.

Multiple studies have shown that kids who spend time outdoors do better in school and have less stress. I would further argue that outdoor skills enhance real self esteem.

“I saw that”

“Look carefully, you might see a turkey.”

Or a deer or a snake or a sandhill crane. Just fill in the blank. There’s nothing better than seeing an animal for the first time. It’s exciting and fun and makes kids happy. I think it helps kids do better in school, especially kids who struggle with academics.

I have a group of boys who consistently attend my trips. These kids have enviable energy levels that can test even the best of teachers. Outside, however, they are stimulated and respectful…most of the time. I believe it’s because they’re always “looking for a turkey.” Outside, they never know what’s going to happen. They’re a little bit anxious and a little bit excited. That’s a good mix. It keeps kids on their toes.

The boys saw a dizzying array of birds last spring at Governor Nelson State Park: sandhill cranes, catbird, hummingbird, geese, swallows and lots more.

Do you think the next time they see a crane or a hummingbird in a book, they’ll know what they are? No doubt. Do you think they’ll be proud of themselves? Confident? You bet. They’ll have the satisfaction of knowing something deep down and that could make all the difference.

“I saw that. I really did.”

I can hear it now.

“I did it”

“Do we really get to shoot a gun?” squealed 8-year-old Gavin.

Yes, yes you can.

In July, I took a group to Outdoor Skills Day at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center in Poynette. It’s a day when kids learn how to do normally forbidden things like throw a hatchet and shoot a pellet gun among other “dangerous” outdoor skills.

Naturally, the kids couldn’t wait.

Outdoor skills are perfect for kids with high energy. I could see their confidence grow as the day went on. They loved using their minds and their bodies to succeed.

“I hit it,” beamed 5-year-old Ebrahim after hitting the target with a hatchet – just one of 50 kids who did.

Five-year-old Maria, hesitant at first about using a gun, quickly found her inner sharpshooter and racked up a string of bulls-eyes. I swear she grew two inches taller, her confidence soaring in the wake of her accomplishment.

This is real self-esteem that comes from doing something the child didn’t think she could do, not the fake self-esteem that comes from meaningless praise.

We tend to forget that even young kids can accomplish great things if given a chance.

“Can my kid go?”

Three years ago, a distraught mother asked me if 8-year-old John could come on an outing.

John’s behavior was out of control at school. I told her that the trips are meant for kids like John. He came along and he did well, very well.

Since then, John has attended more trips than any other child with no meltdowns, tantrums or outbursts. His mother shared his success with his classroom teachers and the positive feedback helped John turn the corner for the better. He’s now in fifth grade and succeeding on all levels.

I have no doubt that these trips helped John get through a difficult year, just like nature helped me get through my dad’s death when I was 10 years old.

Nature heals, soothes and inspires, which is a primary reason why I do this work.

My hope is that exposing young kids to our beautiful state properties will lay a foundation for lifelong learning and happiness. At the very least, the kids get an adventure full of wonder, fun, and perhaps even a little learning.

Diane Schwartz is a consultant, writer and outdoor education teacher at Goodman Communitiy Center in Madison. She writes a blog at Get Kids Outside. She is also the site coordinator at Schumacher Farm in Waunakee. You can contact her at Diane Schwartz.

To learn more about environmental education for kids, visitEnvironmental Education for Kids (EEK!). The Wisconsin State Park System has a new initiative aimed at getting children and families to spend more time outdoors with nature. It’s fun, and it’s good for you!To learn more visit Get Outdoors! Wisconsin. To donate to the Outdoor Education Fund, send tax deductible contributions to:
Goodman Community Center
149 Waubesa Street
Madison, WI 53704
Attn: Diane Schwartz

Story and photos by Diane Schwartz, Feb 2012 Issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine

From warming hut to Prairie-style palace: Tenney Park Shelter

Get Kids Outside — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:55:10 +0000

Story and photos by Di ane Schwartz on Thursday 01/26/2012, Isthmus Newspaper

The Tenney Park lagoon is frequently called Madison’s prettiest place to skate. Shaped like an uneven horseshoe, surrounded by trees and crossed by graceful arched bridges, it’s a setting reminiscent of a Currier and Ives painting. But until recently, the warming shelter was a dark and gloomy no-frills building built in 1958 and beginning to decay.

