Get Outside:: Week Two
It has been so beautiful Up North (and YES, I'm even talking about the rainy days....we love mucking around in puddles around here!) that I've neglected to do as promised: bring you two great ideas a week for getting your kids outdoors. So we're going to try this again...
Explore Outdoors Idea Two: Hit a Preserve!
We are so fortunate to have so many dedicated spaces Up North, places where no developers will ever roam (unless on foot, just enjoying the beauty). The kids and I spend so much time exploring, playing, and hiking these spots that many of them have come to feel, well, a little like extensions of our own backyard.
Thorneswift Nature Preserve is one of our favorite places on earth.
Just a few minutes from downtown Harbor Springs, this 30-acre gem is a collaborative effort of the Little Traverse Conservancy and West Traverse Township. It features a huge diversity in terms of ecosystems-- cedar swamp, hardwoods, beach, dunes, and a pond. It also has a great little education center where Noah and Max and Lizzie love to read through the bird guides, play with the bones, and learn all about the life that is teeming from every corner of Thorneswift.
The beach is very rocky, which is, of course, part of its appeal.
There is no better way to pass the hours than chucking rocks, skipping stones, and slipping and sliding all over the place (which is why I always pack a set of dry clothes in the car).
I love to sit and hold handfuls of smooth stones, listening to their stories. Sometimes, we bring books like Simon Otto's "We Walk in Peace" to the Thorneswift beach. We read the stories of the Odawa tribe aloud, and remember that these very stones may have been touched by the same waves that carried birch bark canoes along the shore of Lake Michigan.
While there are days when we take advantage of the interpretive signs found along the trails, more often than not, we just use our imaginations and play. Max, the badger, Lizzie, his lunch.
And of course, we seek out the critters. Turtles and frogs and snakes galore.
We also stop to soak in the surroundings. A lot. Because they are that spectacular.
To find nature preserves in your area, visit:
Little Traverse Conservancy
Grand Traverse Conservancy
Check back next week for more ideas to get outside and play, and also, check out this site: Getting Kids Outdoors, a spot with tons of information about the importance of play in the great outdoors!
Explore Outdoors Idea Two: Hit a Preserve!
We are so fortunate to have so many dedicated spaces Up North, places where no developers will ever roam (unless on foot, just enjoying the beauty). The kids and I spend so much time exploring, playing, and hiking these spots that many of them have come to feel, well, a little like extensions of our own backyard.
Thorneswift Nature Preserve is one of our favorite places on earth.
Just a few minutes from downtown Harbor Springs, this 30-acre gem is a collaborative effort of the Little Traverse Conservancy and West Traverse Township. It features a huge diversity in terms of ecosystems-- cedar swamp, hardwoods, beach, dunes, and a pond. It also has a great little education center where Noah and Max and Lizzie love to read through the bird guides, play with the bones, and learn all about the life that is teeming from every corner of Thorneswift.
The beach is very rocky, which is, of course, part of its appeal.
There is no better way to pass the hours than chucking rocks, skipping stones, and slipping and sliding all over the place (which is why I always pack a set of dry clothes in the car).
I love to sit and hold handfuls of smooth stones, listening to their stories. Sometimes, we bring books like Simon Otto's "We Walk in Peace" to the Thorneswift beach. We read the stories of the Odawa tribe aloud, and remember that these very stones may have been touched by the same waves that carried birch bark canoes along the shore of Lake Michigan.
While there are days when we take advantage of the interpretive signs found along the trails, more often than not, we just use our imaginations and play. Max, the badger, Lizzie, his lunch.
And of course, we seek out the critters. Turtles and frogs and snakes galore.
We also stop to soak in the surroundings. A lot. Because they are that spectacular.
To find nature preserves in your area, visit:
Little Traverse Conservancy
Grand Traverse Conservancy
Check back next week for more ideas to get outside and play, and also, check out this site: Getting Kids Outdoors, a spot with tons of information about the importance of play in the great outdoors!
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