By Mary Kennedy, summer intern
The excitement of coming to Woodland Dunes for summer programs is filled with laughter, smiles, and this year a new group of kids were able to come. Kids from the Boys and Girls Club attended programs with the help of a grant from the Kohler Foundation. This grant funded four half-day summer camps for kids ages 7-12. There were around 60 kids in total over the entire summer. A lot of these kids had never been to Woodland Dunes, and this was a new opportunity for them to explore the natural outdoor world.
The first program hosted was a grossology camp that focused on “gross” plants and animals in nature. The program proved to be a hit and even though to some kids it seemed gross they were very intrigued. That program happened at the beginning of the summer, and more recently, a wetland explorer camp took place. The two were both vastly different in content but proved to be popular for the range of ages that attended.
The wetland explorers camp was my favorite program. I am familiar with southern wetlands as a Florida resident during the school year. My wetlands in Florida consist of mangroves and alligators, whereas the ones here in Wisconsin have morning star sedges and Northern Leopard frogs. Seeing both ecosystems makes me aware of how vast wetlands are.
Within two days, we covered many different parts of a wetland. It started with an introduction to wetlands and how they function, then we went to observe a wetland off of Cattail Trail that consists of a swamp and marsh environment. On the tower, it was evident that many kids had never observed the West Twin River or a wetland too extensively. Many questions were expressed, “What is that?” or “Do alligators live in the pond?” That made me laugh as it is a fair question, but it seems silly to hear. Kids tend to ask those more curiosity-based questions. They want to know the origin of everything and anything.
Our soil activity also seemed to be one of major exploration. We took two samples of soil – one from the ground and the other from the wetland. Each child got to feel and smell the soil. Having more of a visual component made all the difference for them processing the information.
As someone who also is a visual learner, I appreciate the attention to that aspect. With visual cues, they were more willing to explore. There was also a sense of awareness that was built on what is around them and even what could be in their backyards. I also felt the sense of being more involved in nature and wanting to explore further in my own environment.
Photo: Mary in camp, taken by Jessica Johnsrud