Now, the park has a shelter worthy of its status as a city of Madison Landmark and its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Completed in December after four years of planning and a $1 million fundraising effort, the building looks right at home. Officially named the John T. Wall Family Pavilion in honor of its largest donor, it was designed by Plunkett Raysich Architects of Madison and incorporates such Prairie-style elements as natural limestone and broad overhanging eaves, all to match the park’s design roots.

“We used the old bathroom on Marston at Sherman, now used for storage, as the inspiration for the building,” says Mary Lang Sollinger, chair of the Tenney Park Shelter Group.

Inside, the shelter has rustic charm. Skaters can lace up in a well-lit room with tall ceilings edged with wood beams and sip cocoa in front of a limestone fireplace, built from recycled limestone from the old shelter. Above the fireplace hangs a huge sepia-tone photo depicting a tranquil scene of suspender-clad boys fishing in the lagoon circa 1935.

Remarkably, the scene (sans the suspenders) and the feel of the park have changed little, despite 30,000-plus cars going by each day.

In 1899, the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association purchased the land with a $4,000 grant from Madison attorney Daniel K. Tenney. It was “intended to serve the families of working men and women who lived near the shops and factories on the isthmus,” according to the city’s parks website. The Association then hired Ossian Simonds, a nationally known landscape architect, who, along with Jens Jensen, created a distinct “prairie style” of landscaping, to design the park.

“The idea was to create naturalistic landscaping using native plants,” says Wisconsin Historical Society architectural historian Jim Draeger. “It’s very similar to what is done today.” In 1908, famed park planner John Nolen updated the design to better reflect the public’s growing demand for active forms of recreation. Some of the lagoon was drained to make room for a “broad meadow,” later home to baseball diamonds. Despite changes through the years, Simonds’ original design of lagoon and island remains.

The shelter’s inaugural season has not, so far, been a good one for skating. See cityofmadison.com/parks or call 608-266-4711 to check ice conditions.

All eyes on the eagles: Eagle Days 2012

Get Kids Outside — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:21:20 +0000

Cashel Nelson, 8, looks through a scope at the eagle overlook in Prairie du Sac during Bald Eagle Watching Days 2010 while his friend from Madison's Goodman Community Center Qarly Haywood, 8, awaits her turn.By Jeremiah Tucker, Sauk Prairie Eagle.

Now one of the longest-running events of its kind in the state, Sauk Prairie’s Bald Eagle Watching Days began life as a token of thanks from the state to eagle-deprived volunteers.

Randy Jurewicz, a retired biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, helped organize the first official Eagle Watching Days in Sauk Prairie 25 years ago. The event, he said, grew out of a national census of eagles organized by the National Wildlife Federation.

“We tried to get volunteers to go out all over the state and look for bald eagles,” Jurewicz said. “Now, it’s pretty easy to get people to look for eagles where they’re pretty certain to see them and enjoy them.”

It was more difficult, he said, to persuade volunteers to traipse into regions where there were almost no eagles and confirm their absence for the official count.

“So we said, ‘You do this, and we’ll tell you what, the second Saturday of January in Sauk City, we’ll all get to see eagles together,’” Jurewicz said. “We were trying to entice these volunteers to go to these areas and report a few eagles, if any, and guarantee that by coming to Sauk City we’d show them some eagles and have hot chocolate and free spotting scopes.”

At the time, it was a well-kept secret that every winter when some Sauk Prairie residents decamped for warmer locales, other snowbirds arrived seeking the open water around the dam, the bluffs surrounding the Wisconsin River and the easy food available on the wide-open farming fields.

“The birding community knew about it,” Jurewicz said. “Bird watchers would know about it and they would share it, but the general public didn’t know about it, the public in Southeastern Wisconsin didn’t know about it and certainly not the people in Rockford and Chicago and other places where people are now coming to view it.”

For a few years, Jurewicz and some of his co-workers in the DNR continued to hold a small, informal eagle-watching event in Sauk Prairie. Once the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce and the local conservation group Ferry Bluff Eagle Council signed on as co-sponsors, it became the community event Bald Eagle Watching Days.

This weekend is the 25th anniversary of the first Bald Eagle Watching Days. To mark the occasion Kay Roherty, the event’s chairwoman, said they’ll release a rehabilitated eagle into the wild in VFW Park, necessitating the closing of the boat ramp to accommodate the expected traffic.

“It’s been a few year since we’ve had a release,” Roherty said. “We brought that back for the 25th anniversary.”

Roherty, who has been chairwoman of the event for the last 10 years, said Bald Eagle Watching Days generally brings about 1,500 people into Sauk Prairie. She said over the last 25 years visitors from all over the United States have attended.

