family day trip
MK Nature Center
MORRISON KNUDSEN NATURE CENTER 600 S. Walnut St., Boise 334-2225
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/education Check for admission hours and fees, and gift shop hours.
By Rebecca Evans
nearby, ready to rescue should he fall into the knee-high water. “What’s this?” My son holds up something squiggly, something still alive. At his feet is our “science duffel,” a bag full of magnifying glasses, bug huts, nets, jars, and containers. It becomes our living treasure chest of things that, to me, make little sense. “It’s foreign to me,” I shrug. Though I
H
love nature, I cannot name it and I am quite inadequate in satisfying this natural curios- ity in my child. As a family, we often walk along the Boise River Greenbelt and pause to picnic or explore, later researching and Googling our discoveries to figure out what it was we just experienced. Sometimes the research proves frustrating as we search for answers and solutions with my limited nature knowledge. Yet we are lucky to have the opportu-
nity to rummage in the outdoors beyond our backyards. Idaho offers our youth opportunities to experience nature like no other state. I feel blessed to call the state my home.
at pulled taut over his ears, my young scientist uses a kitchen strainer to scoop treasures from a bend in the stream. I stand
Along our usual path, we often detour
to the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center near downtown Boise. The 4.6-acre facility and stream walk offer a snapshot of Idaho’s nature. The center has a unique fish and wildlife experience that we often slow down enough to enjoy. This spring, some of my son’s questions
will be answered by the Center through its certification program for our youth. The participants will be discovering nature through sensory activities and games, art projects (including mask making), and sci- ence, which will most likely include trapping and releasing small mammals. Participants will learn about animal scat and tracks, and will cast some plaster tracks. They will build a “trash monument” and collect trash along the river as a service project. They will col- lect insects and study the fish that eat them. Finally—a course that will satisfy the raw curiosity that young minds demand! The program will also include study regarding the impact of our personal actions on the ecosystem, encouraging responsibility and ownership of our environment. MK Nature’s Center new Junior
Naturalist Certification Program will feed our hungry young scientists through the
wonders of nature. The program is designed for 4th
through 6th graders. It will be offered
over spring break, March 26–30, from 9 am to 3pm and again (in shorter form) on Mondays, April 2–30 from 3:45 to 5:45pm. Participants will learn through exploration, observation, and hands-on science. They will have the opportunity to explore the basic understanding of water, trees, plants, mam- mals, reptiles and amphibians, birds, fungi, and weather. Young Naturalists will partici- pate in a volunteer environmental activity and earn their certification. Program instructors are Idaho Fish and Game Wildlife Educators and Idaho Master Naturalists. The program fee is $75, scholarships are available. The program is limited to 20 participants. Contact Sara Focht at MK Nature Center
at 287-2906 or
sara.focht@
idfg.idaho.gov for registration information.
Rebecca Evans is a freelance writer and empowerment coach. She lives in Idaho with her three sons and enjoys gardening, explor- ing, and learning about the beautiful Idaho outdoors.
For more Family Day Trip ideas go to
treasurevalleyfamily.com.
treasurevalleyfamily.com 47
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