“I remember once there was someone from Turkey, but I think he was visiting people in this country,” she said.

While the event has grown from its modest beginnings to include live birds of prey shows, wildlife photography seminars, guided bus tours and multiple exhibits, the primary draw remains seeing bald eagles soaring in their natural habitat.

The eagle numbers remain firm this year. During a recent aerial survey, the DNR counted 186 eagles between Petenwell Lake and the Mississippi and said one of the hot spots was Prairie du Sac. That number is close to the 20-year average.

Jeb Barzen, director of field ecology for the International Crane Foundation, organizes a twice-monthly roost count of eagles in the greater Sauk Prairie area for the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council. Three weeks ago, he said, the count was 162 eagles.

The most recent count showed 45 eagles in the area.

Barzen said the unusually warm weather means that the birds aren’t concentrated around the river as they have been in the past when the freezing weather pushed them to the open water.

“This warm weather simply means that even if we have a lot of birds in the area, the birds are likely going to be spread out from the Prairie du Sac Dam to Lone Rock,” Barzen said. “That’s a pretty big area, even to take 160 birds and spread them out in.”

He warned that the eagle viewing might be sparser than it has during past eagle watching days.

Even so, Jurewicz, who still assists in planning Bald Eagle Watching Days, said visitors will be assured to see eagles whether it’s in the wild or the eagle release on the bank of the Wisconsin River and the live birds of prey show at the River Arts Center.

“Where else can you go some place with your family and get an entire’s day of entertainment and, outside of gas and food, everything else once they get there is free?” Jurewicz said. “There are bus tours; people don’t even have to drive around town.”

Reprint of an article posted in the Sauk Prairie Eagle Wednesday, January 11, 2012 3:17 pm

Get Kids Outside Note: 2012 will be our 4th year attending this event. Our first year, we took 8 kids. This year we’re taking 60 kids and parents!

A flash of white: Bald eagles soar just in time for Eagle Days

Get Kids Outside — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:38:10 +0000

A bald eagle soars over the bluffs at the Spring Green Conservancy. Even at a distance, the birds are magnificent.

Flash of white. Check.
Huge wing span. Check.

Yes, it’s eagle spotting time in southern Wisconsin.

I saw an eagle yesterday near the Wisconsin River. The bird was flying over the bluffs at the Spring Green Nature Conservancy off Hwy 23. With a white head and tail and huge wingspan, there’s no mistaking this bird, even from a distance. Further down the road on County Hwy GG, I spotted an eagle nest tucked into a “V” of the tree.

It’s always exciting to see eagles and to prepare for my annual trek to Eagle Days in Sauk City.

For the fourth consecutive year, I’ll be taking a group of kids and parents to this great public and free event on January 14.

Sauk City is an eagle sanctuary. When the lakes and rivers freeze up north, the birds fly south in search of open water. The Prairie du Sac dam on the Wisconsin River makes a perfect fishing hole for the birds in winter.

Laura Freedman, Minnesota's Raptor Center, talks about eagles at the Bird of Prey show.

Last year we saw about 30 eagles. This year, thanks to a ridiculously warm winter, we’ll be lucky to see five.

Fortunately, there is much to do at Eagle Days and I know we’ll see enough eagles to leave us satisfied.

The Raptor Center will be releasing rehabilitated eagles at the VFW park at 12:30 p.m. and we always enjoy the bird of prey show at 11 a.m. The kids love seeing the birds up close.

As always, it will be a great day to be outside. If you go, look for the group of enthusiastic kids and write to me about how you liked the event.

2011 in review

Get Kids Outside — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:13:41 +0000

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,600 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

“Quit while they’re still kicking” or when to know it’s time to leave

Get Kids Outside — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:47:18 +0000

Learning to skate with walkers helps kids gain confidence.

One of the best pieces of teaching advice I ever got was ”Quit while they’re still kicking.”
At first, I didn’t get it.
Why quit if the kids are still having fun?
Turns out, there’s an art to knowing when to end an activity.

Here’s a case in point.
I went skating on Monday with my 5- and 6-year-old nieces and their mother at Hartmeyer Ice Arena. It was the girls’ first time on skates and I thought they did really well.

They used walkers at first and then graduated to skating on their own. Sure, they fell down a lot, but they seemed to enjoy it…at first. After about an hour of skating, the novelty wore off and they grew tired of falling.

Tears came shortly thereafter. I suggested to their mother that it may be time to leave, but the girls objected. They stayed a bit longer and the whining increased as the kids grew more and more tired. Then, they wanted to go.

While it is very difficult to leave while kids are still having fun, I find that it’s always better to leave them wanting more. Forty-five minutes to an hour is plenty for a first time activity. Then, the next time, they’ll be excited to go again.

Let me know how you decide when enough is enough.

Going Inside to get Outside? Indoor Skating at Hartmeyer Arena

Get Kids Outside — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:50:43 +0000

Skating is a favorite winter sport, but this year, we have no ice.

Balmy temperatures means families must go inside to enjoy this great holiday activity.

Thankfully, Hartmeyer Ice Arena offers public skating on two days:
- Monday, December 26 from noon-2 pm or
- Friday, December 30 from 2-4 pm

Admission is just $4 for adults and $3 for kids.
Skate rentals are $2.

I’ll be there for fun on Monday and for work on Friday, when I’m offering childcare for families. Click this link for more information or email me to register. Just drop your kids (1st-5th grade only) off. Cost is $26 and includes skates, admission and apple snack or $24 if you bring your own skates.

This is a great activity for families on a budget and lots of fun.
Hope to see you there. I’ll be the one in the red fleece jacket.

There ought to be a law: Wisconsin Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights

Get Kids Outside — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:21:22 +0000

This may seem like a no brainer, but in today’s world of competing interests and childhood obesity we can no longer assume that kids are getting outside.

Come to a public hearing on January 5th from 10 am to 2 pm at the State Capitol to promote the Wisconsin Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

Meet the bill’s sponsors, Assemblywoman Taylor and Senator Larson; witness the official announcement of the bill; hand deliver children’s artwork and information packets to other legislators; and celebrate with kid-friendly snacks at a Children’s Bill of Rights social. Read the language and co-sponsors here.

Bring your children, students, scout group, afterschool club or church group!
Help demonstrate to legislators just how many children, families, schools, and businesses find this topic critical!

Tentative schedule:
10am – Meet with Representatives Taylor and Larson
10:30am – Official press conference and speakers (children to display artwork)
11:15am – Children and other attendees hand deliver artwork and information packets to other legislators
12pm – Social and treats for attending children

Please register here.

Admission: Free and open to the public – but please register.
Parking fee: Call for information on downtown parking

Location:
State Capitol Building
115 East State Capitol Bldg.
Madison, WI United States 53702

Kids learn to enjoy winter at Indian Lake County Park

Get Kids Outside — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:20:57 +0000

Even without snow, the kids made use of the sledding hill.

Lou and his mother didn’t look too happy as we gathered at 9 a.m. on a cold, December morning for a trip to Indian Lake County Park.

“I had my doubts,” mom admitted. But she showed up anyway along with 30 others. At the end of the day, they were all smiles and glad they came.

Despite the lack of snow and 10 degree temps, the kids found lots of ways to stay warm and have fun. Plus, Indian Lake is a drop-dead gorgeous park. The sunny, blue skies formed a perfect back drop for limitless outdoor fun:

- Kids ran, slid and rolled down a frost covered sledding hill.

- Kids played on a huge pile of wood. They turned the wood pile into a fort, a mountain or just a neat place to climb. They killed off space aliens, played soldier games and lots more.

- Kids played with sticks, the best toys ever.

- Kids examined beautiful frost crystals that coated the ground.

Sticks are the best toys ever. Note the lack of mittens.

- Kids helped build a fire.

- Kids played football and kicked around a ball.

- Kids hiked up the hill to see a historic chapel.

- Kids ate hot dogs and hot chocolate.

But mostly, the kids learned that sometimes it’s important to get up and go even if it’s cold. Parents set the example. Unfortunately, about 15 kids missed out because their parents cancelled.

We forget how warm kids get when they run around. No matter how many times we asked kids to put their hats on, most didn’t listen and took them off anyway. Go figure. Kids just don’t react to cold the same way as adults.

Winter is a great time to get outside. It’s important to help parents and kids learn how to enjoy the winter.

How do you respond to fears about cold weather?

Playing football in the morning sun. Again, no mittens. Are they crazy?

Indian Lake County Park with 60 people

Get Kids Outside — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:00:50 +0000

Will be taking more than 60 kids and parents to Indian Lake County Park for some hiking tomorrow morning. It will be cold and sunny. I’m actually more concerned about the parents than the kids. I’ll let you know how it goes.